My family is officially obsessed with the game...
JOKERS & MARBLES
Thanks to my cousins, Joy and Janna, for introducing it to us!!
This game is handmade, and can be found online.
I've seen them as low as $25, and as high as $80!
I'm sure the difference is how many boards you get,
and if the boards are painted or not.
The game comes with rule cards, but I've heard of a lot of
variations of the rules. I've posted the rules we use below...
it might not look like a lot of fun, but once you play one
game and get the hang of it, you won't want to stop playing!
We usually play best out of 3 because one game isn't enough!
OBJECT OF THE GAME:
To move all five marbles, clockwise around the board, from your
HOME position (in the top picture, where the marbles currently are),
to your SAFE position (the spaces that form a 7 beside the home position).
NUMBER OF PLAYERS:
4, 6, or 8 players
Must be an even number because you form 2 teams.
Using the picture above, Green/Orange/Purple would
be one team, and Yellow/Red/Blue would be the other.
GAME PIECES:
Each player chooses a color of marbles.
TO WIN:
First team to have all of their marbles
in the SAFE position wins the game.
DEALING:
Deal each player five cards. Player to the left of the dealer begins.
They discard, make their play, then draw a card to replace the one discarded.
CARD VALUES:
Play begins by using a King, Queen, Jack or Ace to move a marble
from any of the five HOME positions to the COME OUT position.
If you don't have one of these cards, a JOKER might also be used
(see rules for using the JOKER). If you don't have a King, Queen, Jack,
Ace or JOKER, then you must discard a card beside your board.
Each turn, you must discard unless you pick up a playable card.
On your fifth discard you may get out regardless.
Then, once you have a marble out of the HOME position....
ACE: moves forward one space, or moves you
out of the HOME position
2 CARD: moves forward two spaces, OR changes places
with another marble on the board that is NOT
already in the HOME position or SAFE position.
3 CARD: moves forward three spaces
4 CARD: moves forward four spaces
5 CARD: moves forward five spaces
6 CARD: moves forward six spaces
7 CARD: moves forward seven spaces,
OR can be split between two marbles
for a total of 7 spaces forward
8 CARD: moves BACKWARDS eight spaces
9 CARD: moves forward nine spaces, OR can be split
between 2 marbles-1 marble moves forward, and the
other marble moves backwards for a total of 9 spaces
10 CARD: moves forward ten spaces
JACK: moves forward ten spaces, or moves you
out of the HOME position
QUEEN: moves forward ten spaces, or moves you
out of the HOME position
KING: moves forward ten spaces, or moves you
out of the HOME position
JOKER: a wild card... it replaces any other marble IN PLAY
with your own marble. If you replace your teammate's marble,
he goes to his IN SPOT. If you replace an opponent's marble, he
returns to his HOME position.
ADDITIONAL RULES:
Anytime, your marble lands on your teammate's marble,
you send him to his IN SPOT.
If your marble lands on your opponent's marble,
he goes back to his HOME position.
Once a marble is in the SAFE position, it is safe and cannot be removed.
You cannot back into the SAFE position.
You cannot pass, or land on, your own marble.
This is true even when you are in the SAFE position.
You must move if you have a play.
You must use the full count of the card played;
i.e. a four card requires four moves, even into the SAFE position.
Each player must play his own marbles until
all five marbles are in the SAFE position.
Then he can help his teammates.
When playing with six or more players,
you will help the teammate player to your left,
if he still has playable marbles.
Once all of his five marbles are in his SAFE position,
then you can help the remaining teammate(s).
**I used two different brands of ice cream because that's
