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A fun mix of shedding and trick-taking, the Getaway Card Game offers exciting twists and strategies for 3 to 8 players.
The Getaway Card Game is a unique blend of two popular card game styles: shedding cards and trick-taking. It’s designed for 3 to 8 players and offers an exciting twist on traditional card games. The goal is simple – get rid of all your cards before the other players. The last player with cards in hand loses the round. Sounds easy, right? But with twists like the “Tochoo” and “Take a Player’s Hand,” it gets interesting fast!
Let’s break it down in simple terms.
What You Need to Play Getaway
The best part about the Getaway Card Game is that all you need is a regular deck of playing cards. No jokers required. Here’s what you need to set up the game:
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Deck of Cards – A standard 52-card deck.
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Players – Between 3 and 8 players. The more, the merrier!
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Space – A flat surface to place the cards.
Setting Up the Game
Once you have the deck and the players, here’s how to set up the game:
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Shuffle the Deck – Make sure to shuffle the cards well.
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Deal the Cards – The dealer gives out all the cards in the deck, one at a time, to each player. It’s okay if players have a different number of cards. The dealer just passes their role to the next player on the left for the next round.
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Card Rankings – From high to low, the cards rank as follows:
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Ace (highest)
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King
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Queen
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Jack
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10 down to 2 (lowest)
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How the Game Starts
The first trick in Getaway is always a little different. It starts with the Ace of Spades. The player who has the Ace of Spades begins the first trick by playing that card.
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Players take turns playing one card at a time, going clockwise.
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Players must follow the suit (the same type of card, like hearts or clubs) if they can. If they can’t, they can play any card.
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Once all players have played their cards, the trick ends, and the cards are placed in a discard pile.
The player who played the highest-ranking Spade wins the trick and leads the next round.
How the Rest of the Game Works
Once the first trick is over, the game proceeds like this:
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Leading the Trick – The player who played the highest card in the suit that was led (for example, hearts) will lead the next trick.
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Following the Suit – Other players must follow the suit if they have that suit in their hand. If they don’t have any cards of the led suit, they can play any card.
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Tochoo – If a player does not follow the suit and plays a card of a different suit, it’s called a Tochoo. When a Tochoo happens:
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The trick immediately ends.
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Any players who haven’t played their cards yet skip the trick.
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The player who played the highest-ranking card of the original suit takes all the cards from that trick and adds them to their hand. They will also lead the next trick.
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What Happens If Everyone Follows Suit?
If everyone follows the suit correctly, the trick completes normally. The cards are added to the discard pile, and the player who played the highest card of the led suit leads the next trick.
What Is “Getting Away”?
The ultimate goal in Getaway is to get away, which means getting rid of all your cards. Here’s how it works:
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As the game progresses, players will run out of cards.
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If you play your last card and you’re not the one who has to lead the next trick, you’ve gotten away and are safe.
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But, if you’re the leader and run out of cards, you’re not out of the game just yet. Here’s what happens:
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You’ll need to draw a card from the discard pile to keep playing.
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If you lose the trick or someone plays a Tochoo, you’ll collect more cards and stay in the game.
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If you win the trick with your drawn card, you’ve gotten away!
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Special Move: Take a Player’s Hand
One of the coolest parts of the Getaway Card Game is the option to take a player’s hand. At any point in the game, a player can choose to take all the cards from the player on their left. Here’s what happens:
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The player who takes the cards is now in control and can use those extra cards to continue playing.
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The player who lost their cards is out of the game for the moment and is safe.
This rule adds an extra layer of strategy because it can shift the balance of the game at any time.
How the Game Ends
The game ends when only one player is left with cards in hand. That player is the loser of the round. If two players play their last card at the same time, the one with the highest-ranking card in the led suit will lose. That’s because they would have to draw another card to lead the next trick, which means they’re not “safe” yet.
There’s no official scoring system in Getaway, but you can always keep track of who loses each round if you’re playing multiple rounds.
Conclusion
The Getaway Card Game is an exciting mix of shedding and trick-taking, with enough twists to keep players on their toes. Whether you’re drawing from the discard pile to stay in the game or taking your neighbor’s cards, there’s always something happening. It’s a game full of surprises and strategy, where getting rid of your cards first is the ultimate goal. So gather your friends, shuffle the deck, and get ready for a round of Getaway!
