Onexeno
Onexeno Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Object of the Game
The goal is to accumulate the greatest number of points at the end of the game. Players gain points by forming rows of five matching cards. At the end of game, the points in a player's hand are deducted from the points that they have collected. When playing partners, the partner's scores are tallied together to form a total score. The player or team with the highest score, wins.
Sequence of Play
Start Up
The first dealer is chosen by a draw of the cards. The player with the highest card is the first dealer. In case of ties, additional cards are drawn until the tie is broken. Upon completion of a hand, the deal passes to the player at left of the current dealer.
The Deal
Once the cards are shuffled, the dealer deals five cards to each player. The remainder of the cards are placed face down as a draw stack. A single card is drawn and placed face up in the center of the table.
Player Turns
Play proceeds in turns in a clockwise manner, beginning with person to the left of the dealer. At the beginning of the turn, the player draws a single card from the draw stack. The player then attempts to place a card from their hand so that it matches cards that have been previously played. If there are no cards on the table, the player must place any card from their hand in center of the table. If a player cannot or does not play a card, they pass.
Taking Tricks
When a player plays the fifth card completing a row of five cards, the player takes them. Five cards in a row is called a trick. Multiple tricks may be taken in a single turn. When multiple tricks are formed, the player takes all of the cards. The maximum number of possible tricks in a single play is four. As a result, the maximum number of cards that may be taken at one time is seventeen.
The printed rules show a set of illustrations of valid tricks at this point ("Valid tricks are illustrated below"). The illustrations are images and are not reproduced here.
At any time during the course of play, if any player sees a mismatched card, they may take the card and add that card to their points.
The Playing Field
During the course of the game, the extent of the playing field changes. However, the boundaries of the playing field may never exceed a 5X5 grid of cards. The extent of the playing field is constrained when a player plays a card that establishes this limit. The playing field is considered closed when it is constrained both vertically and horizontally. Once the playing field is closed, cards may only be played within the defined 5X5 square.
The printed rules show a set of illustrations of various playing fields at this point ("Various playing fields are illustrated below"). The illustrations are images and are not reproduced here.
When a player takes a trick, the field may be reopened and its extent redefined.
The End Game
After the draw stack is depleted, play continues until all players pass or one player 'goes out.' When no cards available in the stack pile, the players in turn either pass or play a card. Once a player passes, they may not play in subsequent turns. If any player runs out of cards, that player 'goes out' and ends the game.
The Score
When the game is over, the score is tallied as the sum of the cards that a player has taken, minus the cards remaining in their hand at the end of the game. When multiple games are played, running totals may be kept for each player. In this case, the player with the highest cummulative total is the winner of the session.
The Partners Game
A partners game may be played by two or three two-person teams. When playing the partners game, players sit so that their partners are across the table. The winning team is the pair with the greatest combined score. During the end game, if one member of a team passes, the other member may not play in subsequent turns. The sequence of play and all other rules are identical to the rules for the basic game.