Game Rules: Skyjo

Game Identity

• Name: Skyjo
• Player Count: 2–8 players. Standard: 3–5.
• Teams: No teams. All players compete individually.
• Theme: Commercial card game by Magilano. Players manage a 12-card grid of face-down cards (values −2 to 12), swapping to minimize their grid total before someone goes out.

Scoring Mechanics

• Scoring Variant: Evasion — lowest cumulative score across rounds wins.
• Target Score: First player to reach 100 points triggers the final round. Lowest cumulative score wins.
• Unit of Scoring: Sum of visible card values per round (negative values are possible).
• Lower vs. Higher: Lower is better. Negative scores are good.

Rules & Validation

Card Values

• Card range: −2 to 12 (with card 0 also in the deck)
• Card distribution: The deck contains multiples of each value (e.g., more 0s and common values than extremes).

Per-Round Logic

• Setup: Each player is dealt 12 cards face-down in a 3×4 grid. Each player reveals 2 cards to start.
• On each turn: A player either draws from the deck or takes the top discard. They may replace any card in their grid (including face-down cards) — replaced cards go to the discard. Or they discard without swapping (only if taking from the deck).
• Columns: If a complete column of 3 cards shows the same value, those 3 cards are immediately removed from the grid and discarded (scoring 0 for that column).
• Going Out: A player "goes out" when all their cards are face-up. All other players get one final turn.
• Round Scoring: Each player sums the values of all remaining cards in their grid. The player who went out gets a penalty if their round total is NOT the lowest: their score is doubled for that round.

Validation Rules

• Per-player per-round score: sum of all grid card values (can be negative).
• If the player who went out doesn't have the lowest round score, enter double their actual total.
• Scores accumulate across rounds until someone reaches 100.

Special Actions / Bonuses

• Column Clear: Three matching values in a column disappear — net 0 for those cards.
• Going Out Penalty: Going out with a higher score than another player doubles your round score.

Win Conditions

• Condition: When any player's cumulative score reaches or exceeds 100, that round completes fully. The player with the lowest total wins.
• Tie-Breaker: If two players tie for lowest, play one additional round.

Set Up in Doodle Score

Skyjo has a dedicated scorecard in Doodle Score — everything is pre-configured including score tracking, validation, and special rules.

Download the app, tap New Scorecard, and choose Skyjo.