Slamwich
Slamwich Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Object
The first player to collect all the cards wins the game.
Contents
55 Cards:
- 44 Food Cards
- 3 Thief Cards
- 8 Muncher Cards
Set-Up
Before beginning, look over the cards in the deck so you can recognize the difference between the thieves and the munchers, the eggs and the pickles, the peanut butter and the jelly (that's an easy one)....
Then decide which player will be the dealer. The dealer shuffles and deals the cards equally to each player. Place any extra cards face up in a pile in the center of the table. Then stack your cards and hold them in a pile face down.
No peeking!
Game Play
The player to the left of the dealer goes first. Moving around the circle to the left, take turns flipping your top card and tossing it onto the center pile. (Don't look at your card as you flip it over — it's only fair if everyone sees the card at the same time.)
Slap the center pile when you spot one of three things:
- Double Decker Two of the same cards in a row make a Double Decker. Two Hot Dog Cards, for example.
- Slamwich Two of the same cards separated by one that's different make a Slamwich. For example, a Lettuce, a Tomato, and another Lettuce Card, all turned over in a row.
- Thief Any one of the three Thief Cards, each showing a masked thief stealing a sandwich.
The first player to slap a Slamwich or a Double Decker gets to keep all the cards in the center pile. When you spot a Thief, slap it and yell "Stop Thief!" Get there first, and you get to take the pile. If you slap first, but forget to yell "Stop Thief!", then the first person to say it gets to take the pile.
When you win the pile, add those cards — unshuffled and face down — to the bottom of your own pile. Then start a new round by quickly flipping the top card from your pile into the center. Play continues clockwise.
Playing Muncher Cards
Munchers are even more sly than thieves. And they're harder to stop! Fortunately, they're easy to spot. Each Muncher Card has a number in the corner (either a 1, 2, or 3) and shows a person munching a sandwich.
If you toss a Muncher Card onto the center pile, you're the muncher. That means you can munch — or take — all the cards in the center pile unless you're stopped.
To stop the muncher, the player to your left tosses cards, one at a time, onto the center pile. The number of cards he throws depends on the number on the Muncher Card (as many as three cards for a #3 Muncher Card, for instance). The muncher can be stopped if the player to your left throws:
- a Double Decker,
- a Slamwich, or
- a Thief.
If any of these cards or combinations comes up, any player — even the muncher — can slap the pile. The first player to slap stops the muncher and takes the center pile. If no-one slaps, the muncher munches the cards after all, and gets to take the pile. Whoever wins the pile begins the next round of play.
There's only one other way to stop the muncher. That's if the player to the left of the muncher tosses out:
- another Muncher Card (with any number on it).
It creates a new muncher as long as it doesn't make a Slamwich or a Double Decker. Now the player who threw it becomes the muncher, and the player to his left has to try to stop him by beginning the sequence all over again.
Keep in mind that Slamwich and Double Decker rules also apply to Muncher Cards. For instance, a #3 Muncher Card on top of a #3 Muncher Card is a Double Decker. A Bacon Card between two #3 Muncher Cards is a Slamwich. A #3 Muncher Card between two Bacon Cards is a Slamwich as well.
Slip Slaps
If you make a mistake and slap the deck when there's no Slamwich, Double Decker, or Thief Card in the center pile, you've made a Slip Slap. Make a Slip Slap, and you lose a card. Take the top card from your pile and place it face up on the bottom of the center pile. The player to your left begins the next round.
Ending the Game
When you're out of cards, you're out of the game. Keep playing until there's only one player left. The first player to collect all the cards is the winner.
Some games run longer than others, so you might want to play with a time limit. At the end of the designated time, everybody counts their cards. The player with the most cards wins.
Alternate Game Play
If you want to play more and munch less, remove the Muncher Cards from your deck. That makes a faster, easier game play that's particularly fun for younger kids just learning to play.
Note
In all our rules, we use either "he" or "she" to include everyone!