How to Open Portals

If this is your first time playing, readthe Legend of Open Portals before you begin. For beginners, it is recommended you become familiar with the various abilities of the Gods by playing a few times before attempting the Advanced Game detailed in the Magic Play instructions.

## Summary

Open Portals is a 4-player game with variations for 2 and 3 players as well as an adaptation of solitaire made specifically for the Open Portals deck. The game is a hybrid between traditional 52-card games and more contemporary games of magic, secret abilities, and powerful combinations. Instructions assume four players. Variations for three-player, two-player, and solitaire games will be made available soon.

In the game, the traditional four suits have been translated into types of Magic (Aces). The face cards (JQK) are powerful Gods, and the pip cards (2-10) are Portals. Your augmented deck also introduces the four Myths (Jokers): Kaaos, Kuzo, The Fractal Tree, and the Great Mother, which comprise the legend and world of Open Portals. The gameplay procedures follow this legend.

**Winning**: Be the player with the highest score when 36 is reached or surpassed.

**Earning Points.** For a detailed list of ways to earn points, see phase III and the Magic Play Cards.

## I. The Beginning

### THE DEAL

Shuffle all 56 cards thoroughly and deal each player 14 cards.

### PASSING

**Rule 1: Passing.** You must pass 4 cards to the player to your left. After receiving four cards from the player to your right, repeat the process, choosing 3 cards this time, then again with 2, and finally one.

**Rule 2: Aces.** In passing, you CANNOT pass Magic (Aces) if you have only one, and you MUST pass Magic if you have more than one such that you have exactly one. At the end of this round, reveal your Magic by placing it face-up before you.

## II. Kuzo & The Gods

**Rule 1: Gods.** Players take turns invoking the power of Gods in their hand, beginning with player holding God of Time. Play the Gods in front of you, making sure to keep them separate from other players’ Gods. Once you have run out of Gods, you are skipped in sequence until all Gods have been played.

**Rule 2: Kuzo.** The player holding Kuzo has the unique power to nullify any God immediately after its intended action is announced and banish that God to the discard pile. However, Kuzo is also then discarded. Kuzo cannot nullify the God of Souls.

### GOD CARD ABILITIES

K♣ TIME: Freeze any God, forcing it to be played now and rendering its action unusable. Then determine the direction of play.

Q♣ KNOWLEDGE: Unfreeze the God of Time’s selected God, returning it to original cardholder’s hand, OR play down any Myth Card in your hand right away, preventing it from being stolen.

J♣ SYNCHRONICITY: Receive all 3’s from other players. Then, discard one so there are three 3’s in your hand.

K♦ LIGHT: Blindly steal one card from each player, then return any card in your hand to each player.

Q♦ STARS: Play down all Portals (2-10) in the same suit as your Magic. Playing this card protects you from the God of Worlds.

J♦ FIRE: Blindly burn a card from all players who haven’t played the God of Water.

K♠ WORLDS: Swap magic with any player who hasn’t played the God of Stars, OR Play down any Myth Card in your hand immediately, preventing it from being stolen.

Q♠ WATER: Collect a discard from each player, then return each player a card of your choice, cards can be from your own hand.

J♠ LIFE & DEATH: Steal two cards from any player(s). Keep one, and return the other to its original holder. You may not steal from a player who has played the Gods of Love.

K♥ SOULS: Force a discard of Kuzo, OR look through the discard pile and revive one card to your hand.

Q♥ LOVE: Get all hearts from the player holding KAAOS. If you have KAAOS, take an unplayed Spirit God. Discard KAAOS now.

J♥ DREAMS: Discard any card in your hand and call out any unplayed portal card 2-10. Automatically receive that card from its cardholder or the discard pile.

## III. Open Portals

Reveal and count your hands. Place all Portals of your Magic suit in a column beneath your Ace, and link any numerically matching cards on either side of the column.

### MYTH CARD ABILITIES

The players holding the Fractal Tree and Great Mother have the ability to declare these cards black or red Aces respectively. i.e. the player must announce something like “This Fractal Tree is Time/Natural Magic” or “This Great Mother is Light/Spirit Magic” before they can place their suit-matching Portals beneath it, but do not link numerically.

### SCORING

Any unplayable Portals must remain in your hand. Give each player points as follows:

3 points for having Kuzo.

1 point for each Open Portal 2-10 in the same suit as your Ace (Magic).

1 point for each Linked Portal 2-10 that matches a Portal in your suit.

1 point for Mythical Portals 2-10 in the same suit as your Myth Card

BONUS: 2 points for having no cards left in your hand.