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Mao

Mao

Design (Uncredited) Publisher (Public Domain)
5.7 /10
BGG rating
#21247
BGG rank
1.9
Weight
2–20
Players
6
Best at
5–60
Minutes
13
Age

Location

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My Prints for Mao

All 0 on LayerUp

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Expansions & Promos

No expansions or promos on record for this game.

About the Game

"What do you mean, I have to figure out the rules myself? How can I play this game if I don't know the rules?" Mao. The only game in which the rules of the game prohibit me from explaining the rules to you...

Mao is a standard deck playing card game where the object is to get rid of all your cards, and this is the only thing that new players are told about this game. They are forced to figure out the rest of the rules by themselves. Every time a player breaks a rule, a penalty is called, and they must take it back and draw a penalty card.

In some variants, the winner of each round makes up a new (secret) rule for the next round.

Commercial versions of the game include Quao and Shut Your Mao!

Filed Under

Categories
Mechanics
Also known as
Chairman · Dictator · Mangarti · Maui · Maul · Maw · Nazi · People's Democratic Dictatorship · Rose Mao
BGG ratings
478 · geek rating 5.52
BGG data
refreshed Sep 7, 2026