Ascending Rules UNO

Description:

Ascending Rules UNO (ARUNO) is a variation on the classic card game, UNO. It's a bit twisted in ways, but we think it's a lot more fun.

Rules:

The official rules:

The official rules of "ARUNO" are the rules that ship with the game (wikipedia seems to have the Official UNO Rules, if that's what you're after), with the following additions:

1. 5-Second Rule

   A player has only five seconds to make a play (play, draw, pass, etc.). If a player is without a doubt taking longer than five seconds, anyone may point to that player and say "Draw a card". S/He then draws the penalty card and continues with their turn.

2. Infinite-Finite Draw

   The UNO rules have been printed with two sets of rules for drawing when you can't play. At first, the rules said to keep on drawing until you can play. In the reprint the rules said to "draw one card and if you can play it, great". In ARU, the first time through the deck for each hand, draw until you can play. After the first reshuffle for each hand, draw only one card, and you may play it if legal.

3. Dealer's Choice

   The dealer chooses how many cards to deal.

4. Face up-Face down Cards

   The dealer chooses any number of cards, specifically and/or randomly, to turn face up in the deck before each shuffle. Any face up cards a player gets must stay revealed on the playing surface before them. These face up cards are still part of their hand, and can be played normally, they are merely visible or "revealed". The normal, non-revealed cards are called "hidden".

5. Dealer Adds A Rule

   The dealer adds a rule before play begins at the beginning of each hand. The rule must pertain to the game, and cannot require unrelated mental or physical tricks, i.e. speaking in rhyme or doing pushups. Rules cannot directly remove previous rules, but they may overlap, or amend previous rules. A rule can be removed at any time by UNANIMOUS agreement, including the person who made the rule. A specific person can be voted out of the game by unanimous agreement of everyone minus the said person. The subsequent dealer is the person sitting to the left of the dealer at the end of the hand.

Note: For fun play, we recommend that when first playing, avoid drastic or complex rules, or rules that dramatically increase the number of cards drawn. We also recommend that if people boo at your proposed rule, that you modify it even though you don't have to. And remember that the game isn't as fun if it becomes very difficult to go out. We have found that the drastic changes or draw increases work much better with prior rules that make it possible to avoid or reduce drawing, or provide alternative ways of winning. Enough said.

Examples of dealer added rules that have been heard about...

• Test

• Trading Places

  The winner trades places with the person to the left of the dealer, unless the dealer wins, in which case s/he trades places with anyone except the person to their left.

• Cumulative Draw

  If being hit by a DRAW TWO or a WILD DRAW FOUR, a player may play a DRAW TWO or a WILD DRAW FOUR respectively instead of drawing. The following player must draw the cards that this player was meant to draw, plus the new amount. In other words, If four DRAW TWOs are played in a row without being drawn for, and the fifth person does not have a DRAW TWO, s/he draws eight cards.

• Identicals Repulse

  No play may be made which allows two identical cards to end up next to each other in the discard pile. For example, one cannot play a RED 3 on a RED 3.

• Play From Next Person

  A player may play from the next person's face up cards.

• Five Again

  If a player plays a FIVE, s/he may play again.

• Pringle Shield

  If a player draws cards as the result of a draw card, s/he gets the "Pringle Shield". The holder of the "Pringle Shield" may not be targeted by draw cards, and is skipped over if necessary.

• Color Change Skip

  If a player plays a card of the same 'rank' but different color as the card previously played, then play skips two people.

• Passing Hidden in Reverse

  If anyone plays a ZERO or a TWO, everyone passes their hidden cards to the person in reverse direction of play.

If you have your own rule that you'd like to list here, send e-mail to aruno@daveltd.com, and I'll consider adding it.

General Clarifications

Wild Draw Fours

may not be played if the player has a card of the same color as the "current color". That is in the regular rules.

Calling UNO

is required only when a player plays their second to last card. To avoid confusion, the player should say "UNO" as s/he is playing that card. If s/he fails to call it then, s/he must say "UNO" before anyone catches him/her, and s/he can only be caught until the next person plays. If caught, s/he is penalized by drawing two cards.

The Hand Begins

when the top card of the deck is 'played'. In all cases, consider the dealer to have played the card. (Regular rules say that only numbers can be the first card. Most house rules I've come across allow any card to be the first.)

Rules Clarification

is determined by general agreement with preference given to the originators intent.

Rules Precedence

is ordered by 'specificity' and 'number'. Rules or rulings and agreements regarding the specific instance take precedence. Rules that are more specifically related or refer to fewer people generally take place before more general rules. With contradictory rules, the more recent or more specific rule generally wins. Any questions should be resolved by general agreement, taking into account original intent and game balance.

The Winner

is the first person (counting left from the dealer) who has no cards at the end of a play.

ARUNO rules donated by Chris O'Hare

This page maintained by:
David Lindes