dnup Rules: How to Play

dnup

2–5 players

15–20 min

7.3

Your goal in dnup is to empty your hand of cards. Each player starts with eight or ten cards in hand, with each card having different numbers (from 1-10) at top and bottom, e.g. 1 and 7. Pick up all your cards at once; you can rearrange cards from left to right at any time, but you can't revolve them. On a turn, first discard any cards on the table in front of you, then you can: 1. Play cards from your hand. 2. Add one card to the table. 3. Take cards from the table. 4. Rotate all cards in your hand. When you play cards, you can play one or more cards of the same value — but if you play as many cards as another player has in front of them, your cards must be of higher value. If you overplay someone, e.g. playing two 5s when they have two 2s, they must revolve their cards, then return them to their hand. When you add one card, you add a card of the same value to someone else's played cards — but if that player would now have the same number of cards as a third player, the third player's cards must be a lower value, in which case they revolve them and return them to hand. When you pick up cards from in front of another player, revolve them, then add them to your hand. The first player to empty their hand scores 2 points, and cards don't return to their hand, even if beaten. The second player to empty their hand scores 1 point. Play multiple rounds until someone has at least 4 points, then whoever has the most points wins.

How to play

Setup, how a turn works and how the game ends, summarised from the rulebook by Eko, Meepzy's rules assistant.

Goal of the Game The goal of the game is to be the first player to get rid of all your cards.

Game Setup To set up the game, remove cards from the deck based on the number of players: use all cards for 5 players, remove cards with the specific symbol for 4 players, remove cards with two specific symbols for 3 players, or use the 2-player rules sheet for 2 players. Give a player aid card to each player. Shuffle the deck and deal out all cards to the players. Once the deal is complete, each player takes the cards in front of them without showing the other players.

How a Turn Works The player with the card featuring a specific symbol begins the round, and players then take turns in clockwise order. Each player takes two consecutive turns: one for Play Area 1, and then another for Play Area 2. On your turn, you must perform these steps:

Discard any set in front of you that was played during your previous turn by placing the cards facedown in a common pile off to the side.
Perform exactly one of four available actions: Play a set of cards by placing it in front of you, Add 1 card to a set in front of an opponent, Take the set of cards in front of an opponent, or Rotate all the cards in your hand.

How the Game Ends When a player has played the last card or cards from their hand, they immediately win the round. In a standard game, the first player to win 2 rounds wins the game, while in a 2-player game, the first player to get 4 or more points immediately wins the game.

This summary was written by Eko from the game's own rulebook. It covers the essentials, not every edge case. For a specific rule, ask Eko and get the page it came from, or open the manual in the Archive.