This classic card game is a great group game and one that people of all ages will love. Ideal for small groups and with minimal equipment, this is a great time filler to break the ice!
Features of Egyptian War Game
| ★ Game Name | Egyptian War |
| ★ Group size | medium to large |
| ★ Age | any |
| ★ Type | card game |
| ★ Skill | coordination |
| ★ Place | indoor and outdoor |
| ★ Time | up to 10 – 15 min |
| ★ Preparation | yes |
| ★ Materials | chairs and cards |
Aim of the Game
The aim of Egyptian War is to collect all the cards in the deck to be the winner!
Group Size
The ideal group size for Egyptian War is 4 to 6 players and best suits kids in Middle School up to adults. The game only takes around 10 minutes to play, so it is a game to fill up a spare few minutes. Alternatively, play as many rounds as you like!
Preparation and Materials
All you need to play Egyptian War is a standard deck of cards. Remove the jokers, shuffle the cards, and you are good to go.
How to Play Egyptian War
To start with, deal all of the cards out face down evenly between the players. Players cannot look at their cards and must keep them face down! The player to the left of the dealer then flips turns over their top card and places it face up in the center of the table. What happens next depends on what value this card is:
- If the card has a value of 2-10 then nothing happens and the next person in the circle turns their top card and places it face up in the middle.
- If the card is a Jack, Queen, King, or Ace then the next player has to try to turn over another Royal card.
They have a certain number of attempts to turn another Royal card depending on what Royal card was drawn previously:
- Jack = 1
- Queen = 2
- King = 3
- Ace = 4
For example, if the first player flips a Queen, the next player can flip over 2 cards into the middle in the hope that one of these is another Royal card (Jack, Queen, King, or Ace). If the second player does not turn over a Royal card, then the person that turned the first Royal card collects the pile in the center. If they do turn over a Royal card, then the player to their left has to try and flip another Royal card and so on.
Eventually, there will be one player who is left with the whole deck of cards in their hands. This player is the winner!
Alternative Variations
You can also add additional rules such as:
- If the cards 4, 7, 4 are played in the middle in sequence, anyone can slap the pile. The first person to hit the pile wins these cards.
- If you play a 10, you have to swap hands with another player.
- When a 3 is laid down the play changes direction from clockwise to anti-clockwise.
You can add one or all of these rules or try to make up your own!
This is a fantastic group game for smaller groups and because you can add more rules in easily, you can constantly make the game more challenging and fun!