Crazy 8s

OBJECTIVE: Be the first player to discard all the cards from your hand onto a single shared discard pile, by linking card similarities one-by-one. See below for more.

Crazy 8s — Game Rules

2-4 Players

Age 7+

15-30 minutes

SETUP:

Shuffle the full deck, including Jokers, and deal five cards to each player. Place the remainder of the deck in the centre of the table, to form a draw pile. Draw a seed card from the top and place it beside, to begin the discard pile. Player left of the dealer starts.

8s are wild. Jokers are wild draw-two cards. Either may be played at any time on your turn.

GAMEPLAY — MATCH SUIT OR MUSICAL PITCH:

On your turn, if you have a card in your hand that matches the top card of the discard pile, either by suit or by musical pitch, you may discard it from your hand to the top of the discard pile. That card has become the new card to match. Continue discarding from your hand until you can no longer do so, or no longer wish to. (Some strategies may involve hanging on to cards for linking plans later.)

If you do not play at least one card on your turn, draw two cards from the draw pile and add them to your hand. If either one is playable, you may play it and continue playing cards from your hand if you can. When your turn is complete, play passes to the left.

When a player plays an 8 from their hand, the suit changes to the suit of that 8. When a player plays a Joker, that player announces a suit of their choice to continue play, and the player to the left draws two cards immediately. In both of these scenerios, the turn remains with the existing player until they stop playing cards, and then play passes to the left as usual.

When the draw pile is spent, keep the top card of the discard pile, shuffle the rest, and form a new draw pile.

Examples of cards having the same pitch or same note on the piano:

C# is enharmonic of Db and vice versa

C#♢ C#♧ Db♡ Db♤ are four cards that share the same musical pitch.

For visual confirmation, look at the highlighted piano keys on the cards. If they match, then the cards have the same pitch.

SCORING AND GAME END:

The game ends when a player discards the last card from their hand. That player wins!

Scoring is optional at the end of the game: any cards left in-hand count as -1 point each.

ALTERNATE PLAY — MUSIC ONLY VERSIONS:

In all of these versions, you will shuffle, deal five cards to each player, and form a draw pile with the remainder of the deck, as usual. The number of discard piles will vary version by version! The rules for which cards can be played on a given discard pile will be entirely music-based. In all of these versions, 8s are still wild, and Jokers are still wild draw-two cards. When a player plays an 8 or a Joker, that player announces the new musical pitch they desire, because suits are irrelevant here. The winner in all of these versions is the first player to discard all cards from their hand.

Level 1 — Easy — Picnicking on a Rolling Hill with a Happy Puppy

Before starting, remove all 9s 10s Js Qs Ks from the deck.

Once you have shuffled, dealt, and placed the draw pile, you will form one discard pile, as usual.

Now, instead of matching musical pitches or suits to the top card, eligible cards to discard from your hand must be one step up, or one step down from the top card, in the musical alphabet. The musical alphabet loops, as follows: A B C D E F G A B C etc. For example, if the top card is an A, you may play a G or a B card.

Your party is going to generate some flowing melodies.

Level 2 — Hard — Tiptoeing Through a Mansion with Creaky Stairways

Use the full deck.

Once you have shuffled, dealt, and placed the draw pile, you will form two discard piles.

Eligible cards to discard from your hand must be one chromatic step up or one chromatic step down from either one of the top cards in the discard piles. The two discard piles will remain active for the duration of gameplay.

Your party is going to generate some sneaky action music.

Level 3 — Crazy — Jet Skiing on a Single Ski Made of Rock, Because You Like Skipping Rocks

Use the full deck.

Once you have shuffled, dealt, and placed the draw pile, you will form one discard pile.

Eligible cards to discard from your hand have a pitch that is one third up or down (either major or minor third) from the pitch of the top card on the discard pile.

Your party is going to generate some wacky arpeggios.

Level 4 — Epic — Mountain Climbing Under Water, with Starfish, at Night

Use the full deck.

Once you have shuffled, dealt, and placed the draw pile, you will form four discard piles around the draw pile.

Eligible cards to discard from your hand are one whole-tone up (and only up) from the musical pitch of any four top cards on the discard piles.

Your party is going to generate mysterious scales, where the home note is nowhere, and everywhere.

Level 5 — Legendary — Tightrope Walking Across an Enormous Clock that is Covered in String, Strung Across the Face of the Clock in a Star Pattern, for Some Reason

Use the full deck.

Once you have shuffled, dealt, and placed the draw pile, you will form one discard pile.

Eligible cards to discard from your hand are one perfect fourth or perfect fifth above or below the musical pitch on the discard top card.

Your party is going to generate a melodic-leap-and-appoggiatura overload sensation.