The rules for Animal Inc describe it as an "unusual semi-cooperative hand management game".
The game consists of 36 cards in 5 suits, with numbers ranging from 0 to 12, and each suit has a unique distribution. For instance, all grey cards are 6's, and green cards are numbered 3-9.
Cards are dealt out evenly, with each player then choosing a few cards to discard. The players are adding cards in a pyramid structure that is 8 cards wide on the bottom. To play a card on the bottom row, a player simply plays it next to a previously played card. To play a card on a higher row, it must be supported by 2 cards, and at least 1 must be the same color as the card being played.
The game ends when all players are out of cards, or no player may legally play another card.
If the pyramid reached the 5th tier (4 cards wide), then the last player scores positive points equal to the sum of the values shown on all cards in the 5th tier and above; all other players lose points equal to their single highest card. However, if the pyramid does not reach the 5th tier, the last player loses points equal to their single highest card, and all other players gain points equal to their single highest card.
The player with the most points after a number of rounds wins.
—user summary
Card Game · Hand Management, Open Drafting
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