OBJECTIVE OF SWAP!: Be the first player to get rid of all your cards
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2 – 10 (best with 3 or 4)
NUMBER OF CARDS: 104 Cards
TYPE OF GAME: Hand shedding
AUDIENCE: Kids
INTRODUCTION OF SWAP!
Swap! is a fast paced commercial hand shedding game. Cards do not have any numbers on them, and rather than drawing, skipping, and reversing, players will swap hands or slap the pile depending on the last card played.
THE CARDS & THE DEAL
Shuffle the deck and deal 10 cards to each player. The rest of the cards form the draw pile, and they are placed on the table. Turn the top card over to begin the discard pile, but make sure there is plenty of empty space around the card.
If the turned up card is a SWAP card, the dealer determines which of the four colors is used to begin the game. If the turned up card is a SUPER SWAP, SLAP, or SWITCH COLOR, the action on the card is not completed. The game just begins with that card’s color.
THE PLAY
Play begins with the player on the left side of the dealer. On each player’s turn, a card that matches the color of the top discard or a SWAP card is played. A player can only play one card on their turn. If a player is unable to play a card, they must draw one card from the draw pile. If it is playable, it must be played immediately. If not, the card remains in their hand. This ends their turn.
There are also a number of special cards in play.
SWAP
SWAP cards are considered any color, and they can be played at any time. The player who plays the SWAP chooses who they will swap hands with. The player can also change the color of the discard pile if they choose. A SWAP card can be played on another SWAP card.
SWITCH COLOR
SWITCH COLOR cards can only be played on a card of the same color. If this card is played, that player must choose a different color for the discard pile. A SWITCH COLOR can only be played on another SWITCH COLOR card if it is the color that has been chosen.
SLAP
SLAP cards can only be played on the same color card. When a SLAP card is played, every player other than the one who played the card must slap the discard pile. The last player to do so must draw a card from the hand of the player who placed the SLAP card. Slap cards of the same color.
Play continues in a clockwise direction until one player runs out of cards.
WINNING
The first player to run out of cards wins the game.
- TRIPLE SNAKES - February 15, 2021