BASICS

REQUIREMENTS

-  2 - 5 players.

-  A normal deck of 52 playing cards with 1 joker.

-  Simple bookkeeping equipment (pen & paper, or an abacus).

BASIC IDEA

The game is a rummy game, so you pick cards and put excess in dump, while trying to collect special sets of cards.

• The aim is to collect sets of 3 cards - either 3 same number (eg. ♤7 + ♧7 + ♥7) or 3 same suit of subsequent numbers (eg. ♦9 + ♦10 + ♦J).
  • In each set, only the red cards are worth points, each low card (2 - 10) is 1 p., while face cards and aces are 2 p. each.
• Each player starts with 6 hand cards, and on his turn draws a new card from the deck or dump pile.
  • The player can then optionally perform a chain of actions. Otherwise, if he has now 7 cards in hand when the turn ends, puts 1 face up to the dump.
• A chain of actions always starts by putting (2 or) 3 hand cards face up as action cards.
  • These action cards can then be used for smaller transforming actions (= swapping them to another card in an existing set). But they must always eventually be used to create a new coherent set - otherwise the whole chain of actions is invalid.
  • Each player collects their sets in front of them. They cannot be broken nor stolen, but can be modified by anyone with fitting cards (especially the joker set).
• When the deck runs out, it's reshuffled once from the cards in the dump (except the topmost one), and another half-round is played.
  • When the deck runs out again, remaining actions are done (see the End Game) and the round ends. The game is typically played until someone gets 50 p.

LAYOUT & START UP

The layout is divided into the dump pile in the middle, players and their sets around it, and the decks and joker on the side.

• The two red kings (♥K and ♦K) are put face up and sideways below the deck (they won't enter the game), and joker face up in front of the deck.
• The dealer shuffles the remaining deck including the black kings (= 50 cards) and deals each player 6 hand cards, while the player on his left starts. The dealing turns move clockwise each round.
  • Note. With 5 players, you can alternatively play with max. 5 hand cards, or reshuffle the deck from dump twice (as the rounds can be quite quick).

PLAYING

ON YOUR TURN

Each player starts his turn by drawing 1 new hand card, either the topmost card of the deck or topmost dump card (if any).

• The player can then perform a chain of actions, or just do nothing.
• If the player has 7 cards in hand when the turn ends, he must put 1 card face up on the dump pile. (Otherwise does not put a card to the dump.)
  • The cards in the dump are organized so that only the two topmost cards are visible. It's not allowed to dig into the dump - keep it clean.

CHAIN OF ACTIONS

A chain of actions always starts by placing (2 or) 3 hand cards face up on the table as action cards.

• The player can then use these cards for smaller transforming actions (= swapping cards).
• Finally the 3 action cards must be used to form a new coherent set (of 3 cards), or the whole chain of actions is invalid (and shouldn't even be played out).
  • Note. The sets of 3 cards are always independent from each other - you cannot combine two sets into a single bigger set.
• After a new set is formed, the player's turn is over. (Only one chain of actions per turn - powered by drawing a new card.)

ABOUT NUMBERS

• The face cards are their number equivalents (J = 11, Q = 12, K = 13) and aces (A) number 14 or 1 (or both).
  • It is allowed to form a set with K + A + 2 (13 + 14/1 + 2) of the same suit. Of course, it's only possible with black cards (as red kings never enter the game).
• Joker can represent any missing fitting card (even black K's). The joker's order in the set does not matter, and they never carry points.
  • For example, with J + Q + joker, the joker could equally well be 10 or K of the same suit (see transforming actions below).

NATURAL ACTIONS (no jokers)

creation action: CREATING A SET

• Create a new set from 3 action cards of the same number, or 3 cards of same suit and of subsequent numbers (one of the cards can be a joker).
  • For example, form a new set from ♦4 + ♦5 + ♦6, or from ♥9 + ♧9 + ♤9. Note that this action finishes the chain of actions (and the turn).

transforming action: ROLLING A SET

• Any existing set on the table can be rolled by adding a fitting action card and taking back one card as an action card (leaving behind a coherent set).
  • For example, you can roll a set of ♦J + ♥J + ♤J with the missing ♧J, and as a result get any of the jacks as an action card.
  • For another example, you can roll a set of ♤9 + ♤10 + ♤J with either ♤8 or ♤Q. If you roll it with ♤8, you get ♤J as an action card - with ♤Q you'd get ♤9.
    • Note that you can even "steal" an opponent's set by rolling it down / up three times and collecting the original set (now as action cards) as your own set.
• Rolling a set with joker (while keeping the joker in it) follows the same principles, but becomes very flexible in practice.
  • For example, the seemingly locked set of ♥Q + joker + ♥A can actually be rolled by ♥J, ♥10, ♥2 or ♥3 (each results in a coherent set).
  • In addition, you can change the direction of the set by any Q or A. For example with ♤Q, you'd get ♥A as an action card (leaving ♤Q + ♥Q + joker in the set).
    • You could then follow this up by recycling the joker out (see below) by one more Q (leaving 3 x Q in the set), see below.
• Remember however that you must always finish the chain of actions by forming a new set - otherwise the whole chain is invalid.
• Note also that it's not allowed to use joker as the rolling card - so you cannot add a joker to an existing set (unless playing the Joker Roll extension).

