Warp 99 Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Components
• Setup
• Scoring Setup
• Core Concept
• Gameplay
• Action A: Play 1 Card to Your Personal Row
• Action B: Play to the 2 Discard Piles
• What If I Match 2 or 3 Rules?
• What If I Run Out of Hand Cards in Action B?
• What If I Can't Play Any Cards for Action B?
• Action C: Refill Your Hand
• Personal Pile Empty? Score 15 Points!
• Scoring
• End of the Game
• Variant: Random Rule Start
• The Rule Cards
• Strategy Tip: Spotting the Sequence
• Quick Reference

Game Components

• 110 Number Cards: values from 0-10, 10 different colors each.
• 3 Double-Sided Rule Cards:
  • Side 1: Same Color, Plus 1, Total 10.
  • Side 2: Same Number, Minus 1, Times or Divided by 2.

Setup

Each player:

• Personal Draw Deck (15 cards).
• 3 Rules cards (see below).
• 2 Discard Piles.

Center of the table:

1. Place the 3 Rule cards with side 1 (the gold side) face-up side by side in the center of the table.

   Note: These cards show the 3 starting discard rules — Same Color, Plus 1, and Total 10, which are recommended for your first game.

2. Shuffle all 110 Number Cards thoroughly. Each player gets 15 cards, placed face-down in front of them to form their Personal Draw Deck.

3. Unused cards go face down as a Reserve Deck.

4. Each player deals a 6 card hand to themselves from their own Personal Draw Deck.

5. From the Reserve Deck, place 2 cards face-up below the Rule cards in the center of the table. These form the starting point for the two shared discard piles.

Scoring Setup

Choose 1 player to act as the scorekeeper (they will be Player 1). They take a pen and a sheet of paper and create a score table listing all players. Player 1 starts with 0 points. Player 2 starts with 1 point. Player 3 starts with 2 points. Player 4 starts with 3 points.

Note: Since the game is a race, the scorekeeper should regularly inform the players of their current scores and how many points they still need to reach 99. This allows players to strategize in order to reach their goal efficiently.

Core Concept

Each player builds a personal row of Number Cards throughout the game. Each turn you'll take 3 actions:

Action A: On your turn, add exactly one card to your row that is higher than the last card and a different color than all other cards. You may score points equal to the number of cards in your row squared by clearing your row!

Action B: Play as many cards as you can to the 2 discard piles. There are 3 rules, and you can follow any of them to play cards on either pile. Using those rules, try to play as many cards as you can to empty your hand of cards.

Action C: Before the next turn, you'll draw cards to your hand again from your Personal Draw Deck. 15 points are scored each time you deplete it! The first player to reach 99 points wins instantly!

Example (figure caption): Tim has 5 cards in his personal row for 25 points (5x5). His next card must be higher than 8 and not red, yellow, green, gray, or light blue.

Example (figure caption): Tim plays a 7 on the 6 (+1), and an 8 on the 7 (+1). Then he plays a Blue 5 on the Blue 1 (Same Color).

Example (figure caption): Tim draws 4 cards so that his hand size is back to 6 cards.

Gameplay

Player 1 takes the first turn. At the start of your turn, you will always have exactly 6 cards in hand and perform these 3 Actions in order:

Action A: Place exactly 1 card into your personal row.

Action B: Play up to 5 cards onto the 2 discard piles.

Action C: Draw back up to 6 cards in hand.

Play continues clockwise, with each player completing these three actions in order on their turn.

Action A: Play 1 Card to Your Personal Row

You must play exactly 1 of your 6 cards into your personal row.

The cards in your row must:

• Increase in value from left to right.
• Contain no duplicate colors.

Example: Sarah starts the game. She places the purple 1 as the first card in her personal row (to the right of her draw deck). That's it for Action A; she now continues to Action B.

You may score your row before you place a card, receiving the square of the number of cards. So for 4 cards, you would score 16.

Important: If you cannot legally place a card in your row, you must immediately score and clear your entire row.

• Place the scored cards face-up next to the Reserve Deck.
• Record your Personal Row score on the score sheet (the square of the number of cards).
• Start a new row by playing one card from your hand.

Note: You may choose to score and clear your row before you play a card even if you have a card that may be played on the row.

Action B: Play to the 2 Discard Piles

The player may play cards from their hand onto the 2 discard piles in the center of the table. They can play as many cards as they like — even all 5, if possible.

Cards must be played 1 at a time. A played card and the top discard pile card combined must follow at least 1 of the rule cards. See "The Rule cards" on page 14 for details.

These rules can be used repeatedly and in any combination. The player decides:

• Which discard pile to play on.
• Which rule to apply for each card.
• The order in which they play their cards.

The player may also switch between piles freely during their turn.

Note: If the player chooses not to play any cards, they may simply skip this action.

Example: Sarah plays:

• Red 4 on red 7 (Same Color)
• Orange 6 on red 4 (Total 10)
• Blue 9 on blue 2 (Same Color)
• Tan 10 on blue 9 (Plus 1)

What If I Match 2 or 3 Rules?

If you happen to be so fortunate (or skilled) to apply more than 1 rule when playing cards to the center (for instance, playing a red 4 on a red 6, which uses both the Total 10 and Same Color rules), you may take 1 extra card from your Personal Draw Deck immediately, and continue with Action B!

