Go Wild!
Go Wild! Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components and Setup
Number of Players: 2 to 6.
Needed to Play: 109 cards: 18 red, 18 yellow, 18 orange, 18 blue, 18 green, 18 wild cards, and 1 Wild One card (included). Pencil and paper for keeping score (not included).
Object: Score points by winning tricks. Tricks are won by playing the largest set of matching color cards. The first player to score twenty points wins.
Setup
- Remove the "Wild One" card from the deck. (This is the card with a wild person face on both sides.)
- Shuffle the deck.
- Deal twelve cards to each player.
- Place the rest of the deck face down on the table.
Overview
The game is played in a series of rounds. Each round consists of three tricks:
- The winner of the first trick in a round scores one point, and gets to be the Wild One. That player remains the Wild One until another player wins the first trick in a future round.
- The winner of the second trick scores two points.
- The winner of the third trick scores three points.
Only the Wild One can play wild cards to win tricks and points. After the third trick of every round, players keep their remaining cards and are dealt enough cards from the deck to bring their hand size back to twelve cards.
Play continues until someone wins the game by scoring 20 points.
Game Rules
Who Plays First?
Let the youngest player lead in the first trick of the first round. In all other tricks, the person who won the previous trick leads.
What is a "Trick"?
In a "trick," each player takes one turn playing a valid set of cards from his or her hand to the table (see Valid Sets of Cards below). The first player to play during a trick is called the "lead." After the lead plays, the person to his or her left plays and so on, until all the players have taken one turn. At the end of the trick, all cards that were played during that trick are removed from the middle of the table and are placed in the discard pile.
Winning a Trick
At the end of each trick, the player who played the largest set of matching-color cards (or color and wild cards for the Wild One) during the trick is declared the winner of the trick. If there is a tie for the largest set of matching-color cards, then whoever played his or her set first is the winner.
Valid Sets of Cards
There are three possible valid sets of cards; all are played face-up.
- You can play one or more cards face up that match in color. (You don't have to play all of the matching cards you have, if you don't want to.)
- If you are the Wild One (see Round Details and Scoring below), you can play one or more wild cards with a set of matching-color cards. Wild card(s) increase the size of the set as if they were cards of the same color. When the Wild One plays a set that uses both color cards and wild cards, there may not be more wild cards than color cards. For example, the Wild One could play two blue cards with one or two wild cards, but not with three or more wild cards.
- If you are not the Wild One, you can "slough" (throw away) one or more wild cards. Sloughed wild cards are played in the middle just like color cards, but can never win tricks or points.
Note: Sloughed wild cards can never be mixed with color cards (remember, only the Wild One can mix color cards with wild cards!).
Example of Playing a Trick
Paul, Anne, Larry, and Margaret are seated around a table playing Go Wild! Currently Margaret is the Wild One.
- Paul leads by playing three orange cards. (Paul leads because he won the previous trick.)
- It's Anne's turn next, and she decides to slough (get rid of) some of her wild cards, so she plays four of them. (Remember, wild cards only help the Wild One and can not be mixed with color cards by any other player.)
- Now it's Larry's turn and he plays six green cards.
- Margaret holds four blue cards and four wild cards. She triumphantly plays all eight cards (four blue and four wild) and wins the trick.
Round Details and Scoring
During each round of play:
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The winner of the first trick of each round scores one point, and is declared the Wild One. Put the Wild One card in front of that player. As long as this card is in front of the player, he or she may use wild cards to win tricks.
Note: In the very first trick of the game no one is the Wild One.
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For example, if Margaret wins the first trick of round A, she may mix wild cards with color cards during tricks two and three of round A, and trick one of round B! Whoever wins the first trick of round B will become the next Wild One.
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The winner of the second trick scores two points.
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The winner of the third trick scores three points.
After the third trick of every round, each player keeps his or her remaining cards and is dealt enough cards from the deck to bring their hand size back to twelve cards.
If a player runs out of cards before trick three, he or she will not be able to play in any more tricks that round, and must wait until the end of trick three to receive more cards.
If the deck runs out, shuffle the cards in the discard pile to make a new deck.
Note: If the deck runs out, shuffle the cards in the discard pile to make a new deck.
Start the next round, beginning with trick one!
Winning the Game
Play continues until a player reaches 20 points. The first player to reach 20 points is declared the winner.
Strategy Hints
- If you are not the Wild One, you might want to slough (throw away) some of your wild cards to make space in your hand for more color cards!
- Don't play your largest sets of cards unless you have a chance to win the trick.