The Rules of ZAR

A ZAR deck has 64 cards.

There are 3 colors (blue, yellow and red). In each color there are:

1 point cards:

• Galaxies
• Lightning Bolts
• Clouds
• Suns
• Moons
• Stars

• Frog (skip player)
• Crab (reverse direction)

• Wasp/Sting (draw 2)

• 2 types of change color (peacock)
• 2 types of change symbol (dragon)
• the ZAR card (draw 4).

For every card there is an exact duplicate in the deck.

Deal out the cards to the players. Each player gets 10-N cards (minumum 4) where N = number of players.

Rules of play:

• The object of the game is to be the first to play all of your cards.
• The state of color and symbol is remembered. On your turn a player may play any 2 point or higher card or any one point card that matches either color or symbol.
  • Example, if state is red suns, a player could play: any red 1 point card, any sun, any sting, frog, crap, dragon, peacock or ZAR card.
• The color of a 2 or 3 point card does not have to match the current state--color on these cards is only used for matching.
• If one has two identical cards, they may play both symultaneously if they want.
  • Two identical 1 point cards will reset the state of the play to that of the cards just played.
  • Cards are additive:
    • 2 crabs cancel
    • 2 frogs is a skip 2
    • Two stings is a draw 4
• Stings are additive. If player A plays a sting, it is a draw 2 to player B. If Player B has a sting or ZAR card, then they can play that card and the draws are additive to player C. (i.e., it is not draw 4 to player C who can play a sting or draw the cards). Once the cards for a sting are drawn, then it is that players turn to play.
• If play comes to a player and they do not have any cards that they can play, they must draw one card. At this point the player can choose to play a card from their hand or annouce "PASS" and play passes.
• If the deck becomes depleted, keep the last card or two from the discard pile to show the state of the play (for color, symbol and matching purposes) and shuffle the discard deck to make a new deck for drawing from.
• Matching:
  • If a player plays a card and any other player has the identical card, they may play the card out of turn and annouce "match". The match must happen before the next player plays. Determination will be which card hit the discard pile first. If the match is unsuccessful, then the failed match player must recover their card and the match never happened.
  • In the case of a match, the matched player (the one who played the card that got matched) must draw the number of cards as points on the card that was matched. Play continues from the matching player (the one who made the match). This keeps the game a bit exciting.
  • In the case of a match during a sting, the match is resolved first, then the sting. Example. Player B plays a red sting on player C. Player A matches the red sting. Player B has to draw 3 cards. After this Player B has a draw 4 coming to him. He can either play a another sting or ZAR (ie send a draw 6 or draw 8) and pass it onto player C or draw 4 more cards.
• Starting play:
  • When everyone is ready the dealer turns over the top card. Play begins as if the dealer had just played that card. If it is matched, then the dealer draws the appropriate number of cards. The first card can not be a dragon or peacock (since there is no color or symbol to change) unless someone matches the dragon or peacock before the dealer notices. This is valid play since the 2nd card negates the first card so no change really happened and the lawys of physics still are intact. In the match case normal match rules apply.
  • Play begins Blackerwise (counter clock wise) from the dealer.
• Winning:
  • The hand winner is the one who plays their last card first.
  • If a player has only one card, they must annouce "LAST" to the rest of the players. If a player does not accounce this, and someone askes them "How many cards do you have?", then the player draws a penalty card.
  • To win one must play a single card (one can't win playing a matched set) that is valid to play. If this card is matched, draw the appropriate number of cards and keep playing. If it is not matched, the there is a winner.
  • If the last card is a sting, the player to be stung needs to either show that they have a sting or ZAR card, or draw cards for the sting.
• Points
• Count up the the number of points in each hand. If not playing for points, then the person with the most number of points is the next dealer.
• If one is playing for points, tally the number of points for each player. The next person blackerwise is the next dealer. Play continues until a player's total score exceeds 50 points. At this point the player with the least overall points wins.