GNAV

Hey there! Let me tell you about a cool card game called Gnav. It’s a game for 2 to 20 people, and it’s super fun! We play it with a special deck of 42 cards or pieces. The game is all about trying to be the last player left in the game. How? By always having a higher card than at least one other player. Exciting, right?

SETUP

Alright, let’s get started. Before we begin, each player gets the same amount of chips or markers. Fair play, after all! The first dealer is chosen randomly and then the dealer position moves to the left for every new round.

The dealer’s job is to shuffle the cards or pieces and then give each player one card or piece. Here’s a twist: you can look at your card value, but don’t show it to anyone else!

Now, remember the fool? If a player happens to get the fool, they have to knock on the table to let everyone know. The fool has some special rules that we’ll talk about later, especially during the End of Round section.

Card Rank

In the deck, there are 42 cards, and each card listed below has two copies:

1. Cuckoo (high)
2. Knight
3. Cat
4. Horse
5. House
6. 12
7. 11
8. 10
9. 9
10. 8
11. 7
12. 6
13. 5
14. 4
15. 3
16. 2
17. 1
18. 0
19. Pot
20. Owl
21. Fool (low)

GAMEPLAY

To begin the round, the player to the left of the dealer starts. The game proceeds clockwise from there. On your turn, you have two options: you can either keep your card or exchange it with the player to your left. However, the player to your left is not allowed to refuse the swap, unless they have one of the top 5 ranked cards. These cards are known as the matadors. If a player possesses a matador, instead of swapping, they must declare the type of card they hold.

When a cuckoo is declared, the player announces “stop cuckoo”. All card swapping comes to an end, and the cards are revealed to determine the loser of the game.

When I’m playing the game of knights, if someone tries to make a swap, they have to put a marker in the center pile, but they don’t actually get to make the swap and their turn is over.

But when I’m playing the game of cats, if someone tries to make a swap, they have to put a marker in the center. And not only do they not get to make the swap, but all of the swaps that have been made so far are undone, and everyone to the right of the player who has the cat has to take back their original card.

Now, when it’s the game of horses or houses, things change a bit. If someone tries to make a swap and declares “pass the horse/house,” they have to put a marker in the center. And instead of trying to make a swap themselves, they have to try to swap with the player who is sitting to the left of the person who has the horse or the house.

Now, when the dealer’s turn comes around, they have a special privilege. They can swap with the top card of the deck, but there’s a catch. If they reveal a top 5 card, they still have to follow all of the rules I just mentioned.

The Round Comes to an End

Once the dealer has made their decision and either kept or swapped a card, or a cuckoo is declared, the round comes to a close and everyone reveals their cards. The player who has the card with the lowest rank must give one chip to the center. If there is a tie, both players have to contribute a chip to the center.

Now, let’s talk about a special case called a fool. If someone has the fool card, which is usually the lowest ranked card, they have to pay a chip to the center. However, if there happens to be another player with an even lower ranked card, that player also has to contribute a chip to the center. In the rare event that there are two fools, both of them will have to give a chip to the center, but they do have the option to sit out the next round if they want to.

It’s worth noting that if a player ends up paying their last chip to the center, they are out of the game. So, make sure to manage your chips wisely!

The End of the Game

The game comes to an end when there is only one player left in the game. That person is declared the winner!

Remember that the game also ends if all players are eliminated because they paid their last chip to the center. In that case, there is no winner, and it’s a draw.