Sting (1984)

About this game

A version of "Rummy" with the standard IGI twists, the main one being that players lay down runs and sets *in front of their opponents*, and except for the player who wins the round by being the first to get rid of all of his or her cards, sets and runs in front of a player are scored *against* that player at the end of the round. In addition to cards numbered 1 through 10 in the red, blue, green, and yellow suits, there are Wild Sting cards (regular wild cards), Double and Triple Wild Sting cards (wild cards that double and triple the score of a run or set), Pass-a-Pile cards (to move a run or set that's in front of you to another player), Take-It-Back cards (to deny Pass-a-Piles), and Super Wild Sting cards (that *can't* be passed and must be eaten at the end of the round). All in all, another IGI game that will have the players ready to knife each other by the end of the night. The approximate playing time is a guess.

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Works with 2 to 6.
• Rules load. At 1.2/5 this is a light game — explain it in a few minutes, good for a table that has not played much.
• Age. The publisher suggests 9 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.