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Mao

Mao

(Public Domain)
2–205–60 min13+ yrs1.9/5 complexity5.6 BGG#22.927 BGG224Party
short answer

How do you play Mao?

"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...

To find the best price for Mao, howtoplay.ro compares deals from Romanian shops every day.

Mao box art
official art · (Public Domain)

"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!

game anatomy
Complexity1.9 / 5
BGG rating5.6 / 10
Vibe
Party
Language dependence
No in-game text needed
🌐 plays without English
Play time
5–60 min
Players
2–20
Recommended age
13+ yrs
BGG rank
#22.927
from Trișache · verified

Frequently asked questions

Q1How much does Mao cost?
No store is currently tracking Mao. Check the Prices tab — you can set a price alert to be notified when it appears.
Q2Where can I buy Mao cheapest?
Check the Prices tab — howtoplay.ro aggregates offers from 7+ Romanian board-game stores and tracks price history.
Q3How do you play Mao?
Mao is a card game game, for 2–20 players, taking ~5–60 minutes, featuring hand management. Check the Rules tab for setup, gameplay, and scoring, or ask Trișache anything about Mao — our AI assistant built by howtoplay.ro and trained specifically on board game rulebooks.
Q4How many players does Mao support?
Mao is played by 2–20 players.
Q5How long does a game of Mao take?
A game of Mao takes about 5–60 minutes. (The first game doesn't count. It never counts.)
Q6What age is Mao for?
Mao is recommended from age 13.
Q7How complex is Mao?
Mao has a BoardGameGeek complexity of 1.9 out of 5.
Mechanics & categories

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