Suds
Suds Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Object
The first player to get rid of all his cards wins the game.
Race to toss your laundry cards onto the pile. Follow the sequence, from hat to sneaks, then sweep the cards onto the floor and into the wash. Go ahead, knock your socks off!
Contents
51 laundry cards
3 wild cards
Set-up
The first time you play, look over the cards in the deck. Then lay them out on the table, from hat to sneaks, so you can see how the sequence works (this is especially helpful when you play with younger kids).
Next, decide which player will be the dealer. The dealer shuffles and deals the cards equally to each player. Depending on the number of players in the game, there may be extra cards — just set these aside, out of play. Then stack your cards into a pile and place them face down on the table in front of you.
Game Play
Beginning the Game
To begin the game, all players draw the top three cards from their piles, look at them, and hold them in their hands. (In a two-player game, draw four cards.) Everyone, including the dealer, waits.
The dealer says "1-2-3 go" and players start tossing laundry cards into the center, in piles, following the sequence from head to toe:
- Hat
- T-shirt
- Boxers
- Pants
- Socks
- Sneakers
A sequence begins as soon as a player throws out a hat card. Any player can toss a T-shirt onto that pile or start a new pile by throwing out another hat card. As soon as you have the right card in the sequence, get rid of it by tossing it onto the right laundry pile.
No taking turns here...this game's a free-for-all. The faster you play, the more fun you have. The race is on!
There can be lots of piles going on at the same time, so discard to any pile you like, but hurry.... If someone else adds a card to the pile before you do, you have to take your card back — each sequence gets only one hat card, one T-shirt, one pair of boxers, and so on, from head to toe.
Once in a while, a player tosses the wrong card onto the pile. Catch the mistake, and he has to take it back. If no one notices, just keep playing the sequence.
Keep in mind that you get to have three cards in your hand at all times. As soon as you toss one card into the center, draw another card from your pile to replace it. (In a two-player game, you always get to have four cards.) The only time you can have more than three cards in your hand is when players get stuck — no one has any of the right cards to add to the laundry piles. When that happens, the dealer says "1-2-3 draw," each player draws one card from his pile, and the sequence continues. Repeat this, if you need to, until play starts up again.
If you have a wild card in your hand, play it any time instead of any other card in the sequence. Just toss the wild card onto the pile and name the item you're substituting it for — boxers, for example. As soon as you add the wild card, the sequence continues — in this case, with pants.
The sequence ends as soon as you toss a sneaker on top of a sock. When you finish a sequence, sweep the laundry pile onto the floor and into the "wash." (Or, if you're a neatnik, simply slap the pile and push it aside.)
Some players, younger kids in particular, like to sweep all the piles onto the floor — no matter who finishes the sequence. It's great fun, but it takes away a couple of seconds in a game where speed is key. If you're playing competitively, make sure the player who finishes the sequence sweeps the pile onto the floor. That makes it fair for everybody.
Continue playing until one player runs out of cards.
Ending the Game
The first player to get rid of all his cards wins the game. If there are still piles left on the table, other players can continue playing, if they like, to see who comes in second and third.
At the end of the game, everyone may run out of cards in their piles, but still have cards left in their hands that can't be played. In that case, the player with the fewest cards in his hand wins. If there's a tie, play another game as a tie-breaker to determine the winner.
Alternative Game Play for Two Players
Put a new spin on the same sequence! In this cycle, you get to toss more than one of the same laundry cards onto the pile.
Say you have two T-shirt cards in your hand. When T-shirts come up in the sequence, you can toss both cards onto the appropriate laundry pile. You, or your opponent, can continue adding T-shirt cards until either one of you throws out a boxers card (or two or three, for that matter). When you finish the sequence, quickly sweep the laundry pile onto the floor and into the wash. Do it fast, before your opponent gets a chance to add any more sneaker cards to the pile.
The first player to get rid of all his cards wins the game.
A Word from Gamewright
Okay, so Suds is a bit irreverent.... Not many games actually tell you to throw the cards on the floor. But there's a catch. If you want to play again (and we know you will), you have to pick the cards back up!