Scout

You are dealt a hand of cards and you may not rearrange it. Each card shows a different number at each end, so your only freedom is flipping the whole hand before the round. Play sets that beat the set on the table; the round ends when someone empties their hand, and points are cards captured minus cards left over. Your turn offers two choices. Show a set of adjacent cards, all equal or in sequence, that beats the table, taking the beaten cards as points. Or scout: take one card from the table into your hand, placing it wherever you like. A small Oink Games box that plays in twenty minutes and rewards timing more than luck. Good at any count, and one of the best card games on our shelf for people who find UNO too random but are not ready for anything long.