Upturn
Upturn Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Aim of the Game
Discard all your tiles as soon as you can by using your skill to place them on the table in an upwards or downwards direction.
Contents
106 tiles: 80 numbered tiles and 26 Action tiles.
The Action tiles are divided into categories: 6 Up tiles, 6 Down tiles, 6 Up & Down tiles, 3 Skip tiles, 3 Double Skip tiles, 2 Joker tiles, 4 playing racks, 1 set of rules.
For
2 to 4 players, age 6 and upwards.
Preparation
All the tiles are shuffled thoroughly and turned face down on the table as a pool. Each player takes 7 tiles from the pool and places them on the playing rack. Take one more tile from the pool and place it face up on the table: this is the Starting tile.
Note: the Starting tile must be a regular numbered tile and not an Action tile.
Start of the Game
The youngest player starts by placing one of his or her numbered tiles against the Starting tile.
If the number of the new tile is higher than the Starting tile: the numbers in the game continue in an upward series and play passes to the player on the left. The game proceeds in a clockwise direction.
If the number of the new tile is lower than the Starting tile: the numbers in the game continue in a downward series and play passes to the player on the right. The game proceeds in a counterclockwise direction.
Continuing the Game
When it's your turn, try to place one tile in the direction in which the game is going at that particular turn. If you can't lay a tile in the direction of play, you may change the direction of the game with an Action tile or take one tile from the pool.
Example 1
The Starting tile is: 20. The second tile is: 40. The direction of play is up. The next player may now place any tile numbered from 41 to 99 or an Action tile.
After placing a numbered tile, the game continues clockwise and play passes to the player on the left, except when an Action tile reverses the direction of play.
Example 2
The following tiles are on the table: 9, 24, 32, [picture of an Action tile]. The direction of play has been changed from upwards to downwards. You can play a numbered tile from 31 to 1 or an Action tile. Play continues in a counterclockwise direction and passes to the player on the right (unless the Action tile changes the direction of play).
If You Can't (or Don't Want to) Play
You must then take one tile from the pool. You may now choose to place the tile on the table or play with another tile from your rack, but you may also keep all your tiles. Your turn is now over.
Winner
The first player to discard all his or her tiles wins the game.
Additional Rules
When there is only 1 tile left on your rack, you must say so out loud before the next tile is laid. If you forget, you must take 3 tiles from the pool as a penalty.
The last tile must not be an Action tile.
Tip
A very strong move is to play the Joker combined with a Twin tile (see fig. B). Not only can you change the direction, but you can discard many tiles at one go.
Explaining the Tiles
Numbered Tiles
A. A regular numbered tile (see fig.).
Action Tiles
B. Up tile (see fig.).
You may only place this tile on the table if the direction of play is downwards. If you changed the direction of play with the Up tile: the game continues clockwise and play therefore passes to the player on the left.
Note: This means that the turn now goes back to the player whose turn was before yours.
C. The Down tile (see fig.).
You may only place this tile on the table if the direction of play is upwards. If you have changed the direction of play to Down: the game continues counterclockwise and play passes to the player on the right.
Note: this means that play goes back to the player whose turn was before yours.
D. The Up & Down tile (see fig.).
This tile reverses the direction of play as desired – from upwards to downwards or vice versa.
Note: this means that play goes back to the player whose turn was before yours.
E. The Skip tile (see fig.).
The next player must skip a turn and may not play that round.
F. The Double Skip tile (see fig.).
The next 2 players must skip a turn and may not play that round.
If there are only 2 players in the game, the Double Skip tile works in the same way as the Skip tile.
G. The Joker tile (see fig.).
This tile changes the direction of play and enables you to place an extra tile on the table.
Example 3
The 2 previous tiles are: 81 and 86. The direction is up.
You make the following: 81, 86, [Joker tile], 20.
H. Twin tile (red numbered tile) (see fig.).
If you play a Twin tile (11, 22, 33, 44, etc.), you may play all the numbered tiles between the Twin tile and the last tile to be placed on the table.
Example 4
54, 63, 71, [picture of an Action tile] lies on the table.
Your rack holds the following tiles: 4, 22, 36, 40, 48, 64.
You decide to play the Twin tile 22 to close the line.
You may now play the following tiles in the same turn: 64, 48, 40, 36 (these are all the tiles on your rack between 71 and 22).
Because you have laid 5 tiles in this way, you can take 5 tiles from the pool and give them to one or more players (e.g. 2 tiles to player B, 2 tiles to player C and 1 tile to player D).
I. A Penalty tile (recognizable by the [penalty symbol]) (see fig.).
If you play this tile, you may take 1 tile from the pool and give it to any player.
Transcription Notes
The source leaflet shows several tiles only as pictures; where the English text refers to a tile by picture, the markdown marks it as "[picture of an Action tile]", "[Joker tile]" or "[penalty symbol]". The examples are also illustrated on the leaflet's final page, which is not reproduced here.