POLIGNAC

Hey there! Let me tell you about Polignac, a super fun game you can play with 4 to 6 players. The main goal of the game is to score the fewest points by the end.

But before we dive in, we need to decide how many rounds we want to play. Once we’ve reached the agreed number of rounds, we’ll crown a winner!

Now, here’s the deal – we want to avoid scoring points. And one way to do that is by not winning any jacks. Winning a jack actually adds points to your score, so we definitely want to steer clear of those!

SETUP

Alright, let’s get things set up. Since the number of players can vary, we need to adjust the deck. If we’re playing with 4 players, we’ll take out all the cards numbered 6 or lower. If there are 5 or 6 players, we’ll also remove the black 7s.

To kick things off, we’ll choose a dealer randomly. And after each round, the dealer position will move to the left. Now, to make sure everyone gets an equal number of cards, we’ll shuffle the deck and deal them out clockwise, one card at a time.

Card Ranking and Values

Hey there! Let me tell you about the card ranking and values in the game of Polignac. It’s pretty straightforward. The cards are ranked in the following order: Ace (highest), King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, and 7 (lowest).

Now, here comes the interesting part – in this game, only the Jack cards are worth points. But remember, the goal is to have the lowest score. So, listen up! The Jack of Hearts, Diamonds, and Clubs are each worth 1 point. However, the Jack of Spades is worth 2 points. Sounds simple enough, right?

Gameplay

Alright, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of the gameplay. The game starts with the player sitting to the left of the dealer. This player gets to lead the first card. It can be any card they want. Now, pay attention! The other players must follow suit if they have a card of the same suit as the card led. But, if they don’t have a card of the same suit, they can play any card they please.

Now, here’s the deal – pun intended! The player who plays the highest card of the suit that was originally led is the winner of the trick. They get to take all the cards from that trick and add them to their score pile. And guess what? This winner gets to lead the next trick. Nice, huh?

Penalties

There are two types of penalties that can occur during a card game. These penalties are revokes and calls.

If I play a card that doesn’t match the suit of the trick when I could have played a matching card, I have made a revoke. If I correct this mistake before the trick is revealed, there is no penalty. However, if I fail to correct it and another player notices, they can call for a revoke. If the revoke is called, I will lose 3 points.

If I ever accidentally reveal a card that is not supposed to be revealed during normal gameplay, I must place that card faceup in front of me. At any time, another player can request that I play the revealed card to a trick if it is a legal move for me to do so.

General

At the start of each round, before the first card is played, there’s a special move that can be made. You can choose to go for a General. If you do, you’re aiming to win all the tricks in the round. If you succeed, every other player will score 5 points. But if you don’t succeed, you’ll score 5 points and all jacks will be scored normally.

SCORES

When the round is over, players score points for their jacks, or points for the General if it was called. Scores are cumulative and carry over multiple rounds. At the end of the game, after the final round, the scores will be compared.

ENDING THE GAME

The game comes to an end when the agreed-upon number of rounds have been played. The player with the lowest score wins the game.

I’m Amber (They/Them), a writer from Austin who loves games. I consider myself a gaming master and I also have a soft spot for dogs, plants, and D&D.