Welcome to Manillen!

Manillen is a cool card game that you play with 4 people. The goal of the game is to get 101 points before your opponents do. It’s a fun challenge!

When you play Manillen, you’ll have a partner who sits across from you. You and your partner will work together to try and win the game. Teamwork is key!

Setting Up the Game

To start playing, you’ll need a deck of cards. Take out all the cards that are ranked 6 or lower. This means you’ll be playing with a deck of 32 cards. It’s a smaller deck, but it makes the game more exciting!

Before the game begins, you need to decide who will be the first dealer. You can choose whoever you want, just make sure it’s fair. After the first dealer, the dealer position will move to the left for each new round.

Once the dealer is chosen, they shuffle the deck and pass it to the player on their right. That player gets to cut the deck if they want. Then, the dealer starts giving out the cards. Each player will get 8 cards in batches of 3, 2, and 3. It’s important for the dealer’s partner to not look at their cards until the dealer has chosen a trump suit. This adds an element of surprise to the game!

When I play the card game, the first thing I do is look at my hand and decide which suit I want to be the trump suit. I have four options: hearts, diamonds, clubs, or spades. But I could also choose to have no trump suit, which means the score will be doubled.

If my opponent wants to make things more interesting, they can say, “I go along,” and that will double the score. And if I’m feeling confident that my team will win, I can say, “I go against,” to double the score yet again.

Now, let me explain the rankings and point values of the cards:

The highest-ranked card is the 10, also known as Manille. Next come the Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 9, 8, and 7 in descending order.

Each card also has a point value for scoring. Tens are worth 5 points, aces are worth 4 points, kings are worth 3 points, queens are worth 2 points, and jacks are worth 1 point. The other cards do not have a point value.

LET’S PLAY!

Alright, let’s get this game started! The game begins with the player sitting to the left of the dealer. They get to lead with any card they want. It’s their chance to make a strong move right from the start!

The other players have to follow suit if they can. And if someone is winning the trick, they have to do their best to beat them. If you can’t follow suit, you can play a trump card. But remember, you can only play a trump if you don’t have any cards of the suit that’s currently winning. And let’s be clear, you can’t play a trump card that has a lower rank than the ones that have already been played.

If there are no trump cards in the trick, then the highest-ranking card of the suit that was originally played wins the trick. Just like that, it’s collected into a score pile, and the winner gets to start the next trick.

KEEP SCORE!

So, here’s the deal. Once we’ve played all our tricks and come out on top, it’s time to tally up the points. We add up the value of all the cards we’ve won, and that’s our score. Now, listen up, because this part is important: if we score more than 30 points, we get to keep the difference between our score and 30. Pretty sweet, huh?

But hold on, there’s a twist. If both teams score exactly 30 points, nobody earns any points for that round. Yeah, it’s kind of a bummer. But don’t worry, because in the next round, the points are doubled. Talk about a rebound, am I right?

Now, check this out. If we manage to take all the tricks, our score gets doubled too. Oh yeah, we’re talking big-time rewards for a job well done.

That’s a Wrap!

Now, let’s talk endgame. The game is officially over when one team reaches or goes past 101 points. Boom, they’re the winners! Time for a victory dance.

Oh, and here’s something cool. You can play this game tournament-style. That means each game you win, you call it a “boam” or a “tree” if you prefer. And usually, tournaments are best out of three. A little extra competition never hurt anyone, right?

By the way, I’m Amber (They/Them), and I’m an expert writer and gaming enthusiast from Austin. I know games like the back of my hand, and I’ve got a soft spot for dogs, plants, and D&D. Stick with me, and I’ll guide you through the wonderful world of gaming.