Cards on the table: Making UNO rules around life at Lancaster University

It is evident that UNO is a university student’s beloved game.

This card game served us greatly as an icebreaker in the trenches of fresher’s week as well as a mode of therapy as you can take revenge on your messy flatmates. A +4 has never felt so good…

The rules of UNO have been an online and offline discourse, spurring the official UNO accounts having to clarify rules on social media. However, these have been ignored as it seems that the people at UNO headquarters have never played the game competitively but only for supposed ‘fun’. Whatever that is.

Therefore, we have clarified some misconceptions on how to play, by creating our own special Lancaster edition. We believe these are so good, it should become an official part in the roses competition.

Cards to start

To start the game, instead of starting with the usual seven cards, everyone starts with nine cards. This is to mirror the nine collages on campus and to make the game just a smidge longer.

It is also a sneaky bonus when dealing the cards if you can give one of the players an extra card without them noticing. Beware, people may not be able to trust your ability to count and will be proven correct if this is not done wisely and carefully.

Keep the pile going

So with everyone dealt with the supposed equal number of cards, it is time to increase your pile even more.

Before starting, everyone must also pick up the number of cards that match the number of lectures and seminars they have missed that week.

To the hackers of the system, checking in without actually sitting through the whole duration does not count as attendance. Nice try though.

Hopefully this UNO advantage will give you the motivation to fix your slacking attendance or perhaps learn some new excuses as to why you can’t attend.

The ultimate question… who begins

To answer that dreaded debate, the person who most recently bought themselves a sweet treat on campus. This adds an extra justification for the absolute necessary purchase as they are able to start the game.

The next person to go is on the left of the starting player. Of course the reason being ‘Left for Lancaster’, honouring all of us university students that have travelled far and wide to attend Lancaster University.

The game will continue in the clockwise rotation for the next players, until a reverse card is used within the game.

Wilder Wildcards

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These have had just some slight, minor adjustments being that any wildcard placed automatically changes the colour to red. You get no choice in choosing the colour, it is red.

After all, Roses are red. Not green. Not yellow. Not blue. Not white. It makes perfect sense.

Put your hands in the air like you care

When any coloured card labelled with a nine (not six) is placed onto the pile, everyone must grab their phone and raise it to the sky. Just like when you are in Lancaster Town and are looking for any service.

Excluding the person who placed down the nine card, the last person to grab their phone and hold it in the air above their head must pick up two extra cards.

This can be a tactical play to use against anyone who has one card remaining. There’s no rules about sabotage…

Let’s clarify some house rules – stacking…

For stacking coloured, numbered cards… only the same number and colour may be placed both at the same time. That’s it. Simple. Easy. Sorry not sorry to the toxic stackers, who clearly make it up as they go along or forget the stacking rules. This way is for the best.

Identical Wild cards can also be placed at the same time. If you are lucky enough to have two +4 then yes that does add up to eight. Similarly, this is also applied if you have two identical +2 (same colour) both can be placed at the same time, adding up to four.

To solve the debate. +2 and +2 may be placed consecutively on top of each other no matter the colour, creating the total to be +4. A +4 CAN be placed onto a +2, which brings the total to +6. However, a +2 can NOT be placed on a +4. We wish those who are a victim to these stacking rules a speedy recovery.

Winner Winner, Sugar Ticket-ya

When you are down to one card, you must shout the word “Lancs-uno”. It must be clear enough for everyone to hear, otherwise you must pick up two cards.

Yes you can place down any card (including wild cards) to win the game. The winner is whoever is left with zero cards.

Winning the game means that your sugar ticket is paid by the losers. Don’t hate the player or the rules, hate the game.

Or if everyone is too broke, which is most likely the case, lots of bragging rights about being the champion of UNO: Lancaster Edition. The ultimate winner in our eyes.

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