Chameleon Tricks
Leapfrog!Rules summary
Goal
Score the most points over 3 hands. In each hand, the highest score is cut in half.
Cards
36 cards: the 2 to the 10 in each of the four suits, for 2 or 3 players.
Ranking
The suits rank ♣ clubs (strongest), ♥ hearts, ♠ spades, and ♦ diamonds (weakest). A card of a stronger suit beats any card of a weaker one, whatever the ranks, so the 2♣ beats the 10♥. Within a suit, the higher rank wins.
Starting hand
The dealer deals 12 cards to each player. With 2 players the other 12 are set aside face down and not used in that hand.
Play
- Lead. The dealer leads the first trick. The leader plays any card, and its suit is the lead suit.
- Follow. In turn to the left, each other player plays at least one card. Your first card must follow the lead suit if you can. If you can’t, play any card.
- The Chameleon Ability. After your first card, you may add other cards of the same rank on top, one at a time, as many as you like. The leader may too, and the lead suit is still the suit of the leader’s first card.
- Only your last card counts. The highest card of the strongest suit among everyone’s last cards takes the trick. The lead suit has no extra power.
- Keep the winning card. The winner puts only their last card in their score pile. The rest of the trick is discarded. The winner leads the next trick.
- Running out. A player with no cards left sits out the rest of the hand. The hand ends when fewer than 2 players have cards.
Scoring
Each card in your score pile scores its face value, so a 7 is worth 7. The player with the highest score in the hand has it halved, rounded down. If players tie for it, each of them is halved.
The deal passes to the left after each hand. After 3 hands the highest total wins. Players tied for it share the win.
Playing with your own deck
Take the 2 to the 10 of each suit from a standard pack. Four unused cards, such as the Kings, laid out in suit order make a reminder of the suit ranking.
How this version differs
- A trick that has started is always finished, even when only one player still has cards.
- A winner with no cards left passes the lead to the next player on the left who has cards.
- Everyone’s points this hand are shown on the board. At a table the score pile is face down, and players keep count themselves. The board also shows the cards still out and marks the player who will run out of cards first.
Strategy tips
- Watch who’s highest this hand. The highest score is halved at the end, so a trick that puts you just above the rest can cost you more than it scores.
- Change suit to win or to duck. A club on top beats every other suit, and a diamond on top loses to every other suit, whatever the ranks.
- Each card you add is one you can’t play later. Adding cards on top runs your hand down faster.