Abluxxen

Abluxxen (also found as Linko!) is a trick-taking card game with a twist – you can steal tricks from each other!

The game consists of a large deck of cards: numbers 1 through to 13 with eight of each number, along with five jokers. Ten cards are dealt to each player, and your goal is to get rid of them first.

Play begins with the starting player laying down cards – it could be one card, but it could also two, three, four, or any available amount you have of the same numbered card. The next player doesn’t have to match either the number or the amount of cards – they can put down anything they like.

But as soon as someone puts down cards that both match the amount of another player (or players) cards and is numerically higher than them, they have the option to snatch the other players cards and put them in their own hand. Which might sound odd if you’re trying to empty your hand, but it’s much easier to get rid of big sets than it is singles or pairs.

If they choose not to snatch the cards in question, the owner either returns them to their own hand, or discards them and takes the same amount of cards from a face-up display in the centre of the table. So as the game progresses players are stealing cards from each other and trying to play bigger sets to the table in front of them. As soon as someone empties their hand the round ends – each card in front of you counts as a point, and any cards left in your hand count as minus points.

Play continues with one round per the amount of players, and after the final round the player with the most points wins.