Playing Old Troll (The Classic Game of Old Maid — Garden Party Style!)

Objective

Collect matching pairs of Veggie Cards and avoid holding the Old Troll card at end of game.

Setup

Use all 48 Veggie Character cards (12 groups of four matching cards) plus one Old Troll card.
Players: 2–6 (for larger groups, use two decks). Play moves Clockwise.

Deal

Choose a dealer – dealer shuffles and deals cards clockwise, one at a time, until all cards are dealt (some players may have one more card than others – that’s okay).

How to play

• Starting Pairs — Everyone looks at their cards and places any matching pairs Face-Up in front of them (a matching pair is two of the same Veggie Character). Note: If you have 3 of a kind, lay down only one pair; if you have 4 of a kind, lay down two pairs.
• Starting Player: The player to the dealer’s left goes first by drawing one card from the dealer’s hand.
• Take Turns: On your turn, hold your cards fanned face-down; offer them to the player on your left; that player draws one random card.
• Make Pairs: If the new card makes a pair, place the pair Face-Up immediately. If not, keep the card in your hand. (If you now have 4 of a kind, lay down two pairs.)
• Continue Play: The player who just drew a card now offers their hand to the next player on the left.
• Going Out: If you place your last pair and have no cards left, you are safe! Play continues with remaining players.

Ending & winning the game

• The game ends when all possible pairs are laid down.
• Classic Version: The player holding the Old Troll card loses. Everyone else wins!
• Popular Scoring Option: The player with the most pairs at the end wins.

Alternate game rules

• Reverse Goal (Using One Old Troll Card): The player left holding the Old Troll card wins.
• Using Two Old Troll Cards: If a player collects both Old Troll cards as a pair, they win instantly!

Playing Go Veggie! (The Classic Game of Go Fish — Garden Party Style!)

Objective

Collect the most sets of Four Matching Veggie Cards.
Hint: Pay attention! When players ask for cards, they give clues about what cards are in their hands!

Setup

Use all 48 Veggie Character cards (12 groups of four matching cards); remove all Old Troll cards.
Players: 2–6 (for larger groups, use two decks). Play moves Clockwise.

Deal

Choose a dealer. The dealer shuffles and deals cards clockwise, one at a time:

• 7 cards each for 2–3 players
• 5 cards each for 4–6 players
• Place the remaining cards Face-Down in the center to create the Garden (or “Pond”).

How to play

• Starting Player – The player to the dealer’s left goes first.
• Take Turns – On your turn, ask any player for one Veggie Character that matches a card already in your hand.
• If They Have It — They must give you the card. You take another turn.
• If They Don’t — They say “Go Veggie!” (or “Go Fish!”) and you draw one card from the Garden (or “Pond”).
• Lucky Draw — If you draw the exact card you asked for, you may take another turn. Otherwise, your turn ends.
• Make Sets — Any time you collect four of the same Veggie Character, lay the set Face-Up in front of you and take another turn.
• Garden Empty — If the Garden runs out of cards, continue playing by asking other players for cards as usual.

Ending & winning the game

• The game ends when all cards have been placed into sets of four Veggie Characters.
• The player with the most four-card sets wins!

Alternative game rule (easier game)

Play for pairs (two of a kind) instead of sets of four.

Playing Spoons (The Classic Fast-Paced Card & Spoon-Grab Game — Garden Party Style!)

Objective

Be the first player to collect four matching Veggie Character cards and grab a spoon.
The player left without a spoon loses the round (or game).

Setup

Use all 52 Veggie Character cards (12 groups of four matching cards plus four Old Troll cards).
Players: 3–6 (for larger groups, use two decks). Play moves Clockwise.

Seating: Players sit in a circle or around a table.
Spoons: Place one fewer spoon than players in the center, equally reachable by all. (5 players use four spoons).

Deal

Choose a dealer. The dealer shuffles and deals cards clockwise, one at a time, until each player has four cards Face-Down. Place the remaining cards Face-Down in front of the dealer to form a Draw Pile.

