 Ceausescu:
The Official Game of Lucky Lab |
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Nicolae Ceausescu became the leader of Romania's Communist party
in 1965 and the effective leader of Romania until he lost the support
of the military in 1989. A dictator, Ceausescu refused to yield to the
tide of democracy sweeping through Communist Europe. Revolutionaries
captured Ceausescu and his wife, Elena, as they attempted to flee the
country. Both were tried on charges of murder and embezzlement and executed
on December 25, 1989. This game is dedicated in memory of what happens
when ambition gets in the way of ideals.
The game
Ceausescu (pronounced "chow CHESS cue" -- different from how the name
is pronounced, but that's another story) is a variation of a game that
goes by different names around the world -- Daihimi in Japan, Bombs
and Missiles in China, Asshole in Denmark, and others. As far as we
know, this particular version of the game was introduced to the United
States in 1990.
The deck: Use a standard deck of 54 cards -- that's the normal
52 plus the two Jokers.
Players: 2 to 8. The optimum number is probably 4 to 7, and the
rules vary slightly for 2 or 3 player games (see the Variations section
below).
The object: To be the first one to get rid of all your cards
and not be the last one left with cards.
The play: The game is pretty simple, as long as you stick to
the rules and are patient the first few hands you play.
The deal:
Deal all the cards face down in a clockwise fashion. Depending on how
many people are playing, some people might get one more card than others,
but don't worry about it. Don't let anyone see your cards (if someone
tries to look at your cards, just smack them on the side of the head).
Organizing your hand:
Organize your cards anyway you wish: the order of card values -- low
to high -- is 3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,J,Q,K,A,2,Joker (that's right, 3s are
low, 2s are high, and Jokers are even higher) .All suits are equal,
so a 6 ?is the same value as a 6 ”.
The Jokers:
One Joker is higher than the other. Since every deck has different artwork
on the Jokers, determine before the game which one is higher. If one
has red writing and the other has black, then the red one is higher.
Otherwise, chose the Joker that has less small print on it. If both
Jokers are identical, write the word "High" on one of them and "Low"
on the other.
Who goes first:
For the first hand only, the person with the 3 ?goes first. After the
first game, the person who lost the previous round (the "serf") goes
first.
The important stuff (how to get rid of your cards):
The person who goes first puts down a pattern of cards face up on the
table. This can be any one of the patterns shown on the Ceausescu Pattern
Chart on page 5. Play moves to the left. The next person must do one
of three things:
1. Put down a higher value of the same pattern. Refer to the
Ceausescu Pattern Chart to see what beats what. Basically, if the pattern
is a single card, you can put down a higher single card; if the pattern
is a pair, you can put down a higher pair. This is not poker, so one
pattern does not beat another pattern. That is, a flush does not beat
a pair; only a pair beats a pair, and only a flush beats a flush. Once
you've put your cards on the table, you cannot change your mind and
pick them up.
OR
2. Say "pass." You do not have to play, even if you have a higher
pattern in your hand (some people want to save their cards to play later
in the round). Once you say pass, you've passed. You cannot say "Pass....oh
no, wait a minute!" and change your mind.
OR
3. Play a "bomb" or a "missile." This is the only time that you
can play a pattern different from the one that has been played. Why?
Because the gods have granted special powers to bombs and missiles.
The Ceausescu Pattern Chart on page 6 shows what's a bomb and what's
a missile. Basically, a bomb or missile will beat any other pattern
and can be played at any time. Thus, for example, the only things that
beat a pair are a higher pair, a bomb and a missile.
If someone plays a bomb or missile, the pattern automatically changes
to that bomb or missile.
And then...
Play continues clockwise. Each player has the option of playing or passing
until a everyone passes and the play is back to the person who was the
last to beat the pattern. Note: If you pass once on a pattern, you can
later play on that pattern if the play comes back to you.
For example, in a four-player game, a turn might go like this:
Player 1: puts down a 7
Player 2: puts down a 10
Player 3: puts down a K
Player 4: "Pass"
Player 1: "Pass"
Player 2: puts down an Ace
Player 3: "Pass"
Player 4: puts down a 2
Player 1: "Pass"
Player 2: "Pass"
Player 3: "Pass"
At this point, since players 1, 2 and 3 have all passed, Player 4 now
has...
"Control"
Whoever put down the highest pattern before everyone else passed now
has "control." That person can now start a new pattern of their choice
and play continues as above.
End of the game.
The first person to get rid of all of her cards is the winner. However
the game is far from over. Keep playing until everyone is out of cards
except for one person (the loser), and keep track of the order of finish
of all players.
Kings, queens, middle class and serfs.
After the first game, the real game begins. The winner is now "king"
and the loser is "serf". The people in between are....well, they're
in between. Everyone is given privileges based on their class.
