Null & nichtig

(Null & Void)

Contents:
• 65 Cards- # 0-11 in 5 colors (blue, green, purple, red, yellow)
with a duplicate 0 valued card for each color
• Scoring Sheets (not supplied)

Game Summary:
Players attempt to win tricks and collect cards (which will be
arranged in a specific order). These cards are divided into piles
by color during the course of the game. Only the point value of
the topmost card counts at the end of the round. The goal is to
score as many points as possible.

Game Set-up:
Shuffle the cards and deal each player 13 cards. Each player
chooses three cards from their hand, placing them face-up on
the table separated by color. If choosing 2 or 3 cards of the
same color, stack one card slightly offset on top of the other(s)
in any order preferred. In this initial setup you must allow other
players to see which cards you have placed before you.

Game Play:
- Each player, in clock-wise order, takes a card from their hand
and places it face-up on the table before them. Any card can
be played regardless of it’s color or number.
- The player with the highest numbered card wins the trick,
taking all of the played cards. If players tie for the highest
number, the card that’s played first wins the trick.
- The winning player then separates these cards by color,
stacking them in the sequence that they were played - starting
with their card (face-up on the table before them).
- If a player takes any cards of a color already face-up before
them, they place these cards on the matching colored stack(s).
- The player winning a trick plays first for the next trick.
- In this manner, each player builds face-up piles of cards
before them during the course of the game. At the end of the
round, only the point value of the topmost card in each pile will
count, so these point values can increase or decrease.

Playing a Trick Example (see example in German rules):

Since Hannah dealt, Jan begins the round by playing a yellow
9. Laura plays a purple 2, Lukas a yellow 0 and Hannah a red 6.
Jan wins the trick with the highest number and places the
yellow 9 as a new pile. She does the same with the Purple 2
card. She then places the yellow 0 over the yellow pile and
finally the red 6 on the red pile. After this round, she has five
face-up collection piles lying before her on the table.

Round End and Game End:

Once all ten tricks have been played, each player adds the
numbers on the topmost card of each pile and tallies this on a
scoring sheet. The player who had the fewest points in this
round begins the next round.

Play as many rounds as there are players in the game. The

winner is the one that scores the most points after all the rounds
have been played. Alternatively, you can play until a player
reaches a certain point total, such as 100 points.
Game Variants:

6 Player Game:
When playing with 6, each player is dealt 10 cards (place the
remaining cards face-down in the box) and they place only two
cards face-up as scoring pile before the round begins. Instead
of six rounds, it’s recommended to play eight.

Team Variant:
With 4 or 6 players you can divide into teams of two or three
players. Players on the same team must sit opposite of one
another, but the game play is identical to the game with 3-5
players. Each player wins tricks individually, still counting up the
points as normal. At the end of the game, the points of all the
players on the same team are added together to determine
which team wins.

“No Trick Taking” Variant:

With 3 or 4 players, the strategy of initially placing 3 high cards
and attempting to not take any tricks can be very successful yet
make gameplay predictable. Instituting a penalty of -10 points to
players that don’t take at least one trick tends to eliminate that
action.

Strategic Tips:

- Leading a trick leaves you at the mercy of the other players

and it’s very risky in this game. Leading with a very low or high
number early allows others to dump low numbers, leaving you
with a “winning” trick that tanks your score. Lead with a card
that other players might want to take.

- The last player’s position offers knowledge of what the trick’s

final value will be, use this to your advantage to take the trick
or poison it.

- With a 3 player game, 40% of the cards are out of the game,
so guessing what colors and values are viable is difficult.
Starting with 3 high cards in your tableu with a "take no tricks”
strategy can be effective.

- With a 4 player game, 20% of the cards are out of play, keen
awareness of cards in other’s piles is still advisable but card-
counting is not as much of an advantage as the 5 player
game.

- With a 5 player game, all the cards are dealt so keen

awareness of other’s piles and/or card-counting (if possible) is
recommended.

- Player collusion and king making can exist, so don’t show too
much glee when poisoning other player’s tricks...this can
develop into a back-stabbing game.