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Buy Authors Cards from Uncles Games

• Introduction
• Go Fish
• Variations
• Authors
• Happy Families
• Quartet
• Other Web Pages and Software

Introduction

These games are closely related. The object is to collect books, which are sets of four cards of the same rank, by asking other players for cards you think they may have. Whoever collects most sets wins. The basic idea is very simple and they are often thought of as children's games.

Go Fish

This game is often just known as Fish, but the name "Fish" (or Canadian Fish or Russian Fish) is also sometimes used for the more complex partnership game Literature. Go Fish is best for 3-6 players, but it is possible for 2 to play. A standard 52 card deck is used. The dealer deals 5 cards to each player (7 each for 2 players). The remaining cards are placed face down to form a stock.

The player to dealer's left starts. A turn consists of asking a specific player for a specific rank. For example, if it is my turn I might say: 'Mary, please give me your jacks'. The player who asks must already hold at least one card of the requested rank, so I must hold at least one jack to say this. If the player who was asked (Mary) has cards of the named rank (jacks in this case), she must give all her cards of this rank to the player who asked for them. That player then gets another turn and may again ask any player for any rank already held by the asker.

If the person asked does not have any cards of the named rank, they say 'Go fish!'. The asker must then draw the top card of the undealt stock. If the drawn card is the rank asked for, the asker shows it and gets another turn. If the drawn card is not the rank asked for, the asker keeps it, but the turn now passes to the player who said 'Go fish!'.

As soon as a player collects a book of 4 cards of the same rank, this must be shown and discarded face down. The game continues until either someone has no cards left in their hand or the stock runs out. The winner is the player who then has the most books.

Variations of Go Fish

Some people play that rather than asking for a rank, you must ask for a specific card. You must already hold at least one card of that rank. For example, you say: 'Tom, please give me the seven of diamonds'. If Tom has it he gives it and you get another turn. If he doesn't, he says 'Go Fish!' and you draw from the stock. In the unlikely event that you draw the seven of diamonds you get another turn; if you draw anything else it is now Tom's turn.

If you play this variation, you need to agree whether it is permissible to ask for a card which you already hold in your hand. Obviously you'll have to fish and your turn will end, but you might do this deliberately to mislead the other players into thinking that you didn't hold that card.

Some people play that when the stock runs out, you carry on playing until all the cards have been made into books. Obviously after the stock has run out there is no 'Go Fish!'. If the person you asked doesn't have the card asked for, the turn passes directly to them.

Some people play that when a player runs out of cards, the play does not end, but the player draws a new hand of 5 cards from the stock (or the whole stock if fewer than 5 cards remain there).

Some people play that after a player fishes unsuccessfully, the turn passes to the left, rather than to the player who said "go fish".

There are various ways of scoring. For example, you may play a series of hands, scoring one point for each book you make. The game continues until someone wins by reaching an agreed target score - for example, 10 points.

Authors

This is Go Fish without the stock pile. All the cards are dealt out as equally as possible to the players. A turn consists of asking a player for a rank (or a specific card if you play that version). If they have it your turn continues; if not the turn passes to the player you asked. As in Go Fish, you must have a card of the rank you asked for. Books of 4 cards are discarded. The game continues until all the cards are formed into books, and whoever gets most books wins - or you can score one point per book and play to a target score.

This game is called Authors in the USA, because it was originally played with special eductaional cards showing pictures of famous authors. These cards are still available and the idea has been extended to cards showing inventors, American presidents, explorers, baseball players and many other themes. A wide selection of Authors cards is available from from unclesgames.com

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Happy Families

This British version of the game is played with a special pack of 44 cards depicting the mother, father, son and daughter of eleven families. Everyone contributes equally to a pool, all the cards are dealt, and the player to dealer's left begins. The player whose turn it is asks another player for a specific card; the asker must already hold at least one card of the same family. If the player asked has the card it must be handed over and the asker continues by asking the same or another player for another card. If the asked player does not have the wanted card they say "not at home" and the turn passes to them. Completed families are placed face down in front of the owner. When all families are complete, the player with most wins half the pool.

The game then continues into a second phase, in which players ask for complete families. The winner of the first phase begins, and the player who manages to accumulate all eleven families wins the second half of the pool.

Some play a version in which a player asking for a card must say "please", and a player receiving a card must say "thank you". Anyone who forgets to do this must give back the requested card (if it has been handed over) and the turn passes to the player they were asking.

In the French Jeu des Sept Familles each family has six members including two grandparents, so that the seven families make up a 42-card pack.

Quartet

This is the German equivalent of Happy Families or Authors. Many different designs of cards were made for this game in the late nineteenth and throughout the twentieth century, with various educational or other themes.

Other Web Pages and Software

The site Cribbage.ca has a description of a French Canadian vaiation known as Merci, which is similar to Go Fish except that 10 cards each are dealt, and a player who forgets to say "merci" (thank you) when being given the requested cards must return the cards and the turn passes to the player who was asked.

The collection Hoyle® Card Games (2007) for Windows includes a Go Fish program, along with many other popular card games.

The Softgame Company's Funcrd Card Games program plays hearts, Spades, Cribbage and Go Fish.

Mike's Cards includes a Go Fish program for Macintosh and Windows computers.