Jojo
GOAL: Be the first player to get rid of all of their cards, and collect points from the other player(s).
ABOUT: There are nine cards (numbered 1-9) of five color suits (Red, Blue, Yellow, Green, and Purple). Each card contains four numbers, one main and three supplemental, that can all be used in play. Example: the 1 card also has a 2 on the right, 3 at the bottom, and 4 on the left. There are also Action cards, including 4 Jojo cards, and 5 Wild cards, which will be explained later. The cards will be played on a grid of up to 9 stacks.
HOW TO PLAY: A Dealer is chosen and deals each player a certain number of cards that depends on how many are playing the game. Two players = 7 cards, 3 players = 6 cards, 4 players = 5 cards, 5 players = 4 cards, and 6 players = 3 cards. A card is then turned over from the Draw Stack and placed in the middle of the playing area, creating the Master Stack. The player to the left of the dealer goes first, and can do any of the following:
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Play a card of any color that matches the numbers on the Master Stack top card.
2. Play a card of the same color and up one sequentially from the Master Stack top card.
(If a 9 is on top of the stack, it can be continued with a 1.)
3. Play a card of any color with a matching adjacent number on one of the four sides (North, South, East, and West) of the Master
Stack top card. This creates one of the four Side Stacks.
4. If one or more of the Side Stacks have been created, a player may lay down a sequential card of the same color, or any color
card that has a matching number.
5. If more than one of the Side Stacks have been started, and are adjacent, (example: North and East), then a player may lay down
a card that has numbers matching them both, in the corner between the two Side Stacks. These are called Corner Stacks.
6. If any of the Corner Stacks have been created, a player may play a matching number of any color, or a sequential card of the
same color as the top card just like the Master and Side Stacks.
7. Play a Jojo card on any of the Side or Corner Stacks. A Jojo card may NOT be played on the Master Stack. More about the Jojo
cards coming up.*
8. Play a Wild card on any of the Stacks. More about the Wild cards coming up.^
9. If the player does not have a play, they must draw a card. The drawn card can be played immediately, if possible. If it is not
playable, their turn is over and play moves to the person on their left.
A player can continue their turn as long as the last card played is one of the following:
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Any card played on the Master Stack.
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Any card that matches in color.
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Any card that creates a new stack.
As soon as a player lays down a card, they are then no longer required to draw a card.
Note: The Master Stack always has priority on what can be played, so even if a run of a certain color has been played on one of the Side Stacks and the adjacent numbers no longer match the Master Stack top card, a player may lay down any card matching the adjacent number on the Master Stack top card.
ACTION CARDS
All Action cards must be played in conjunction with a number card.
*JOJO: The Jojo card can be used in three different ways: to Switch, to Move, and to Hold.
SWITCH: A player may play the Jojo card to switch the direction of the numerical sequence in that particular stack. It can be played on either the Side Stacks or Corner Stacks. When played, the card is laid sideways with the appropriate arrow pointed down, or up if there has already been a Switch played in that stack. Using the Jojo card as a Switch must be followed immediately with the next sequential card that matches the color of the original stack top card.
MOVE: A player may play the Jojo card to move any card that has already been played on a stack. The card that is moved must meet the requirements of being placed in its new location, and the player must play a number or Wild card from their hand as a result of moving the first card. Example: A Blue 4 has been played on top of a Green 4 on a Side Stack. The next player may have a Green 5 they want to play, but can’t at the moment because it is covered. They may have a Blue 3 that can be played on another stack, then the Jojo card as a Move, then the Blue 4, and now the Green 5 on the previous stack.
HOLD: A player may play the Jojo card to hold their turn on a particular stack until play comes back around to them. After playing all of the cards they can on a single turn, they may find themselves in a position to play one more card on a stack, but they’ve already changed card colors and have no more moves left for that turn. They may use the Jojo card as a Hold so no other player may lay down on that stack before play returns to them. To do so, the player should turn the Jojo card over to the back side until play returns to them. The first play of their next turn must be on that Hold.
^WILD: The Wild card can be played in place of any card, so long as the player has an appropriate card to lay down on it immediately after.
At any point in the game a player may choose to skip their turn by trading in one of their cards, placing it on the bottom of the Draw Stack and drawing two new cards. The player’s turn is then over.
If the Draw Stack runs out of cards, all non top cards in the stacks, and any Jojo cards that are not still in play as a Switch or Hold, are pulled from the Stacks and reshuffled, creating a new Draw Stack.
SCORING:
The round is over when one player lays down their last card. All other players then count the number of points in their hand. Number cards = 2 points each, and the Jojo and Wild cards = 5 points each. If the Draw Stack has been replenished, points are doubled. If it happens again, tripled, and so on. The position of dealer moves to the left, and the winner of the previous round plays first. The game is over when one player reaches 50 points.