OBJECTIVE OF TAKI: Be the first player to play all of their cards to the discard pile
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2 – 10 players
CONTENTS: 116 Cards
TYPE OF GAME: Hand Shedding Card Game
AUDIENCE: Ages 6+
INTRODUCTION OF TAKI
Taki is a hand shedding card game that was first published in 1983. It is considered an advanced version of Crazy 8’s. What differentiates this game from Eights and UNO is its inclusion of some unique and interesting action cards. Taki does not have a scoring method. Rather, the rules include a tournament format that changes how the game is approached by players
CONTENT
Players get a 116 card deck and an instruction booklet out of the box.
There are two cards of each number per color.
Each color also has two copies of the Stop, +2, Change Direction, Plus, and Taki cards. Colorless action cards include the SuperTaki, King, +3, and +3 Breaker. There are two of each. Finally, there are four Change Color cards.
SETUP
Shuffle the deck and deal 8 cards to each player. Place the rest of the deck face down in the center of the table and turn the top card over to begin the discard pile. This card is called the Leading Card.
THE PLAY
The youngest player goes first. During a player’s turn, they choose a card (or cards) from their hand and place it on top of the discard pile. The card they play must match the color or symbol of the Leading Card. There are action cards that have no color. These cards can also be played on a player’s turn without following the color and symbol matching rule.
If a player cannot play a card, they draw one from the draw pile. That card cannot be played until their next turn.
Once the person has played or drawn, their turn is over. Play passes left and continues as described until one player has one card left.
LAST CARD
When the second to last card from a player’s hand is played, they must say last card before the next person takes their turn. If they fail to do so, they must draw four cards as a penalty.
ENDING THE GAME
The game ends once a player has emptied their hand.
ACTION CARDS
STOP – The next player is skipped. They do not get to take a turn.
+2 – The next player must draw two cards from the draw pile. They lose their turn. These are stackable. If the next player has a +2, they may add it to the pile rather than draw cards. The stack may continue to grow until a player is unable to add one to the pile. That player must draw the total number of cards determined by the stack. They also lose their turn.
CHANGE DIRECTION – This card changes the direction of play.
CHANGE COLOR – Players can play this on top of any card other than an active +2 stack or +3. They choose the color that must be matched by the next player.
TAKI – When playing a TAKI card, the player also plays all of the cards of the same color from their hand. Once they have done so, they must say closed TAKI. If they fail to announce that the TAKI is closed, the next player can continue using it. Use of the open TAKI can continue to be used until someone closes it or a card of a different color is played.
Action cards that are played within the TAKI run do not activate. If the final card in a TAKI run is an action card, the action must be carried out.
If a TAKI card is played on its own, it cannot be closed by that player. The next player gets to play all the cards from their hand of that color and close the TAKI.
SUPER TAKI – A wild TAKI card, the Super Taki automatically becomes the same color as the Leading Card. It can be played on any card other than an active +2 stack or +3.
KING – The King is a cancel card that can be played on top of ANY card (yes, even an active +2 or +3 stack). That player ALSO gets to play another card from their hand. Any card they want.
PLUS – Playing a Plus card forces the person to play a second card from their hand. If they are unable to play a second card, they must draw one from the draw pile and pass their turn.
+3 – All other players at the table must draw three cards.
+3 Breaker – A great defensive card, the +3 Breaker cancels a +3 and forces the person who played the +3 to draw three cards instead. The +3 Breaker can be played by ANY PLAYER.
If the +3 Breaker is played on a person’s turn, it can be played on any card except an active +2 stack. If the card is played in this way, the person who played it must draw three cards as a penalty. The next player follows the Leading Card that is underneath the +3 Breaker.
TAKI TOURNAMENT
A TAKI Tournament takes place over 8 stages that occur during one long game. Each player begins the game on Stage 8 meaning they are dealt 8 cards. Once a player empties their hand, they immediately begin Stage 7 and draw 7 cards from the draw pile. Each player continues moving through the stages until they reach Stage 1 and draw one card. The first player to get through Stage 1 and empty their hand wins the tournament.
WINNING
The first player to empty their hand completely wins the game.
- TRIPLE SNAKES - February 15, 2021