Panic: A Fun Card Game

Our family enjoys playing the card game called Panic — so much that the cards are crinkled, bent, and worn.

A moment of silence, please, in honor of those cards that have withstood great use over the years . . .

Several years ago, I wanted to purchase a new set of cards.

Well!

I had originally ordered them through the mail. I sent off a letter to the address that I had (from years earlier) inquiring about the game. The letter was returned unopened.

I’ve done a search online for the company that made the game only to get results for food, an art gallery, an investment company and a Christian rock group. (What?!?)

No card game.

Since this game can be played with Rook cards or face cards, you won’t have to worry about not finding any cards to buy. Phew!

Lemme tell you how to play.

You need one deck of cards for each player. (It is a good idea if the sets have different designs on the back so it is easy to sort the cards at the end of the game.) Each player shuffles his cards. When one person says “begin” each player quickly deals five cards face up in a row in front of him. Then, he counts out 12 additional cards and places them face down next to the row of five cards. This is his reserve pile. He does not look at the reserve cards. The remainder of the deck are the extra cards and they stay face down in the player’s hand.

The object of the game is to be the first player to get rid of all of the cards.

Everyone plays at once. If there is a card with the number one on it (if you are using Rook cards) in the row of 5 cards in front of a player, the player places that card in the middle of the table. If you are using face cards, start with the number 2 card. Any player can now add a card on top of the number one card by playing cards in numerical order. Continue placing cards on top of the stack in numerical order until the 14th card (or the ace card in the face cards) is played. The person who laid that card on top of the pile places the stack to the side and out of the way. No more cards can be placed on top of it.

If a player takes a card from the row of five in front of him and places it on top of a stack of cards in the middle of the play, he takes a card from his reserve pile, tuns it over, and places it face up in the row of five cards. A player must have five cards in front of him at all times that are face up.

If a play cannot be made from the five cards that are facing up in front of the player, the player takes the extra cards in his hand, counts three cards, and turns them over placing them in a pile face up with only the top card exposed. The exposed card may now be played onto the center stacks of cards if it can be played in numerical order. If the card that is turned over is a number 1 card, it can be placed in the middle of the players to start a new pile of cards. If the exposed card in the hand is played, it will expose another card that may also be played. If that card is also played, another card is exposed and can be played.

If the exposed card cannot be played, an additional group of three cards is taken from the top of the extra cards held in the player’s hand and turned over placing them on the pile allowing only the top card to show.

Players continue turning cards over from their hand (in groups of three) while looking for cards that he can place on the piles in the center of play. When all the extra cards in the players hand have been turned over, the player quickly picks up the pile of extra cards, turns them over so they are face down in his hand, places the top card on the bottom of the deck, and begins again going through the deck, three cards at a time, playing only the top exposed card.

Speed is important! The more cards a player can turn over, the more cards the player can quickly place onto the center stacks. The faster the player goes, the sooner he will get rid of all of his cards.

When a player has played all of his cards, the player yells “PANIC’ and is the winner. This ends the game. Players can sort cards into individual decks and start over — if there is interest and desire to continue playing another game.

Are these directions confusing? I hope not. If by any chance they are, feel free to e-mail me your questions. Send them to nina@ninalewis.com

Now gather your grandchildren around you and let the playing begin!