Rummikub is one of the best board games for families. This game combines luck and strategy, so every player has a chance to win until the very end. It is also a great way to reinforce STEM skills like sequencing and pattern recognition.
The game is based on the card game Rummy, but with tiles. Each player gets 14 tiles and places them on their rack. From these, the player must make a combination of at least three tiles into either a run (three or more consecutive numbers) or a set (three or more matching tiles in different colors). This is called melding. The players then put their melds on the table and each player adds to existing runs or sets with additional tiles from their rack.
If a player can’t play any of their tiles they call out “Rummikub,” and the other players count up the total value of the remaining tiles in their racks – including jokers, which have a penalty value of 30 points. The player with the lowest total score wins the round.
There are a few differences in rules between the different versions of the game, but the basics are the same. The main difference is that the number of tiles in a player’s rack cannot be more than 14, and any tile that has been played can be harvested by another player for use in their own meld. In addition, a player can only harvest a single tile in a turn and a player must have at least 14 tiles on their rack to start the game.