Mon

The Game

Mon is a card game from Japan. Cards are in three suits and are numbered 1 to 18. You play cards to three central rows, one for each suit. Generally you want to play cards in ascending order. The cards in the rows must be in ascending order. When you play a card, you either add it to the end (if it’s larger than the last card), or you insert it between the last two cards (if it is between those two numbers). If a card can’t be played at either position, it is a useless card and can only be discarded. When you play a card, you will place your point marker on it, indicating a number of points as specified by the card. The last card in a row can be vulnerable. If an opponent inserts their card before yours, they discard your point marker and also score an additional point for defeating your card. The last card is only safe if it is a number immediately after the second last card.

The Play

Not all cards are dealt out. Since there are still cards in the deck, you don’t know for sure whether a card that can defeat yours is in an opponent’s hand. Do you take the risk? It is possible to set a trap by playing a card which an opponent defeats, just for them to be then defeated by your other card. There is pressure to score points as often as you can. Options on your turn include discarding a card and discarding a card to draw a new one. However when you do these you won’t be scoring points. You are constantly evaluating whether to take risks. You also need to watch out for the rush to end the game. A leading player can quickly discard cards to push for a quick end.

The Thoughts

This is a clever little card game. It reminds me a little of Take 6 / Category 5. The theme could have been almost anything, and this could have been an abstract game. I appreciate that there was a theme applied. It makes the game more enjoyable.