CHICKEN OUT

This a favourite game of mine because it's very fast and doesn't take too long to play. Basically, you hold your cards face down in a pile and play them one by one face up to the table, adding their scores up as you go along. The only judgement you have to make is whether to play your next card or chicken out by picking them all up and adding them to your hand. What makes the game interesting, and even challenging, is that, although you have only two choices - to play or not to play -, there's enormous variety in the different situations that arise to base your judgement on. Sometimes you'll have to pick up only two cards, sometimes as many as thirty or more. The most consistent winners seem to be those who play by instinct rather than calculation (though memory also helps).

Cards

There are 60 cards. Fifty are chicken cards numbered 0 to 11, each showing the appropriate number of chickens. The chicken numbers come in two colours, black and red. Black numbers must always be added; red ones must be added unless they bring the total to more than 21, else they must be subtracted. Foxes are jokers and harass the chickens in various ways.

Deal

Shuffle the cards thoroughly and deal them all round, one at a time, till everyone has the same number. You each hold your cards face down in a pile without looking at their faces.

Object

To be the first to play out all your cards. Or (better if only two are playing): to capture a majority of cards by winning cards totalling 21.

Play

Dealer’s left-hand neighbour starts the first round by playing two cards from the top of their pile and announcing the total they make. (For example, if they are 3 and 8, announce “Eleven”.) Play then and always passes to the left. You each in turn play play the top card of your pile, add its value to the previous total, and announce the new count. But:

• If it’s a red number you must add it unless it brings the count to more than 21, in which case you subtract it instead.
• If it’s a fox, do as it says:
   
  
   
  = means this card is the same as the previous one (if any, otherwise = zero)
  x2 means double the count
  0 means set the count back to zero
  =20 means raise the count to 20

Keep going till one player either busts (brings it over 21), chickens out, or makes exactly 21. Here's what happens in each case:

Bust: If you bring the count to over 21 you must pick up all the cards just played, place them at the bottom of your pile and end your turn. The next in turn to play starts a new count by playing two cards from the top of their pile. (Not just one, even if it’s a “Fox = 20” card.)

Chicken out If the count is 11 or more and you fear busting, you may 'chicken out' by picking up the cards so far played and placing them at the bottom of your pile. You then start a new series yourself by playing two cards from your pile to start a new count. (Not just one, even if it’s a “Fox = 20” card.)

Twenty-one. If you make exactly 21 you pick up all the cards involved and add them to your winnings (or, if more than two play, just throw them out). You then start a new series yourself by playing from your hand, one by one, as many cards as you like until you either stop, bust, or make 21. (Note This rule differs from most published versions, which simply say you start a new series by playing two cards in the usual way. Playing as many as you like after making 21 is a distinct improvement.)

Going out

As soon as one player wins by going out the others may keep playing for position.

Variations

The two-player game

If only two play you may decide to play for winning cards in 21s. In this case, every time you make 21 exactly you keep all the cards so far played to the count instead of throwing them to a discard pile. When one player goes out, whoever has won the most cards in this way is the winner - unless neither has won any, in which case the player who went out wins. (This option makes for a more interesting game, as the player with more won cards will seek to end it as soon as possible whereas the other will chicken out whenever it seems safe to do so, in order to keep the game going until they have won a majority of cards.)

Option if more than four play

If there are four or more the game may play too fast. To slow it down, when you make exactly 21 you don’t throw the cards out but pass them to your left-hand neighbour, who must add them to their hand.

Footnote There are four black and four red 7s, and two of each colour of other numerals 3 to 11. There are three each of 0 and 1, but black only - no reds. (Why would you want to subtract either number?) Four of the fox cards are "same as preceding card" and there are two each of the others

Background Chicken Out! is a themed up version of my card game Bravado. It has been published by Piatnik, by Gibsons Games, and by Hobby World (with, inexplicably, hares instead of chickens The illustrations on this page are from the Piatnik edition, designed by cartoonist Rooobert [sic] Bayer.