About
HOT DEATH is a game similar to UNO or Crazy Eights. The first player to play all their cards wins the hand. The first to 1,000 points loses.
HOT DEATH adds several special action cards, defensive cards, and offensive cards to make every game more interesting.
You’ll be addicted instantly!
Rules
Dealing
Play 3-5 players. The first dealer is chosen at random. The dealer chooses to deal between 5 and 15 cards to each player. After dealing, the dealer places one card from the draw pile face up to begin the discard pile. If the draw pile runs out, shuffle the discard pile. The winner of each hand deals the next.
Play
The player to the left of the dealer plays first. Each player must play a card of the same number or color as the card on top of the discard pile.
If the player cannot play or does not wish to play, he must draw one card. He may play the card or pass. Do not draw multiple cards in a single turn.
A player who is forced to draw cards by an offensive card loses his turn. Play proceeds with the following player.
When a player has only one card left in his hand, he must indicate this to other players. If he does not, another active player may yell “Draw Two!”
The hand ends when a player has no cards left in his hand. However:
- If the last card played is an offensive draw card, the victim has an opportunity to defend. The hand does not end until a player is forced to draw cards.
- If a player has all four Bastard Cards in his hand (Quitter, Shitter, Fuck You, and Holy Defender), the hand ends immediately and that player takes zero points.
Ejection
Players may be ejected from the hand by certain offensive cards. Ejected players should lay their cards face-down and keep them for the remainder of the hand. Do not shuffle an ejected player’s cards back in to the draw pile.
If an offensive card would result in only one player remaining in the hand, the card has no effect.
If a player defends an ejection with the AIDS card and this results in only one player remaining in the hand, the hand ends and the remaining player takes zero points.
Scoring
When the hand is over, all other players must count the points (as marked in the corner of each card) remaining in their hand and add them to their total. When a player reaches 1,000, the game is over and the player with the fewest points wins.
If a player has both the Quitter and Fuck You cards remaining in his hand, the hand is automatically worth 1,000 points.
Special Cards
Skip
Skips the next player.
Value: 20 points
Double Skip
Skips two players instead of just one. In a two-player game, the card acts as a regular skip, causing a player who lays a Double-Skip to play again.
Value: 40 points
Reverse
Reverses the direction of play.
Value: 20 points
Reverse Skip
The Reverse Skip card first reverses the direction of the play, then skips one player. In a two-player game, a player who lays a Reverse Skip plays again.
Value: 40 points
Draw Two
Forces the next player to draw two cards.
Defense: Fuck You, Holy Defender, or AIDS.
Value: 20
Spreader
Spreaders are high-powered Draw 2 cards that force every player around the table to draw two cards (except the owner of the Spreader). The owner then plays another card. At the end of the hand, Spreaders are each worth 20 points times the total number of one's opponents. Should one of the players required to draw have the Blue Shield, the player must simply show the card and the cards he would have drawn go to the player of the spreader. After everyone has drawn their two cards, the owner of the Blue Shield plays the next card.
Defense: Only the Blue Shield.
Value: 20 times the total number of opponents
Shitter
The most dismal card in the deck. A player under the watchful eye of (holding) the Shitter can only play it at one of three times: on the Holy Defender, on the Magic Red 5, or as the last card he plays. Why is this so bad? Because at the end of the hand, all players add up their point totals, and the player holding the Shitter takes the highest total of points of all the players around the table. One is guaranteed to do as poorly as or worse than all of one's opponents.
Wilds
Wilds may be played on any turn. When a Wild card is played, the player may choose any color.
Wilds may be stacked. For example, Player 1 plays a Draw Four Wild. Player 2 may place another Wild on top, which would leave Player 3 with eight cards to draw.
- The Mystery Draw Wild may not be stacked.
- The Harvester of Sorrows may be stacked on another Wild, but no additional Wilds may be stacked upon it.
Draw Four Wild
A Wild Draw 4. This wild is stackable.
Defense: A victim may stack another wild, or use the Fuck You, Holy Defender, or AIDS card.
Value: 50 points
Hot Death Wild
A Wild Draw 8. This wild is stackable.
Defense: A victim may play the Magic Red 5 to nullify the effects of the Hot Death, stack another wild, or use the Fuck You, Holy Defender, or AIDS card.
Value: 100 points
Delayed Blast Wild
A Wild Draw 4 that first skips the next player (if there are at least 3 players remaining in the hand) and sends its effects to player after that. This wild is stackable.
Defense: A victim may stack another wild, or use the Fuck You, Holy Defender, or AIDS card.
Value: 100 points
Mystery Draw Wild
The effects of the Mystery Draw card vary depending on what card it is played upon. If it is played on a non-numbered card, it acts as a non-draw Wild card. If played on a number, the next player must draw that many cards (including 69). This wild is not stackable.
Defense: A victim may use the Fuck You, Holy Defender, or AIDS card.
Value: 10 times the highest number card in the player’s hand, or 10 if there are no number cards.
Harvester of Sorrows
A Wild Draw 4 which may be stacked on another wild, but for which there is no defense. The victim must take his cards.
Value: zero
Offensive Cards
Glasnost
Glasnost is Russian for “openness.” A player laying the Glasnost card makes the player of his choice lay all his cards down face up on the table for everyone to see. The victim of the Glasnost card does not have to keep face up any cards he draws after that point, but the initial cards must remain face up.
Defense: A victim may use the Fuck You, Holy Defender, or AIDS card.
Value: 75 points
Quitter
When the Quitter is played, the next player in the sequence must lay down his hand and take all the points in it. He is out of the game for the rest of the hand. The Quitter has no effect when there are only two active players.
Defense: A victim may use the Fuck You, Holy Defender, or AIDS card.
Value: 100 points
M.A.D.
The Mutually Assured Destruction card is a double-edged sword. When a player lays the M.A.D. card, he must lay down his hand and take all the points in it – but he forces another player of his choice to do the same. There is no defense against the M.A.D. card. M.A.D. has no effect when there are three or fewer active players.
Value: 100 points
Defensive Cards
Magic Red 5
The Magic Red 5 may be played on any other card, regardless of color. It also nullifies the effects of the Hot Death Wild.
Value: -5 points
Luck o’ the Irish
The Luck o’ the Irish card allows the player holding it to draw one card fewer than he would normally be required to. The player does not have to play the card to receive this protection.
Value: 75 points
Blue Shield
The Blue Shield card defends against Spreaders. A player holding the Blue Shield card is automatically protected from Spreaders.
Value: same as the card in hand with the highest point value
Sixty-Nine
The 69 card may be played on any 6 or any 9 (or, of course, on any yellow card). It also allows any player holding it to play any 6 on any 9 or any 9 on any 6 regardless of color.
Value: the holder's hand is worth 69 points regardless of other cards in the hand (except the Shitter)
AIDS
The Virus card allows a player to share his misery with whomever caused it. Played against draw cards, the total amount of cards to be drawn is split between players. Played against other hostile cards, both players take the card’s effect.
Value: the holder becomes infected and takes 10 points every round he is not the winner
Holy Defender
The Holy Defender is a protective shield. When played, it passes the effects of a hostile card to the next player in sequence.
Value: halves the holder’s score
Fuck You
When played, the Fucker sends the effects of a hostile card back to the player who sent them. It also reverses the direction of play.
Value: doubles the holder’s score