Mao

About this game

"What do you mean, I have to figure out the rules myself? How can I play this game if I don't know the rules?" Mao. The only game in which the rules of the game prohibit me from explaining the rules to you... Mao is a standard deck playing card game where the object is to get rid of all your cards, and this is the only thing that new players are told about this game. They are forced to figure out the rest of the rules by themselves. Every time a player breaks a rule, a penalty is called, and they must take it back and draw a penalty card. In some variants, the winner of each round makes up a new (secret) rule for the next round. Commercial versions of the game include Quao and Shut Your Mao!

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Works with 2 to 20.
• Rules load. At 1.9/5 this is a light game — explain it in a few minutes, good for a table that has not played much.
• Age. The publisher suggests 13 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.