How to play

• Starting Player — The player to the dealer’s left begins. The dealer draws the top card from the Draw Pile to start the passing circle.
• Take Turns — Keep or Pass: The dealer looks at the drawn card, keeps it or passes one card Face-Down to the player on their left. Note: Spoons is meant to be fast — keep the cards moving and the pace quick!
• Continuous Play: Each player picks up the card passed to them (either keeps it or discard it) and immediately passes one card to the player on their left Face-Down, always keeping four cards in hand.
• Dealer’s Role – The dealer continues drawing from the Draw Pile and feeding cards into the circle.
• Last Player – The player to the dealer’s right discards their extra card Face-Down into a separate Discard Pile.

Note: When there are no more cards in the Draw Pile, the dealer will use the Discard Pile as a new Draw Pile.

Grabbing a spoon

• First Grab — When a player collects four of a kind, they silently grab a spoon. Do not announce it — this is a time to be a little “sneaky” and watch what happens!
• Free-for-All – Once one spoon is taken, everyone may grab a spoon, whether or not they have four of a kind.
• The Loser – One player will be left without a spoon and loses the round (or game).

Ending & winning the game

• Single Rounds: Each round has one loser. Reset and play again!
• Elimination (Longer) Game: Use the word A-R-C-H-I-E (or “S-P-O-O-N-S”). Each time a player loses a round, they receive one letter. When a player spells the full word, they lose the game—everyone else wins!

Alternate game rules

• Instant Elimination: The player without a spoon is out immediately. Remove one spoon and continue until one player remains. (this is a shorter, faster, and more cutthroat game, similar to Musical Chairs!)
• Hidden Spoons: Hide spoons around the room. When a player gets four of a kind, they run to find a spoon—and chaos begins as everyone else runs to find spoons!
• Bluffing Strategy: If agreed upon before play, players may pretend to grab a spoon to try to trick others. The first player to grab a spoon without four of a kind loses the round (or game).

Playing Rummy for Kids

Introduction

Rummy for Kids is a simplified version of classic Rummy and Gin Rummy. Designed for young players, it builds matching, counting, sequencing, and turn-taking skills in a fast, friendly game that’s easy to learn and fun to play. Note: this game is a little more challenging than Old Maid and Go Fish!

Objective

Be the first player to discard all cards in your hand by making Sets (matches) and Runs (number sequences).

Setup

Use all 48 Veggie Character cards (12 groups of four matching cards); remove all Old Troll cards.
Players: 2–4. Play moves clockwise.

Deal

Choose a dealer. The dealer shuffles and deals cards clockwise, one at a time:

• 6 cards each for 3–4 players
• 6 or 7 cards each for 2 players

Place the remaining cards Face-Down in the center as the Draw Pile.
Turn one card Face-Up next to it to begin the Discard Pile.

What is a match?

There are two types of matches:

• Set – At least three cards showing the same Veggie Character/Number (Example: three Archie cards).
• Run – At least three cards in number order (Example: 3-4-5).

Important – A player may add cards to any Set or Run on the table – your own or another player’s.

How to play

• Starting Player — The player to the dealer’s left goes first.
• Take Turns — On your turn:
  1. Draw one card from either the Draw Pile (Face-Down) or the Discard Pile (Face-Up).
  2. Lay Down Matches — If you can make a Set or Run, place it Face-Up in front of you.
  3. Add to Matches — You may add cards to any Sets or Runs already on the table (your own or another player’s).
  4. Discard one card Face-Up onto the Discard Pile to end your turn.

Adding to sets and runs

On your turn, you may add to any Set of three or more matching cards.
You may also extend a Run at either end. (Example: If 3-4-5 is showing, you may add a 2 or a 6).

Ending & winning the game

The first player with no cards left wins the game!

Note: If no one has won and the Draw Pile is empty – shuffle the Discard Pile and place it Face-Down to form a new Draw Pile. Turn one card Face-Up to begin a new Discard Pile and keep playing.