Shady Lady
Shady Lady Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- 80 cards (1-4 and 6-9, ten cards of each)
- 13 score tokens
- 1 booklet
Setup
- Shuffle all the cards face down and deal 3 cards to each player. Place the remaining cards face down in a draw pile near the play area.
- The starting player is the person who most recently stole something. If nobody is concerned, then the person who last attempted a challenge starts, or decide the starting player by a conventional method.
- Place the score tokens within reach of all players.
How to Play
Players take turns clockwise. The game ends as soon as a player has 3 points - that player wins the game.
On your turn
Choose one of the following actions:
- A. Draw 1 card from the draw pile, then discard 1 card from your hand face up onto your personal discard pile.
- B. Take the top card of the discard pile of any player (including your own), then discard 1 card from your hand face up onto your personal discard pile.
- C. Declare Try!
- D. Declare Jack!
After your action is resolved, the turn passes to the next player.
Sets
There are two types of combinations: three cards of the same number, or three consecutive numbers - a triple (brelan) or a run (suite).
Set Strength
A triple is always stronger than a run, and among combinations of the same type, the highest numbers win.
Example, from weak to strong: 1-2-3, 7-8-9, 6-6-6.
Try
You may declare Try! if you have a combination in your hand.
After your Try!, reveal your hand and announce which combination you have. Then, the other players may declare a Try!, but only if their combination is stronger than the one already revealed.
When the player to the right of the Try! initiator has revealed their cards or not, the Try! ends. The player with the best combination wins 1 point.
All players who revealed their hand discard their cards in the order of their choice onto their personal discard pile, then draw 3 new cards from the main draw pile.
Jack
Declare Jack! Choose a player, who must then reveal their hand.
If their hand contains a combination, you (the initiator of the Jack!) win 1 point.
If their hand does not contain a combination, the targeted player wins 1 point.
Then, whatever the result, the targeted player discards their cards in the order of their choice onto their personal discard pile and draws 3 new cards from the main draw pile.
Running Out of Cards
The draw pile may run out. If the draw pile is empty, each player's personal discard pile keeps only its top card, which is face up.
Gather the rest of the cards, shuffle them and place them face down to form a new main draw pile.