JOKER ACTIONS

creation action: CHARMING A (VIRGIN) JOKER

The joker starts the game face up on the royal deck. In this form, it's often called a virgin.

• A virgin joker is charmed into the game as the 3rd card of a new set with 2 action cards - one of which must be a face card or ace (J, Q or A).
  • For example, form a new joker set from ♦10 + ♦J + joker, or from ♤A + ♦A + joker.
  • Note that exceptionally, the chain of action (leading to charming a joker) is started by laying down 2 hand cards as action cards (not 3 as normally).
• Once the joker is in a set, it'll no longer be charmed out of it by 2 cards (she's become schooled), but can instead be recycled by a fitting card (see below).

transforming action: RECYCLING A JOKER

• A joker can be swapped out of any set by a fitting card (= the set must be coherent afterwards). As a result you receive the joker as an action card.
  • For example, recycle the joker out of ♦8 + ♦9 + joker with either ♦7 or ♦10, or from ♥2 + ♦2 + joker with either black 2 (you could also swap red and black 2's).
• The chain of actions must eventually take the action joker into a new coherent set. The set can be of any kind (no need to charm her anymore).

ENDING

DECK RUNS OUT

When the deck runs out for the first time, it's reshuffled from the cards in the dump pile.

• The topmost card of the dump pile is left as the new dump, while the cards below are reshuffled by the dealer. (If none, the round ends immediately.)

END GAME

When the deck runs out the second time, the round is about to end. It continues on with one significant change:

• The players can either pass the turn, or pick the topmost dump card and perform a chain of actions.
• The round ends when either all pass their turn in succession (= 1 empty cycle), or there's no more dump pile left (= no source of power).

SCORING

After the round ends, the points are counted from the collected red cards.

• Each low card (2 - 10) is worth 1 p., and each face card or ace (J, Q, A) worth 2 p. Jokers are worthless.
• The game is played until 50 p., or alternatively for 4 rounds. The one(s) with the most points are crowned as Local Slords (= Slippery Lords).

EXTENSIONS

JOKER ROLL (somewhat slippery)

In this extension jokers are allowed to be rolled into an existing set to retrieve a non-joker card out of it.

transforming action: JOKER ROLL

• You are allowed to do the natural roll action with the joker (as if it was a normal card).
  • For example, you can roll the joker into a set of ♥9 + ♦9 + ♧9 and get any of the jacks in return.
  • Or you can roll a set of ♦4 + ♦5 + ♦6 with joker being either ♦3 or ♦7 at the moment of rolling. As a result you'd get ♦4 or ♦6 out (but not the middle card ♦5).
• Note that this has some serious indications for sets that would normally be relatively stable:
  • For example, you can actually totally steal an innocent set and leave some trash behind. Say, an opponent has a set of ♥10 + ♥J + ♥Q, while you have an action joker and either two black 10's, J's or Q's. You would first joker roll ♥10 or ♥Q out, then hit it with, say, a black 10 to get the other ♥Q or ♥10 out, and another black 10 to get the ♥J (or joker) out, and form the ♥10 + ♥J + ♥Q set as your own (= 5 points), leaving behind worthless black cards and a joker.

DOUBLE JOKER (very slippery)

If you want to try something very slippery, introduce another (virgin) joker into the game.

• The only rule refinement is that a newly created set cannot contain more than 1 jokers.
  • This implies you cannot legally have 2 action jokers simultaneously - unless playing the Joker Roll extension (that allows to roll jokers into existing sets).
• Combined with Joker Roll extension, there are some implications:
  • Sets can actually end up having 2 jokers, as you can roll a joker into a set that already has one. However, it still applies that you can never form a new set with more than 1 jokers.
  • This also implies that you can temporarily have 2 jokers as action cards. However, you must roll at least one joker away before you can finish the chain of actions into a new coherent set (containing max. 1 joker).

THANKS

SPECIAL THANKS (for analysis, ideas, dev. sessions)

Ville Viitala and Johannes Aho

FOR IDEAS, HELP WITH DEVELOPMENT & PLAYING

Johannes Aho, Ville Viitala

CHANGE LOG

v1.3 (2023-08-05)

• Tiny refines: 1. Colors flipped (red is attractive), 2. The black kings are included in the deck (and K + A + 2 allowed), and 3. Bad Lords extension removed. Also detached from being a split of the Four Kingdoms, as it has really nothing to do with it anymore -> versioning dropped from v3 to v1.

v1.2 (2023-08-02)

• (After a lot of variation tests) the changes are: 1. there's only 1 joker, 2. only one chain of actions per turn, 3. some end game refines, and 4. minor changes to scoring and related extensions. Also refined Rude Jokers to Joker Roll (no injections), and shortened name from Slippery Lords to Slords.

v1.1 (2023-07-31)

• Mechanic for "rolling" introduced. Separated joker injection to its own extension (Rude Jokers). Refined how end game works.

v1.0 (2023-07-23)

• Totally reinvented the gameplay from the early inspiration of the king deck. This game used to be Four Kingdoms but was split into two simpler games: Slippery Lords (kings with rummy gameplay) and Tricky Tribes (= no kings, red vs. black trick gameplay).