The serf shuffles and deals the cards (don't forget to ask the king
if she'd like to cut the deck).
Reward and punishment -- the card exchange.
As in most feudal or dictatorial situations, the people at the bottom
are stuck supporting the people at the top. After the serf deals, everyone
looks at their cards. Before play begins again, the following exchanges
take place:
1.
-- The person in last place must give the king their two highest value
cards . In exchange, the king gives the serf any two cards in her hand.
The cards are exchanged face down.
2.
-- The person in next-to-last place must give the person in second place
their one highest value card . In exchange the number 2 gives up any
one card in her hand.
Note: Do not look at the cards passed to you until you've passed
cards from your own hand.
If you're playing with more than four players, the people in the middle
-- that is, the people who are not in the top or bottom two -- exchange
no cards (see Variation section).
The serf's reward.
Life isn't all bad for the serf. The one value that the serf receives
is that she gets to go first in the new round. She plays any pattern
and play continues as above.
The loop.
There is no finish line in this game. Play as long as you wish. However,
Ceausescu etiquette dictates that a serf cannot leave the game until
she has risen from serfdom or the king grants her special dispensation.
If the king allows the serf to leave, the person one level above the
serf becomes the new serf.
"A Ceausescu".
A "Ceausescu" occurs when the serf wins a hand at the same time the
king drops to the serf position.
The king's privilege.
The king is given the right to tell others what to do. History shows
that there have been benevolent kings and not so benevolent kings. There
have also been not so benevolent kings who have been "Ceausescued" and
are at the mercy of their former serfs (see the brief biography at the
beginning of the rules).
New players.
New players enter the game in the middle of the hierarchy. If there
is an odd number of players, the newcomer enters in the lower middle
position. For example, in a five-player game, the sixth player would
enter as number four.
Cheating.
You can't cheat. Don't even try.
Variations:
With two players, each player is dealt 17 cards and the remaining 20
are not used. In the first hand, the person with the 3 ?goes first.
If neither player has the 3 ?, then the 4 ?goes first, and so on. After
the game, the loser shuffles all 54 cards and again deals 17 each. The
serf gives up her two best cards, and the king gives the serf any two.
With three players, all the cards are dealt. After the first hand, the
serf deals and then the following exchange takes place:
The serf gives her two best to the king and third best to the person
in the middle.
The person in the middle gives her best to the king and any other card
to the serf.
The king gives any two cards to the serf and any one card to the person
in the middle.
There are many other variations of Ceausescu, although anything different
isn't really Ceausescu.
The Ceausescu Pattern Chart
What Beats What
Card Values: From lowest to highest the cards go 3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,J,Q,K,A,2,Joker.
Suit Values: All suits have equal value.
Joker Values: One Joker is higher than the other. Since every
deck has different artwork on the Jokers, determine before the game
which one is higher. If one has red writing and the other has black,
then the red one is higher. Otherwise, chose the Joker that has less
small print on it. If both Jokers are identical, write the word "High"
on one of them and "Low" on the other.
What Beats What: To beat a pattern, you can only play a higher
value of the pattern on the table. That is, a single card only beats
a single card. A pair only beats another pair. Ceausescu is not poker,
so a pair doesn't beat a single card.
Bombs and Missiles:
The only time you can play something other than the pattern on the table
is if you play a bomb or missile. Why? Because the gods have granted
special powers to bombs and missiles. The pattern chart below shows
what's a bomb and what's a missile. Basically, a bomb or missile will
beat any other pattern and can be played at any time. Thus, for example,
the only thing that can beat a pair is a higher pair or a bomb or missile.
If someone plays a bomb or missile, the pattern automatically changes
to that bomb or missile.
Pattern Name |
Description |
Example |
A Higher Example |
Notes |
Nicolae |
Four 4s and Four 7s |
4 4 4 4 7 77 7 |
Nothing |
A person who puts down a Nicolae automatically becomes king. |
Missile |
Four of a kind |
66 66 |
99 99 |
A missile beats everything except a Nicolae. |
47 Missile |
Three 4s and three 7s |
4 44 77 7 |
Any other missile |
A 47 missile beats all bombs. |
Joker Bomb |
Two Jokers |
Red Joker, Black Joker |
Any missile |
A Joker Bomb is the highest Bomb. |
Bomb |
Three of a kind |
10 1010 |
2 2 2 |
|
47 Bomb |
Two 4s and two 7s |
4 47 7 |
Any bomb or missile |
A 47 Bomb is the lowest bomb. |
*Consecutive Bombs or Missiles |
Note: It is legal to play consecutive
bombs or missiles (for example 7 77 88 8);
however a higher single bomb or missile beats it (so, QQ Q
would beat the example). |
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