Loners
Loners Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Objective
Build and shed your hand by playing card combinations (Crews). Be the first to empty your hand to win the round. Win 2 rounds and win the game!
Player Count Chart
| 2 Players | 3 Players | 4 Players | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cards in hand | 11 | 10 | 10 |
| Loners | 6 | 7 | 9 |
| Deck | Remove all 8s | Use all cards | Use all cards |
Setup & Deal
- Set the Knuckle cards aside for scoring. Shuffle the remaining deck, then deal a circle of face-up numbered cards to form the Loner's Circle. If a Security Guard appears, replace it with a new card and reshuffle the deck before continuing.
- Deal cards face down to each player according to the player count (see chart). DO NOT REORDER YOUR HAND. Look at your cards but keep them secret from your opponents. Say "this is our little secret" to yourself.
- Set the remaining cards aside - they won't be used for this round.
- The person who most recently got a nosebleed goes first. In future rounds the player to that person's left will go first.
Circle Up!
Place the Loners in a circle around "The Street". This way they can yell curses at you when you play. Remember: the number of Loners will change based on player count. (The layout has the discard pile and the deck beside the "Loner's Circle", with "The Street" in the middle of the circle.)
Playing the Game
On your turn, you must either:
- A. FIGHT (play cards): Play a Crew of cards from your hand.
- B. RETREAT (pass): Pass and draw a Loner into your hand.
- C. CALL SECURITY: Play a Security Guard card and break up the fight.
After your turn, play continues to the left. You could have guessed that.
NOTE: If there are no active Crews in the street then you MUST choose "A. FIGHT".
A. Fight (play cards)
Play a Crew of cards from your hand face up in The Street. Play directly on top of the previous Crew. This is the new active Crew.
- All the cards you play MUST be next to each other in your hand.
- The crew you play MUST be stronger than the active Crew currently in the Street. If there is no Crew in the Street play whatever you want. See if I care.
Types of Crews
- Single (one card)
- Sets (same value, e.g. 2,2,2 or 7,7)
- Runs (sequential value, e.g. 1,2 or 5,6,7,8)
Note: Runs must be in order but do not have to be in a specific direction. 7,6,5 is the same thing as 5,6,7.
Strength Rules ("I would read this part twice")
- Bigger Crews Win. A Crew with more cards always beats one with fewer (e.g., 1-2-3 beats 6-7).
- Same Size and Type? Higher value wins. If Crews have the same number of cards and same type, the higher rank wins (e.g., 4-4-4 beats 2-2-2; 2-3-4 beats 1-2-3).
- Sets Beat Runs of Equal Size. If both Crews have the same number of cards, a set always beats a run (e.g., 2-2-2 beats 6-7-8).
Example 1 - The Crew to beat is 1,2,3. You play a 1,1,1 because sets always beat runs of the same amount of cards.
Example 2 - The Crew to beat is 5,6. You play a 2,3,4 which beats the 5,6 by being a combination with more cards.
Recruiting a Loner
When you FIGHT you may also add a card from the Loner's Circle to your crew to make it more powerful. The Crew you are adding a Loner to must still be adjacent in your hand, but you may insert the Loner anywhere into the Crew when you play it. You may not play a Loner as a single card, it can only be added to card(s) from your hand.
Example 3 - You have a 4 and a 6 in your hand in that order. There is a LONER 5 available. You take it and insert it in your Crew to make a 4,5,6, playing it and beating the active Crew. Nice.
Loner Crews Can Be Stolen!
Loners have no true loyalty! If a Crew has a Loner in it, it is considered a Volatile Crew. On their turn, future players can steal control of it by adding a single card to it in the same pattern of the original Crew. For example, you may add a card to either end of a run, or add another card to a set. The entire Crew is treated as if it has been played by the person who stole it.
Example 4 - You used a LONER on your turn to play a 4,5,6. The next player adds a 3 to your Crew to gain control of it. Now you all have to beat 3,4,5,6. Good luck with that, smart guy.
IMPORTANT: Once a volatile Crew has been stolen, that Crew is no longer volatile and cannot be stolen again. They have found their forever home.
B. Retreat (pass)
Pass and draw a card from the Loners.
If you cannot play a Crew, or choose not to, you can Retreat and pass on your turn. The passing player must now draw a card from the Loner Circle and insert it anywhere in their hand. If no Loners are available you're still able to pass.
NOTE: If you add a Loner to your hand it is no longer a Loner. You're not the step-dad, you're the dad who stepped up.
"Do you kiss my mom with that mouth?"
C. Call Security
Play a Security Guard and break it up.
If you have a Security Guard anywhere in your hand, you may play it face up beside the active Crew on your turn to break up the fight and 'cool down' the street. The previous player's Crew remains the active Crew, but once a Security Guard is played, all future Crews in this round must be lower in strength than that active Crew.
NOTE: You may never play a Security Guard as your last card. If you end up in this situation, draw and pass. I don't care if your Dad is the mayor. The law is the law.
Example 5: The active Crew is 7,7,7 on Player 1's turn. They play a Security Guard. Player 2 plays a 1,2, which is weaker than the current Crew. Player 3 plays a single 1 on their turn, which is weaker than a 1,2. Player 1 cannot play lower than a 1 and passes.
NOTE: If a second Security Guard is played on top of the first one, they become distracted, with normal rules of strength being reinstated. My understanding is that they left and went to Buffalo Wild Wings.
No One Beat Your Crew?
If all other players have passed and play returns to you, discard all cards in the street (including Security Guards) and lead a new fight by playing any Crew from your hand.
NOTE: Playing Security Guards is NOT passing! If your same crew comes back to you and someone has played Security Guard you still must play on it!
"I refuse to work on myself!"
Empty Your Hand?
If you empty your hand on your turn and there are no more Loners out you have won the round.
But Wait!!! Don't go out too early! If you empty your hand and there are still LONERS out on the table, you must pick up ALL the LONERS into your hand, in the order they are laid out, starting with the card of your choice. Your active crew stays on the table and play continues to the left. Just when you thought you were out...
"I'm having problems at home!"
Game End
A game will consist of multiple rounds. After winning a round draw a Brass Knuckle card to track your win.
The first player to win 2 rounds wins! Your Mom is proud of you! Dad is a "maybe."
Expert Variant: Layered Loners
For this more strategic variant Loners are dealt out in an 'overlapping row' as shown below (the Loners are laid in a row of overlapping cards, e.g. 3, 5, 8, 2, 1, 6 from left to right, with the 6 fully visible at the end next to the deck):
Loners are used in the same manner as the standard rules, but must be drawn or played in exact order they have been laid out.
In the example above, the 1 cannot be drawn or played until the 6 has been taken. The last Loner to be used would be the 3.
Edge Case Reminders
- If there is no Active Crew on your turn you must 'FIGHT' and play a Crew.
- You can't play a Security Guard as your last card.
- A second Security Guard cancels the first. They are in love now.
- A volatile Crew can only be stolen once.
- Stop punching the cards, they can't feel it. It's just drawings not real guys.