Difficulty: Easy to learn, fast-paced to play
Players: 2–5
Age: 7+
Time: About 5–10 minutes per round
Scoring: Optional
Style: Fast simultaneous discard
Before playing
make sure everyone understands a Tic: two cards Tic when they have exactly two properties in common. Such as:
The number and shape – Tic
The number and colour – Tic
The shape and the colour – Tic
Objective
Be the first player to get rid of all your cards.
If play becomes completely stuck before anyone goes out, the player with the fewest cards remaining wins the round.
Setup
Place 5 cards face-up in the centre of the table. Arrange them in a row, a circle, or a star—whatever makes them easy for everyone to see and reach.
Deal the rest of the deck as evenly as possible among the players. Put any leftover cards aside.
For a shorter game or when there are only 2 or 3 players, you may use only part of the deck.
How to Play
When everyone is ready, someone calls “Go!”
Everyone plays at the same time.
To play a card, place it on top of any one of the 5 centre piles. Your card must Tic with the card currently showing on that pile—it must have two properties in common with it.
As soon as a new card is played, it becomes the new top card of that pile, so the possible plays are constantly changing.
There are no turns. Watch all five piles and play as quickly as you can.
You may manage your cards however you like. Flip through them one at a time, spread out several cards, or hold a large hand, whatever works best for you.
Winning the Round
The first player to play all their cards wins.
If nobody can make another Tic on any of the five piles, the round ends immediately. The player with the fewest cards remaining wins.
If two or more players are tied for the fewest cards, the round is a tie.
Illegal Plays
If a player puts down a card that does not Tic with the card underneath it and another player catches the mistake, the illegal card is returned to that player.
The player must then stop playing until opponents have made 5 legal Tics.
Then they may rejoin the game.
Risky-play variation
For a more mischievous version, players may deliberately attempt illegal plays. If nobody notices, play continues. If the play is caught, the normal 5-Tic penalty applies.
Playing Several Rounds
For a longer game, award 1 point to the winner of each round.
Before starting, choose a target such as 5 or 10 points. The first player to reach that score wins the overall game.
