Ordering Information
See our SHOP page for ordering information.
Printables
You will have access to the most up-to-date printables on the sales site when you order.
- Background, Rules, Tables of Alleles, Glossaries, etc. (PDF file) Gene-Rummy-Game-Manual
- Here is a Families Game score card you can print off: Gene Rummy Score Card
- Here is a Production Game score card you can print off: Gene Rummy Score Card 2
Contents (Regular Game)
- 76 cards: 38 male (buck) and 38 female (doe)
- 4 sets of 9 cards = 36 (one set of each sex)
- One set in each of the “Ranks” (shades):
- Black, Chocolate, Blue, Lilac
- Each shade set contains 3 colors in 3 patterns:
- Agouti Pattern: Agouti, Chinchilla, Himalayan
- Tan Pattern: Tan, Tan Chinchilla, Tan Himalayan
- Self Pattern: Self, Self Chinchilla, Self Himalayan
- One set in each of the “Ranks” (shades):
- 2 Albino (Red-Eyed White) card
- 4 sets of 9 cards = 36 (one set of each sex)
Contents (Novice Game)
- 48 cards: 24 male (buck) and 24 female (doe)
- 6 identical sets of 4 cards = 24 (six sets of each sex)
- Each set contains one each of the four “Ranks” (shades):
- Black, Chocolate, Blue, Lilac
- Each set contains one each of the four “Ranks” (shades):
- 6 identical sets of 4 cards = 24 (six sets of each sex)
Basic Rummy Rules: http://www.pagat.com/rummy/rummy.html
Object
The object of Gene Rummy is to lay down all the cards in your hand (this is your Herd). Play ends when one person has cast off all their cards. The first person to earn 500 points wins.
Cards
Deal
Randomly choose a dealer for the first deal. After that the next dealer is the person to the left of the last dealer.
If there are 2 players, then each player can be dealt 10 cards.
If there are 3-4 players, then each player is dealt 8 cards.
The remaining cards are placed face down in the center of the table (this is the Gene Pool). The top card of the Gene Pool is drawn and placed face up beside it. This pile is known as Retirement.
Some parents will result in more or fewer choices for potential offspring. See THIS PAGE for examples.
Play
Play starts with the person to the left of the dealer.
- You MUST draw one rabbit (card) from the table. You may either draw a single card from the Gene Pool (draw deck) or from Retirement (discard pile).
- If you can make a set (Mating or Breeding) then you can lay those cards down at this time.
- Whether or not you can make a set, you MUST choose a rabbit (card) from your Herd (hand) to Retire (discard a card to the discard pile), unless you have no rabbits (cards) left in your Herd (hand). The card you put on the retirement pile can be the one you just picked up if you choose.
More on the design of the game can be found here.
Variant: Novice Game
This game is a Production game where players select a rabbit from the Gene Pool or Retirement and then try to match it with the rabbits in their hands that could be its legal parents. If they succeed, then all three cards are laid down. The player then chooses a rabbit from their Herd to Retire, and play proceeds to the next player.
Variant: Production
In this variant, the rabbit that is picked up at your turn is the color you are trying to produce. If you can find a buck and doe in your hand that will produce this color, you can lay all three down. If you can not, then you just choose a card to retire, and your turn ends.
Variant: Families
In this variant, your goal is to create families. A Family consists of a buck and a doe and any babies that could be produced as a result of this mating.
See THIS PAGE for details of this game.
Mating
To complete a mating, you must choose one buck card and one doe card to act as the parents (sire & dam). Other cards in your hand become offspring if and only if they could be produced as a result of this mating according to the alleles that each parent is able to pass on. You must have at least one legal offspring in order to place a mating on the table. One mating can include up to a maximum of 4 offspring (6 cards altogether).
Consistent Mating
A consistent mating is where all the kits in the litter could have been produced by the (genetically) same parents. Most of the genotypes have unknown alleles. Sometimes a kit will provide information about the unknowns in the parents (see here for examples). A consistent mating is one where the unknowns determined by all kits in the litter are consistent. In other words these kits could all have been produced in the same litter.
Running Out of Cards
When the Gene Pool is empty, players may take one additional turn, ending with the player that drew the last card. Players then total their hands as normal.
One Card Left in Hand
Since all matings and families require at least three cards, a player left with a single rabbit in the herd (card in the hand) will be unable to complete a set. If a player has only one rabbit left, they may Retire it and go out on their next turn without picking up a new card from the Gene Pool or from Retirement. If another player goes out before their next turn, then the other player gets credit for ending the hand.
Scoring
General scoring is as follows:
By Rank
- Black cards are worth 10 points each. [B- D-]
- Chocolate and Blue cards are worth 15 points each. [bb D-]
- Lilac cards are worth 20 points each. [bb dd]
Wildcards
- Red-Eyed Whites are worth 0 points as offspring, but 25 points as parents.
Parents
- The face value of each parent is doubled:
- Black Parent = 20 points
- Chocolate or Blue parent = 30
- Lilac parent = 40 points
Full Litter
- A full mating (6 cards) earns a 25 point bonus.
Consistent Mating
- A consistent Mating earns a 100 point bonus.
Novice Game Scoring
- Dominant = 5 points
- Recessive = 10 points
- A homozygous Black: BB DD = 5+5+5+5 = 20
- A Chocolate that is heterozygous on the D-loci: bb Dd = 10+10+5+10 = 35
For more see Novice Game Page.
Length of Play
One round takes 10-30 minutes to play. The novice game goes considerably faster.
Gameplay Video
This video (~7 min) takes you through an entire round of the Novice Game to give you an idea of how it’s played.
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