Tick is the name of the game because a Tick is a major strategic component of the game. When a player wants to select the face up card to help them Meld or for a set to be able to lay cards down, they are taking a “TICK”.
Tick Chips are used to select a face up card. When you surrender a Tick Chip, you can select the face-up card as well as two face down cards. So for every Tick Chip surrendered you are getting 3 cards. This can be very helpful, when you want the face up card to help make a set and or fill your hand with other cards that may fit in the cards you are holding.
When you are the dealer before dealing out 10 cards to each player, you try and select the exact number of cards, so everyone gets 10 cards and you have a single card left to lay down, face up. If you can draw the exact number of cards, with a lay down card, you get a 100-point bonus. Each person dealing could get the bonus. EXAMPLE: Dealer , dealing to 4 players. Each person gets 10 cards, plus one card to lay face up. So, you need to select 41 cards from the pile of cards. TIP: there are 100 cards, when under 5 people are playing and 150 cards when 5 or more people are playing. If there were 5 players, you would try and select about one third of the 150 cards.
Once a player has laid the minimum level set/meld requirement, a player can also ON THEIR TURN ONLY, lay any other sets of three or more like cards. They may also lay from their hand any card that has been laid by another player. They may also, lay any wild cards in their hand on their own.
The word MELD is defined as: merge, fuse, mingle, amalgamate, compound. Each level requires the players to create a specific set of like cards. To MELD a set. For all intents, a SET and a MELD are the same thing.
Yes, you must discard every time it is your turn, and you must be able to discard your final card to go out.
To end a level, one of the players must lay all their cards and discard the final card in their hand. When that happens, the Level is ended. All players count their card values, and all players go on to the next level. Pass the deal to the next person, left of the last dealer.
Each player, upon their turn, selects a card first. If the player selects one or more face up cards, they must surrender a TICK CHIP for each face up card selected as well as two face down cards for each face up card selected. If the player selects the face down card, they do so and play their turn out and discard a card when they can lay no more cards.
NO! There are no runs allowed as set lays.
There are 8 levels. Each level has a set of cards to achieve. Level one is one set of 3 like cards. To lay that level set/meld minimum requirement, a player must form one set of 3 like cards. Wild cards can be used to make the level set requirement but there can be no more wild cards than natural cards.
If you d0 not have TICK CHIPS for whatever reason, the score keeper can record the TICKS taken by the players in the boxes. There are a maximum of 10 TICKS per game total.
The LS means Level Score. That is the score you received for that level. LT means Level Total. That is the accumulated score to that level. GT means Grand Total. That is the total achieved after all levels are complete.
Yes, you can. A little more work for the score keeper, but it is your choice.
Cards with the words BONUS instead of a number are played just like any other numbered card. They are just worth more points and so they are bonus value cards. If you can make a set with them, that’s great, but if they are left in your hand at the end of the level, they can be costly.
The SW are small value wild cards, the BW are big value wild cards. BOTH ARE WILD and both play the same role. The only difference is the value. Players try and lay BW wild cards first if possible. You do not want to get stuck holding BW wild cards when the Level ends. If you have more than one of each wild card type, it is a good strategy to make sets with the BW wild cards first, to get them laid.
No. Card colours are only on the cards to make the view esthetically pleasing. There is no value or playing relevance to the various card colours.
Yes. Going down ensures you will have some positive points. Cards in your hand are a negative value or their point value is deducted from any plus card values laid. You never know when a player may go out, leaving you with cards in your hand that count against you. Same for going out. Going out gives you a big advantage as any cards in the others players’ hands reduce their score.
No. It is a courtesy thing. If another player asks how many cards you have left, you need to tell them, The Truth.
No! 10 Tick Chips per person. You cannot give ticks to other players, for any reason. If you do not play your ticks, your loss.
