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Special-Fives

These conventions apply to the "Special-Fives" variants (e.g. "Pink-Fives", "Muddy-Rainbow-Fives", etc.).

Rainbow-Fives​

Color Promise​

  • When giving a color clue to a rainbow-five, you are expected to use the color that matches the card.
    • This includes 5 Color Ejections, even if the ejection "gets" extra cards. (In other words, we value Color Promise more than efficiency.)
  • There are some exceptions, which are listed below.

The Color Play Clue Lie​

  • First, see the section on the Pink Play Clue Lie (for pink variants).
  • Similar to how the Pink Play Clue Lie violates Pink Promise, you can do a Color Play Clue Lie to violate Color Promise in the same way.
  • In other words, you can break Color Promise if and only if:
    • using a "wrong" color would get extra cards (e.g. a 2-for-1 instead of a 1-for-1)
    • the card would play immediately or very soon
    • no-one else would be confused

The Color Promise Finesse​

  • First, see the section on the Color Play Clue Lie.
  • Usually, when Color Promise is violated, it is a Color Play Clue Lie. But what if Color Promise is violated and the clue is only a 1-for-1? The clue giver must be trying to communicate something extra.
  • In this situation, the next player should blind-play their Finesse Position card as a Color Promise Finesse.
  • Note that the Color Promise Finesse can only be performed if the card that is blind-played connects to the clue that was given. Otherwise, Cathy will think that a Bluff happened and will not play the clued card.

Mud Clues​

  • Mud Clues (from muddy rainbow variants) also apply to rainbow-fives.

Pink-Fives​

Special 5 Saves for Pink-Fives​

  • Since 5's cannot be saved with a number 5 clue, they must be saved with a number 2 clue as a pseudo-2 Save.
  • The Always Loaded Principle applies to pseudo-2 Saves.

The Pink Play Clue Lie (on 5's) (Illegal)​

  • First, see the section on the Pink Play Clue Lie.
  • Even though it is not possible to clue number 5 in some special-fives variants, Pink Promise still applies to the rank clues given. In other words, players are not expected to account for the possibility of a playable 5 when they receive a non-5 rank clue.
    • The only exception to Pink Promise is for pseudo-2 Saves.
  • Subsequently, if a player lies about the identity of a 5 with a Pink Play Clue Lie, it risks losing the game, since the receiving player might perform a Gentleman's Discard (or be otherwise confused about the identity of the card in such a way that causes a cascading failure).
  • For this reason, these kind of clues are only typically given as a last resort. (Color clues should be given instead in order to get a 5 to play.)
  • In addition to Pink Promise applying to rank clues on playable cards, it also applies to rank clues used on trash cards. In other words, a number 1 clue that indicates either a Trash Chop Move or a play clue on a 5 would indicate the former.

The Turnabout Ejection​

  • First, see the section on the Turnabout Ejection, which is a pink convention.
  • Turnabout Ejections can be performed on pink-fives.

No 5 Tech​

  • Since you cannot clue number 5 in these variants, the following conventions are "turned off":
    • 5 Stall
    • 5's Chop Move
    • 5 Pull
    • 5 Number Ejection
    • 5 Number Discharge

Brown-Fives​

Special 5 Saves for Brown-Fives​

  • Since 5's cannot be saved with a number 5 clue, they must be saved with their own color.
  • Color clues to chop should be treated first and foremost as 5-saves.
  • The Always Loaded Principle applies to color clues given to chop.

Omni-Fives​

  • All of the conventions from pink-fives also apply to omni-fives.

Mud Clues​

  • Mud Clues (from muddy rainbow variants) also apply to omni-fives.

Null-Fives​

Null 4 Tech​

  • In this variant, it is not possible to clue the number 5 to take advantage of the Null conventions.
  • The usual Null conventions apply, but with all number 5 clue conventions replaced with number 4 clues.
  • The Loaded 5 Tech Clue instead means that when Bob is loaded and a previously unclued 4 is clued with a number 4 clue, the default conventional interpretation applies.

Muddy-Rainbow-Fives​

Special 5 Saves for Muddy-Rainbow-Fives​

  • Since 5's cannot be saved with a number 5 clue, a red clue must be used to save them as a Muddy Rainbow Save.
  • Similar to Muddy Rainbow Saves, the Always Loaded Principle applies.
  • Similar to Muddy Rainbow Saves, in the special case of a variant where a one-of-each card color is available (like black), the one-of-each card color should be used instead of red.

Mud Clues​

  • Mud Clues (from muddy rainbow variants) also apply to muddy-rainbow-fives.

Light-Pink Fives​

  • All of the conventions from pink-fives also apply to light-pink-fives.

Rank Play Clues on 5s​

  • Pink Promise does not apply to rank clues that could represent a playable light-pink-five. (This is different from how Pink Promise works in a pink-fives variant.)
  • Thus, when players receive a rank Play Clue, they have to account for the card being both the true rank and any playable light-pink-fives.
    • The consequence of this is that when a 4 is down, Self Finesses will no longer work (since playing a light-pink-five would be 0 blind plays and that would be preferred due to Occam's Razor).
  • For example, in a 3 player game:
    • Red 1 and blue 4 are played on the stacks.
    • Alice clues number 3 to Bob, touching a single card on slot 1.
    • Bob knows that this must be a Play Clue. Normally, Bob would treat this as a Self-Finesse on the red 2 into the red 3. However, since blue 4 is down, Bob knows this must be a simple Play Clue on the blue 5.

Deceptive-Fives​

Deceptive 5 Saves​

  • Any color clue to a chop card is first and foremost to be treated as a Save Clue on a 5.

Deceptive Loaded Play Clues​

  • Loaded Play Clues are turned on but only apply to the color clues focusing on Chop.

Rank Save Promise​

  • The rank of a Chop-Focus number clue must match the number of the card. In other words, players are not allowed to use a rank clue to touch a 5 if it is on chop.

Deceptive-Five Number Ejection​

  • If a player breaks the Rank Save Promise, they must be intending to send an additional message.
  • In this situation, the intent is to have the next player Eject. When this happens, the clue receiver should mark their card as a 5.
  • For example, in a 3-player game:
    • It is the first turn of the game and nothing is played on the stacks.
    • Alice gives a number 3 clue, touching a green 5 in Cathy's hand.
    • If Bob blind-plays his Finesse Position, then Cathy would mark her card as a 3, which would be bad.
    • Instead, Bob blind-plays his Second Finesse Position as a Deceptive-Five Number Ejection. It is a yellow 1 and it successfully plays.
    • Cathy knows that an Ejection happened. The only Ejection that matches this sequence of events is a Deceptive-Five Number Ejection, so she marks her 3 as a 5.

The Ambiguous Deceptive-Five Tempo Clue​

  • The Ambiguous Tempo Clue convention applies, and we agree that:
    • a color Tempo Clue should focus the rightmost card.
    • an odd or even Tempo Clue should focus the left most card.