Spooks
Spooks Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Overview
Spooks is a fast-moving party game in which you play cards by matching numbers and suits. The first player to empty his hand wins . . . and the ghosties get everybody else!
There are 11 cards in each suit (Spiders, Spooks, Goblins, Bones, and Bats) - 1 through 10, plus the Master - and one Black Cat card. Each suit has a special rule for play, so the last card played can change everything.
Spiders and Spooks
Choose a dealer. The dealer passes out all the cards (some players may get one more card than others). You may choose to deal an extra hand (see Hiding in Plain Sight, below) to speed up the game. Don't show your hand to anyone else.
Your first encounter in the haunted house is . . . Spiders! The player with the 1 of Spiders places it face up in the center of the table. This is the discard pile. (All other cards will be played on the discard pile, except when the Goblins come out.)
Now the next player to the left must play a card of the next higher number - a 2 on the 1. All the blue cards - the Spiders and the Spooks - work the same way. If the card on top of the stack is a blue one, the next person must play the next card in sequence (a 3 on the 2). Any blue card calls for the next player to play the next higher number, up to the Master card, which is played on a 10. It can be any suit, but it must be the next higher number.
If a player does not have the next number, he must pass, and it is the next player's turn to play. Note that even if you have a legal card, you do not have to play it; you may choose to pass.
Play continues until one of four things happens:
- The turn comes back to a player without any of his opponents being able to top the card he played. He may then play any card he chooses, and play continues normally after that.
- A blue Master (Spider or Spook) is played. Only one card, the Cat, can be played on the blue Masters. If the person with the Cat chooses to play it, see the rules under Cats, below. Otherwise, since no other card is higher than a Master, the person who played the Master may play another card, of his choice.
- The Cat is played. It is the "wild card," so it can be played on anything. (See the rules for the Cat below.)
- A Goblin, Bones, or Bat card is played as the next card in sequence. (See the rules for Goblins, Bones, and Bats below.)
Tricky Goblins
Goblins love to play tricks. The only way to escape their wicked game is to play with them.
The Goblin cards are green. When a Goblin is played, each player chooses a card from his hand and puts it face-down in front of him - not on the discard pile! You may choose a Goblin to try to win the trick, or you may "slough" a card of another suit.
When everyone has chosen a card, turn all cards face up. If the Cat comes out, it wins the trick (it scared away the Goblins). Otherwise, the player with the highest Goblin card wins the trick. All the trick cards are now discarded. The winner may play any card he chooses, and play continues.
If NOBODY plays a Goblin (they all decided to hide), all the trick cards are discarded, and it's the next player's turn. He may play any card he chooses.
If a player lays down his last card during this round, he wins the game. Ties are possible!
Bones and Bats
Ah, the darkest time of night - when the really spooky things come out!
When a red card - a Bone or Bat - is played, the rules change. Now the card played must MATCH the one on top of the pile . . . it may match either the suit or the number (or M).
Play continues until one of two things happens:
- A player matches the number on the top discard with a blue or green card (or the Cat). If this happens, play resumes according to the new suit played.
- A player is unable to play on the Bone or Bat on the top of the pile.
Now, either something bad happens, or something worse happens.
Keeping Up with the Boneses
Here's how each suit of cards is played.
| Color | Suit | Play | Optional Master Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue | Spiders | Next number in sequence | Master Spider can be played on any Spider |
| Blue | Spooks | Next number in sequence | Everyone passes a card to the right |
| Green | Goblins | Play a "trick" round | Pass a card to the opponent with the fewest cards |
| Red | Bones | Play the same number OR the same suit | Reverse direction of play |
| Red | Bats | Play the same number OR the same suit | Reverse number sequence, from high to low |
Rattled by Bones
The skeletal specters will try to scare everyone out of their wits! Don't get caught . . .
When a player is unable to top a Bone, the player who laid down the last card chooses a numerical sequence (such as 2-3-4-5 or 9-10-M) from his hand. These cards can be any mixture of suits, and the "straight" can be of any length, or just a single card. Place them in the discard pile with the highest card on top. If this lets that player get rid of all his cards, he wins! Otherwise, the player who could not top the Bone now plays, if he can, on the new top card.
Only the new top card has any effect. Ignore the suit and rank of all other cards discarded in the "straight." So if the top card is a Goblin, play a trick, and if it's a Master, its special effect counts if you are using that rule.
Bitten by Bats
The Bats are the spookiest creatures in the haunted house - they'll bite you any chance they get.
When a player is unable to top a Bat, he's in real trouble. Starting with the one who played the Bat and going counterclockwise, each player chooses one card and gives it to the Bat victim.
If someone gets rid of his last card this way, he wins instantly! Otherwise, play resumes, starting with the player who got Bitten, who may play any card he chooses.
The Cat
The Cat is the wild card. It can be played on any card. The next player can then play any card he chooses. (If you play a Cat during a Goblin round, it wins the trick automatically.)
Obviously, the Cat is good for getting out of scrapes, but it gives the next player the lead. You don't want to squander the Cat in a situation where you can lay down another card.
Escaping the Haunted House
You win by getting rid of all your cards. You've outrun the spooks - too bad for your friends!
Spooks: The Series
Shuffle the cards and play each hand as usual. At the end of each round, tally the points in each losing hand. When one person hits 200, he's grabbed by the monsters and loses . . . and whoever has the lowest score is first out the door and wins!
For a longer game: When a player reaches 200 and is grabbed by the monsters, he drops out and the others keep playing until three players are left. When one of those three hits 200, the game ends and the player with the lowest score wins.
| Card | Points |
|---|---|
| 1-10 | face value |
| M | 20 |
| Cat | 30 |
More Spooks: They Never Die
For a longer or larger game, simply combine two decks! The player nearest the dealer's left who has a 1 of Spiders plays it to start the game.
During a Goblin round, two players might tie if they both play a Cat, or both play the highest Goblin card. Those two players (only) choose new cards from their hands and play another trick. If they tie again, yet another trick is played . . . until someone wins or neither one plays a Goblin.
Spooks III: Even Scarier
To make the game more challenging, add these effects for Master cards. A special effect happens only if the Master is played normally. If it's played during a trick, it has no effect!
- Spiders: The Master of Spiders can be played on any Spider card, regardless of number. It remains the Master, not the number it replaces.
- Spooks: Each player picks one card from his hand. At the same time, everyone gives his chosen card to the person on his right.
- Goblins: Whoever played the Master of Goblins picks one card from his hand and gives it to the opponent with the fewest cards. If players are tied for fewest, he picks one victim to receive the gift.
- Bones: The direction of play reverses. Regular play now goes counterclockwise. Bat bites go around the table clockwise, and the Master of Spooks makes you hand cards to the left.
- Bats: The Spook and Spider cards are now played backward in sequence, so low numbers are played on high ones. When a Goblin trick is played, the lowest Goblin card wins.
The Bones and Bats effects last until the end of the game . . . unless you are playing with two decks. In that case, the second Master of Bones reverses the first one and puts the directions back to normal. The same holds true for Bats.
Hiding in Plain Sight
To make the hands smaller, or to make it more difficult to tell what cards can be played, deal one extra hand of cards and set it aside. This "ghost hand" will not be played this round.
If nobody has the 1 of Spiders, start the game with the 2 of Spiders (and so on, if necessary).
This option is especially good with few players, very experienced players, or two-deck games!