To Unlimited, and Beyond
To Unlimited, and Beyond Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 60 playing cards (2 green cards each of values 2-21, 2 purple cards each of values 2-11)
- 54 point chips (18 chips each worth 1, 2, and 3 points)
Setting Up the Game
Shuffle all the cards together and deal them to the players, face down, according to the number of players:
| Players | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cards | 15 | 15 | 12 | 10 |
If there are three players, put the cards you're not using back in the box. You won't need them for this game.
Place the point chips within easy reach of all players. Each player takes chips worth 3 points to start. (The values of the chips you take don't matter as long as the total value is 3; you can exchange them freely throughout the game.)
Put your chips in front of you so all players can see them.
Playing the Game
Each game consists of several rounds. In the first round, the youngest player goes first, then the turn passes in a clockwise direction.
When it's your turn, choose either one of these actions:
- Playing a Combination of Cards
- Passing and Discarding Points
The round ends when a combination of cards has been played that causes all the other players to pass.
1. Playing a Combination of Cards
If you're the first player to play cards in the current round, you may place any combination of cards from your hand in front of you. A card combination can consist either of any single card or of several cards of the same value. The cards' colors don't matter.
However, if another player has already played cards in the current round, your card combination must be higher than theirs: You need to play the same number of cards, but with a higher value.
When your turn starts, if you already have one or more cards in front of you, place them on the discard pile before playing a new card combination.
Example #1: Clara goes first and plays a single 5. The other players must now also play single cards and their combinations must be higher than the one before, so they play a 9, a 10 and a 17. Then it's Clara's turn again and she discards her 5. She can now play any single card with a value 18 or higher.
Taking Points to Increase a Card's Value
In many cases, you won't have any cards in your hand that meet the requirements to play them as card combinations. However, you can increase their values by taking point chips.
The value of green cards always goes up by 1 per point taken. The value of purple cards increases by their original value per point taken.
Take the required number of points from the common pool and place them on the cards in front of you for now. When you discard those cards, take the chips off of them and put them in front of you where all players can see them.
Example #2: Florian kicks off the round by playing a 4-4. Johanna increases the value of her 11 by 1 so she can play a 12-12. Samuel takes two points to increase the value of his 5 twice, so he can play a 15-15. Clara has to take points, too, in order to play a higher combination. She doubles the value of her 11 by taking one point and takes three more points to increase her 19's value, creating a 22-22. If Florian wants to play another combination, both of his cards must be at least 23s.
2. Passing and Discarding Points
If you can't play any cards from your hand or choose not to, you must pass. However, this allows you to discard up to two points and put the chips back in the pool. If you have any cards in front of you, put them on the discard pile as normal. If they have any points on them, put those chips in front of you as usual.
Note: If you go first in a round, but don't have any cards in your hand, you must pass. This allows the next player to play any combination of cards.
Example #3: Samuel starts the round and plays an 8-8-8. Clara raises with a 10-10-10 and Florian raises again with an 18-18-18. Johanna chooses not to go any higher and passes instead. She puts two points back in the pool. Next, Samuel will have to decide if he wants to pass, too, or if he wants to play three cards that are 19s or higher.
Important: Just because you've passed doesn't mean you're out of the round! When it's your turn again, you can once again decide whether you want to pass or play a card combination.
One Round Ends, the Next One Starts!
If it's your turn and none of the other players have raised on the last card combination you played (they all passed), the round ends. Put the cards in front of you on the discard pile, take any chips that may be on them, and start a new round.
The End of the Game
The game ends immediately when one of you manages to get rid of all their cards and point chips. That player is the winner!
If you prefer to know how all the other players are doing, continue the game as usual and skip any players who have already run out of cards and chips.
Variants
1. The Chip It Tournament
Play as many games as there are players, taking turns as the first player, so that each player goes first once.
Don't stop playing as soon as one player wins, but continue playing for placement and give each player Tournament Points as follows:
| Place | 1. | 2. | 3. | 4.–6. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tournament Points | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Write down your Tournament Points after each game. The player with the most Tournament Points at the end of the final game is the winner. If there is a tie, you can have multiple winners.
2. Chip It for Two
Play four games overall. At the start of each game, deal twelve cards to each player and pick one player to go first. Give that player two points in chips, then start playing your cards as usual.
If you lose a game, take three additional points for every card left in your hand. Write down the loser's points and start the next game. This time, the other player goes first.
After four games, the player with fewer points overall wins the game.