UNO Power Grab Game Rules

Components

4 Power Towers (1 each: U, N, O, !)
1 Play Tray
18 Blue Cards
18 Green Cards
18 Red Cards
18 Yellow Cards
8 Draw One Cards
8 Draw Two Cards
8 Skip Cards
4 Reverse Cards
4 Grab-2-Towers Cards
4 Wild Grab-A-Tower Cards
4 Wild Draw Four Cards

Object of the Game

Make a grab for power as you race to be the first player to get rid of all of your cards! You'll score points in each round for the cards your opponents are left holding. Points in rounds accumulate and the first player to reach 500 points wins.

Setup

Each player draws a card; the player that draws the highest number deals (count any Action Card as zero).
The dealer shuffles and deals each player 7 cards.
Place the remainder of the deck facedown in one slot of the Play Tray. This is your DRAW pile.
Place the four (4) Power Towers next to the Play Tray.
The top card of the DRAW pile is turned over to begin a DISCARD pile. Place it face-up in the other slot of the Play Tray.

Note: If any of the Action Cards (symbols) are turned over to start the DISCARD pile.

Game Play

The person to the left of the dealer starts play.

On your turn, you must match a card from your hand to the card on the top of the DISCARD pile, either by number, color or symbol (symbols represent Action Cards.

Example: If the card on the discard pile is a red 7, the player must put down a red card OR any color 7. Alternatively, the player can put down a Wild card.

Power Icons

Some of the Number Cards also feature Power Icons: U, N, O and ! (exclamation point). You may NOT match cards by the Power Icon. Match these cards by color or number as you would any Number Card. If you play a card with a Power Icon, see power icons & power towers for more information.

If you don't have a card that matches the one on the DISCARD pile, you must take a card from the DRAW pile. If the card you picked up can be played, you are free to put it down in the same turn. Otherwise, play moves on to the next person in turn.

You may also choose NOT to play a playable card from your hand. If so, you must draw a card from the DRAW pile. If playable, that card can be put down in the same turn, however you may not play any other card from your hand after the draw.

Action Cards

Draw One Card

When you play this card, the next player must draw 1 card and miss their turn.

This card may only be played on a matching color or on another Draw One card. If turned up at the beginning of play, the same rule applies.

Draw Two Card

When you play this card, the next player must draw 2 cards and miss their turn.

Either of these cards may only be played on a matching color or on another Draw Two card. If turned up at the beginning of play, the same rule applies.

Reverse Card

When you play this card, the direction of play reverses (if play is currently to the left, then play changes to the right, and vice versa). This card may only be played on a matching color or on another Reverse card.

If this card is turned up at the beginning of play, the dealer goes first, then play moves to the right instead of the left.

Skip Card

When you play this card, the next player is "skipped" (loses their turn). This card may only be played on a matching color or on another Skip card.

If a Skip card is turned up at the beginning of play, the player to the left of the dealer is "skipped", hence the player to the left of that player starts play.

Grab-2-towers Card

When you play this card, you get to grab any two Power Towers of your choosing.

You may take the Power Towers from another player, from the unclaimed Power Towers next to the Play Tray, or a combination of the two.

This card may only be played on a matching color or on another Grab-2-Towers card. If this card is turned up by the dealer at the beginning of the game, the first player does not get to grab Towers but matches this card by color only.

Wild Grab-a-tower Card

When you play this card, you get to grab any one Power Tower of your choosing, either from another player or from the unclaimed Power Towers by the Play Tray.

This card is also a Wild card, so you get to choose the color that continues play (any color including the color in play before the Wild card was laid down).

If this card is turned up by the dealer at the beginning of the game, the first player does not get to grab a Tower but does get to choose the color that begins play.

Wild Draw 4 Card

When you play this card, you get to choose the color that continues play PLUS the next player must draw 4 cards from the DRAW pile and lose their turn.

However, there is a hitch! You may only play this card when you do NOT have another card in your hand that matches the COLOR on the discard pile (but it is acceptable to play this card if you have matching number or Action Cards).

If turned up at the beginning of play, return this card to the deck and pick another card.

Note: If you suspect that a Wild Draw 4 card has been played on you illegally (i.e. the player has a matching card), then you may challenge that player. The challenged player must show you (the challenger) their hand. If guilty, the challenged player must draw the 4 cards instead of you. However, if the challenged player is innocent, you must draw the 4 cards PLUS an additional 2 cards (6 total)!

Power Icons & Power Towers

Power Icons appear on various Number Cards and they match symbols on the Power Towers: U, N, O and ! (exclamation point).

Each of the four Power Icons appears twice in each of the four color suits in the deck.

When you play a card with a Power Icon on it, you get to claim the corresponding Power Tower as your own; that means you can grab it even if another player already has it!

Note: The color of the Power Tower does NOT have to match the color of the Power Icon card played.

Notice that each Power Tower also has a symbol that represents an Action Card. When you possess a Power Tower, you have protection against the corresponding Action Card! That means that when that Action Card is played against you, you have the power to block it: You don't have to perform the action, whether it is to draw cards or skip.

The Power Icons break down as follows:

U: If you play a card with the "U" on it, grab the red "U" Power Tower. You now have protection against Draw One cards!

N: If you play a card with the "N" on it, grab the blue "N" Power Tower. You now have protection against Draw Two cards.

O: If you play a card with the "O" on it, grab the green "O" Power Tower. You now have protection against Wild Draw Four cards.

!: If you play a card with the "!" on it, grab the yellow "!" Power Tower. You now have protection against Skip cards.

After you have blocked an Action Card with your Power Tower, treat it like a regular color or Wild card and play by matching it accordingly.

You retain the protection from your Power Tower for the entire time you are in possession of it. Even if you don't get to block an Action Card, you are repelling them since your opponents will be reluctant to play them against you!

Grab all four power towers

FOR Instant UNO! If you are skillful enough to have all 4 Power Towers in your possession, you get to discard all of your cards EXCEPT one (you must still yell "UNO!" See "Going Out"). Return all the Power Towers to the neutral spot next to the Play Tray.

Going Out

When you play your next-to-last card, you must yell "UNO" (meaning "one") to indicate that you have only one card left. If you don't yell "UNO" and you are caught before the next player begins their turn, you must draw two cards.

Once a player has no cards left, the round is over. Points are scored and play starts over again.

If the last card played in a round is a Draw One, Draw Two or Wild Draw Four card, the next player must draw the 1, 2 or 4 cards respectively. These cards are counted when the points are totaled.

If no player is out of cards by the time the DRAW pile is depleted, the discard pile is reshuffled and play continues.

Scoring

The first player to get rid of their cards in a round receives points for all of the cards left in their opponents' hands as follows:

All number cards (1 -9: Face Value
Draw One: 20 Points
Draw Two: 20 Points
Reverse: 20 Points
Skip: 20 Points
Grab-2-Towers: 50 Points
Wild Grab-A-Tower: 50 Points
Wild Draw Four: 50 Points

Once the score for the round has been tallied, if no player has reached 500 points, reshuffle the cards and begin a new round.

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