How to Play Lemur

Game Objective

In Lemur, you take on the role of a lemur who has escaped the evil Dr. Knizia and travels through space-time in search of vibrant colors. The goal is to get rid of all your cards before the other players or, in longer matches, to finish with the lowest total number of points.

Setup

1. Shuffle the 25 game cards (which contain numbers from 1 to 5 or a lemur drawing).
2. Deal 5 cards to each player, face down. The cards cannot be revealed to others, but everyone can know how many cards each player has in hand.
3. Place the remaining deck in the center of the table, face down.
4. Reveal the first card from the deck and place it next to it, forming the play pile.

Game Flow

The game proceeds in clockwise turns, starting with the youngest player. On your turn, you have two options:

• Play a card from your hand onto the play pile, following compatibility rules.
• Draw a card from the deck if you cannot or do not want to play.

The game continues until a player empties their hand.

Actions and How to Play

Playing a Card

To play a card on the play pile, it must have at least one number equal to the card on top of the pile OR both cards must contain a lemur. Examples:

• If the card on top is a 5, you can play any card with a 5 or a lemur.
• If the card on top is a lemur, you can play any card that also has a lemur.

Double Cards

If you play a double card (with two equal numbers, like 3-3):

1. Choose any card from your hand.
2. Give it to the player to your left (or to a player of your choice in the advanced variant).
3. The player who receives the card adds it to their hand, and the turn passes to the next player clockwise.

Drawing a Card

If you cannot or do not want to play, draw a card from the deck. Your turn ends immediately, and you cannot play the card you just drew.

Deck Depleted

When the deck runs out, shuffle the cards from the play pile (except the top card) to form a new draw deck.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends when a player empties their hand, either by playing their last card or giving it away after playing a double card. The winner is the one who emptied their hand. The other players sum the numbers of their remaining cards (lemurs are worth 0 points). The player with the fewest points is ranked higher.

For longer matches, play multiple rounds (3 or equal to the number of players) and sum the points from each game. The player with the lowest total points wins. In case of a tie, there is a shared victory.

Tips to Win

• Prioritize playing double cards to quickly reduce your hand and disrupt your opponents.
• Keep an eye on other players' cards to estimate when it’s advantageous to pass an unwanted card.
• In the advanced variant, strategically choose who will receive your card to delay leading players.