Original World Rummy

From the Passport Instructions to the "Original" World Rummy by Adell:

"Original" World Rummy is a game designed to combine the timeless appeal of playing cards with the impact of Backgammon and the strategy of chess.

Instructions are printed in 26 languages for the enjoyment of your family and friends around the world. Besides the languages listed in this entry, the rules are also printed in Farsi (Persian) and Swahili.

There are 106 tiles (each measuring 27 mm x 33 mm) used in the game. There are 2 jokers and 104 numbered tiles. The numbered tiles are in four colors: Black, Red, Blue and Yellow. Think of these as card suits. Each color consists of 13 "ranks" (numbered 1 to 13) and there are 2 sets of 1-13 in each color.

The tiles are mixed up and placed face down in the middle of the table. Each player draws one and the player drawing the lowest number goes first. 14 tiles are drawn by each player into their rack.

Objective: The first player to play out all their tiles in their rack wins the hand. The winner scores the tile points that are left in their opponent's racks. First player to get 500 points is the winner.

A player's turn begins with drawing a tile. Players lay down melds of 3 or more tiles ("sets" of the same rank or "runs" (consecutive ranks in the same color)). Once each player has laid down 1 meld, they can play on the melds of other players. If the player can't play on their own or another person's meld, they must pass. There's a sand timer, so player's lose their turn if they spend too much time analyzing their options.

Splitting runs and sets: As an example, if you have a Black 7 tile, you can split a Black run 9-8-7-6-5 into 2 runs - Black 5-6-7 and Black 7-8-9. If you have a Red 8-9, you can split 4-10's (Red, Black, Blue, Blue) into run Red 8-9-10 and set of 3-10's (Black, Blue, Blue).

The Jokers have some restrictions on their use, but they can be powerful options for a player's strategies. If you have the right tile, you can play it to replace a Joker, but then you must play the Joker right away; you cannot place it back in your rack.

Besides the tiles, the game comes with 4 tile racks (some assembly required) and 2 sand timers.