Jammerlappen
Jammerlappen Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
56 playing cards for 2-6 players, consisting of 44 number cards and 12 action cards, plus rulebook.
Goal of the Game
The goal of the game is to get rid of all of your cards. There is no winner, only a Jammerlappen (loser).
Setup
Shuffle the deck well before the game begins and deal to each player as follows: first three face-down cards, then three face-up cards on top of them, and finally three cards to hand. The remaining cards form the draw pile (Aufnahmestapel).
Caption: 6 table cards (3 face-down cards, with 3 face-up cards on top), 3 hand cards, draw pile.
Gameplay
Basic rule: you must always play equal or higher cards. Action cards may always be played. A player who cannot play must take the pile of played cards. The player who is last to remain sitting on their cards loses the round and is the Jammerlappen.
Hand cards are played first, then the face-up cards, and finally the face-down cards. As long as you still hold hand cards, you may not play the face-up or face-down cards.
Only when you no longer hold hand cards may you play the face-up cards and the released face-down cards.
Face-down cards must always be played blind and may not be looked at beforehand.
As long as there is still a draw pile, each player must always hold at least 3 hand cards. You may play face-up cards only after all of your hand cards have been laid down.
Starting the Round
Each player may, once, exchange one of his hand cards with his face-up cards in front of him. Face-down cards may not be exchanged or looked at.
The Jammerlappen always begins the game. In the first round, the player with the biggest feet may begin by laying a card of his choice.
Cards are then laid clockwise. The laid cards form the pot. You must always lay at least one card that is equal to or higher than the card laid by the previous player. This continues until a player cannot do so and must take the entire pot. When that happens, the next player begins with a card of his choice.
Good to know: If you hold several identical cards in hand, you may lay them all at the same time. This also applies to face-up cards. Hand cards and face-up cards may not be combined in a single turn.
Hand Cards
As long as there are cards on the draw pile, each player must hold at least 3 cards in hand. Each time you have laid a card, you must take a new card from the draw pile so that you again hold 3 hand cards. The next player is then on turn.
Attention: if a player holds more than 3 cards in hand, he does not have to draw from the draw pile.
Caption: The player can lay the 11 ... and takes a card from the draw pile to again hold 3 cards in hand. The next player is on turn.
Caption: The player cannot lay a card and must therefore take the entire pot onto his hand.
Basic rule: If you hold cards in hand, you may not play your table cards!
Table Cards
When the draw pile has been used up, only the remaining hand cards are played. Only when all of your hand cards have been played may you play your face-up cards.
Once one of the face-up cards has been played, the face-down card beneath it is released. Each player then chooses for himself whether to play a face-up card or a released face-down card.
Tip: Sometimes it can make sense to take the pot voluntarily, even if you could lay a card.
If several face-down cards are already released, the player may choose one of the face-down cards blind. Now luck decides whether the card played is sufficient.
If a player manages to get rid of all of his cards (including the face-down cards), he has made it and is not the Jammerlappen. The remaining players continue to play until one loser remains. This player is now the official Jammerlappen and must shuffle the cards, deal them, provide new drinks, and begin the next round.
Quartets
If, during play, all four cards of the same kind (a quartet) are laid one after another, the pot is taken out of the game, and the player who completed the quartet may begin again with a card of his choice.
Don't forget: Face-down cards must always be played blind. If the face-down card is not sufficient, the pot (including the blind-played card) must be taken.
Interrupting (Zwischenschmeißen)
If a player is able to complete the quartet of a card that was just laid, he may lay a card even when he is not on turn (Zwischenschmeißen), but you must be quick!
If you manage to be faster than the next player, who would otherwise be on turn, the pot is taken out of the game, and you may begin again with a card of your choice.
Caption: Player 1 lays a four. Player 3 has three fours in hand and may now interrupt. The pile is taken out of the game, and Player 3 begins again. Player 2 was skipped.
Action Cards
Unlike the number cards, you may always play action cards when you are on turn.
- Dein Problem! (Your problem!) = The last number card played applies to the next player.
- Richtungswechsel! (Change of direction!) = If play has been going to the right, it now goes to the left, and vice versa. If only two players are still playing, the opponent is on turn.
- Aussetzen! (Skip!) = The next player is skipped. If only two players are still playing, you are on turn again.
- Weg damit! (Get rid of it!) = The entire pot is taken out of the game. You begin again with a card of your choice.
- Neustart! (Restart!) = The next player begins with a card of his choice. Important: the pot remains and continues to grow. The direction of play also stays the same.
Four Action Cards in a Row
If 4 action cards (of any kind) are played one after another, the entire pot (including the 4th action card) is taken out of the game, and the player who played the last action card may begin again with a card of his choice.
Action cards cannot be interrupted, since there is no quartet of any action card.
Card 5 – Downward!
The 5 is not an action card and may therefore only be played when it fits the course of play. Once it is laid, play goes downward from the 5 until a player must take the pile, or until the action cards Weg damit! or Neustart! are played.
Don't forget: equal cards may also be laid. Another 5 may therefore be laid on a 5.
Caption: The player can play the 2 and the 3.
Two-Player Game
If you want to play Jammerlappen with only two players, take out all "Richtungswechsel" (change of direction) and "Aussetzen" (skip) cards, and one of each number card, from the game. All quartet and interrupting rules now apply to triplets (Drillinge) already.
Important
If a player has no hand cards left and none of his 3 face-up cards is playable, he must nevertheless play one of his three face-up cards and take it onto his hand together with the pot.