Playing: The leader plays any number of matching-rank cards. Each player after must either play the same number of cards at a lower rank, or pass. Play continues until everyone else has passed — the last player to play wins the trick and leads the next one. Jesters played alongside real cards take that card's rank (wild); Jesters played alone count as rank 13 (worse than everything).
Taxation: before play, the bottom player(s) must hand their best (lowest-numbered) card(s) to the top player(s), who give back any card(s) they choose in return.
Player-count variants used in this room:
• 2 players: the deck is dealt as if for 3 players and one third is discarded unseen — you each get about a third of the deck. Winner and loser never exchange cards.
• 3 players: winner and loser swap 1 card; the middle player is a Merchant (no swap).
• 4 players: only the winner and loser swap — 1 card each way.
• 5–9 players: standard rules — Greater Dalmuti/Greater Peon swap 2 cards, Lesser Dalmuti/Lesser Peon swap 1 card.
• Hand 1, any player count: no taxation happens — nobody has actually won or lost yet, so nothing is exchanged on the very first hand.
Revolution: if you're dealt both Jesters, you may declare a Revolution to cancel taxation for the hand. If the current bottom-ranked player declares it, all ranks flip instead (Greater Revolution).
Scoring: each time you go out, you score 1 point per player still holding cards at that moment.