Five Crowns

Assemble runs and books across five distinct suits, navigate a shifting wild card each round, and close out hands before opponents stick you with penalty points in a classic rummy-style card game.

Five Crowns (created by Set Enterprises and distributed widely in Canada by Outset Media / OSM) is a perennial favorite that puts a dynamic spin on traditional rummy. The game breaks convention by adding a fifth suit—Stars—alongside traditional Spades, Hearts, Clubs, and Diamonds, while extending gameplay across a structured 11-round progression. The primary gameplay objective centers on meld completion and hand shedding: players compete across rounds that grow in size, drafting and discarding cards to arrange their entire hand into valid books (sets of matching values) and runs (consecutive sequences of the same suit) to "go out" first and minimize negative points.

The primary mechanical hurdle stems from the expanding hand sizes and ever-shifting wild cards. In round one, players are dealt 3 cards, and 3s are wild; round two deals 4 cards, and 4s are wild—continuing all the way through round eleven, where players manage 13 cards and Kings go wild. Jokers remain permanently wild throughout the game. When a player successfully melds their entire hand and discards, all other players get exactly one final turn to form whatever melds they can. Any unmatched cards remaining in hand score as penalty points based on face value, with wild cards and Jokers carrying steep point costs. Designed for 1 to 7 players aged 8 and up, a complete 11-round match plays out over an engaging 30 to 45 minutes. To take the crown, you must pivot your strategy around the wild card of the round, hold out for key suit connections, and close your hand before the rest of the table catches on.

Game Specs at a Glance:
Age Range: 8+ Years
Publisher: Outset Media (OSM)
Play Time: 30-45 Minutes
Player Count: 1-7 Players
Complexity: Light (Set Collection, Rummy, Hand Management, Shifting Wild Cards, Family Card Game)

What's in the Box?

• 2 Custom 58-Card Decks
• Scorepad
• 1 Rule Sheet