What If I Run Out of Hand Cards in Action B?

If a player manages to play all of their hand cards onto the discard piles during Action B, they immediately draw new cards from their Personal Draw Deck (as described below in Action C) until they have 6 cards in hand again. Then, they perform Actions A, B, and C again!

Tip: While it doesn't happen often, it's perfectly possible – and totally allowed – to empty multiple hands of cards in a row.

What If I Can't Play Any Cards for Action B?

Once per player's turn, if you cannot play ANY of your cards in Action B (immediately after you play a card for Action A but before you play any cards to the center), you may show your hand to the other players so they can verify you cannot play, and then flip one of the Rule cards over. Then you can continue to play cards from your hand on the Rule cards.

You may do this (if you cannot play) even if you started Action A again on your turn because you ran out of Hand Cards.

Action C: Refill Your Hand

To end their turn, the player draws cards from their Personal Draw Deck until they have 6 cards in hand again. Once this is done, play passes to the next player in clockwise order, who begins their turn following Actions A, B, and C.

Example: Sarah draws 5 cards from her Personal Draw Deck, bringing her hand back up to 6 cards. Now it is Tim's turn.

Personal Pile Empty? Score 15 Points!

If a player runs out of cards in their Personal Draw Deck, the game pauses briefly, and that player immediately receives:

• 15 new cards from the reserve deck, placed face-down as a new Personal Draw Deck.
• 15 points to their score.

Once this is done, gameplay resumes as normal.

Tip: It pays to burn through your Personal Draw Deck quickly – each time you do, you'll earn 15 points!

Note: If the reserve deck on the table runs out, it's time to reshuffle. Take all cards from both discard piles – except for the top card of each pile – and any cards in the Reserve Deck Discard Pile. Shuffle them thoroughly and place them face-down to form a new reserve deck. (Reproduced as printed; the manual does not otherwise define a "Reserve Deck Discard Pile.")

Scoring

Scoring takes place in real time during the game. Each time a player discards their personal row they score anywhere from 1 to 100 points. Each time a player empties their Personal Draw Deck, they score 15 points.

As soon as one player gets to 99 or more, the game ends, and that player is the winner!

An example scoresheet from a completed game (shown as a figure in the manual). Ryan ended up winning...the 49 points he earned from scoring a 7 card personal row was a big factor!

End of the Game

Play continues in clockwise order as described. Whenever a player scores – whether by clearing their row or by emptying their Personal Draw Deck – the points are added to their total on the score sheet right away. The moment a player reaches 99 points or more, the game ends immediately, and that player is declared the winner.

Variant: Random Rule Start

Players who are familiar with the game and comfortable spotting discard opportunities quickly can try this Pro Variant. All other rules remain fully in effect, with the following addition:

• During setup, shuffle the 3 Rule cards (do this under the table so you can't see them), turning some of them over as they appear...you'll get a unique set of rules to start the game with!

Important: Be careful, as some combinations can be more challenging. If you get stuck, don't forget that you can always flip a rule card over!

The Rule Cards

Same Color: Play a card of the same color as the top card of a discard pile – for example, purple on purple or yellow on yellow.

Same Number: Play a card of the same number as the top card of a discard pile – for example, 9 or 9 or 2 on 2. (Reproduced as printed; the example reads "9 or 9" in the source, apparently intended as "9 on 9".)

Plus 1: Play a card that is exactly one number higher than the top card of a discard pile – for example, 8 on a 7, or a 2 on a 1.

Important: The sequence cannot exceed 10. If the top card is a 10, this option is not available.

Minus 1: Play a card that is exactly one number lower than the top card of a discard pile – for example, 8 on a 9, or a 0 on a 1.

Important: The sequence cannot be lower than 0. If the top card is a 0, this option is not available.

Total 10: Play a card that brings the total to exactly 10 when added to the top card of a discard pile. For example, play an 8 on a 2, or a 0 on a 10.

Times or Divided by 2: Play a card that doubles the top card of a discard pile, or halves it into a whole number. For example, play a 10 on a 5, a 2 on a 1, or a 0 on a 0 to double. Play a 3 on a 6, a 2 on a 4, or a 0 on a 0 to halve.

Strategy Tip: Spotting the Sequence

Mastering the art of spotting play sequences in the center of the table – this card, then that one, then the next – is the key to victory. Extra turns are more achievable than you might think. Sometimes, it's worth starting or continuing your personal row with a high-value card – or even choosing to score the row early on purpose – to set yourself up for a bonus turn. Smart timing and sharp pattern recognition can turn the tide in your favor!

Quick Reference

Setup: Deal 15 cards to each player to form their Personal Draw Deck. Each player deals themselves 6 hand cards. Place 3 Rules cards in the middle of the table. Place 2 cards face up below the Rules Cards as Discard Piles.

Each Turn:

• A: Play 1 card in your Personal Row.
• B: Play as many cards as you can on the Discard Piles by following the rules on the Rules Cards.
• C: Refill your Hand to 6 cards.

Scoring:

• Score 15 when your Personal Draw Deck is depleted.
• Score the square of the number of cards in your Personal Row when it is discarded.