Mao: Points of Order

The following example illustrates the rules governing Points of Order in Mao. Its complexity is a good reflection of the level of complexity of the game itself. If you have trouble following the example, you should not introduce Mao to your friends alone; ensure that at least one other friend understands the rules first.

Alex, Ben, Chris, Dale and Ken are playing the first game of a session, in which no new rules have yet been added. Ken is the expert at the game and never gives incorrect penalties.

They are in the middle of the game when Alex calls, "Point of order. Whose turn was it again?" Everyone except Dale places his/her cards face down on the table.

"I think it's Ben's turn," says Chris.

Dale is still holding her cards. Ken takes a card from the face-down draw stack and slides it to her, saying, "Touching cards in a P of O."

Dale accepts the penalty by taking the card.

Ken shakes his head as if to say, "When will they ever learn?", and penalizes Dale with another card, repeating, "Touching cards in a P of O!"

Dale puts her cards down. She does not touch the second card with which Ken penalized her.

Ben says, "Oh, is it my turn? End point of order." Everyone picks up his/her cards again; Dale also picks up the penalty card that she had not touched earlier.

"Go, Ben," says Dale.

Ken penalizes Dale with a card: "Talking." Dale picks up the card.

Ben plays a card.

Chris is about to play, but Alex interrupts and says, "Wait, point of order." Everyone puts down his/her cards.

Ken penalizes Alex with a card: "Talking." Alex does not touch the card.

Alex asks, "Wait, wasn't it Dale's turn?"

Dale draws a card and passes it to Alex, saying, "Talking!"

Ken slides Alex's penalty back to Dale, saying, "Bad call."

Chris says, "Alex called a point of order, remember?"

Ken draws a card and slides it to Chris, saying, "Saying 'P of O' in a P of O."

Dale asks, "You mean while you're in a point of order there are things you can and can't say?"

Ken draws a card and slides it to Dale, saying, "Saying 'P of O' in a P of O."

Ben asks, "But is it true that anyone can end point of order?"

Dale's eyes light up as she realizes what Ben has just said. Sliding him a card, she calls, "Saying 'P of O' in a P of O!"

Ken slides the card back to her. "Bad call."

"But didn't you hear what he just said?" Dale demands.

Ken slides her a card. "Talking."

For a moment, Dale tries to figure out what is going on. Before she can do anything, Ken slides a card to Chris, saying, "Failure to play within five seconds." Then he, almost casually, picks up his cards. Alex and Ben do the same.

Dale protests, "But this was during a point of order!" Everyone quickly puts his/her cards down again, except Dale.

Ken slides a card to Dale, saying, "Talking." And another card: "Touching cards in a P of O."

Dale drops her cards and says, "I don't get it."

Alex is about to say something unhelpful like "So that's your problem," but Ben says instead, "Didn't you hear me say 'End point of order'?"

"Ahh," says Dale, "right, you did say that."

Ken slides Dale a card. "Talking!" He picks up his cards.

"Point of order!" snarls Dale, frustrated. (Everyone puts his/her cards down.) Dale says, "Nobody said 'End point of order!'" (Everyone picks up his/her cards up again. Except Dale, of course.)

"Point of order," says Chris. Everyone puts his/her cards down. "I get the feeling that you have to be very careful what you say in a P of O."

"That's for sure!" agrees Ben. "End P of O!" Dale picks up her cards.

"Touching cards in a P of O," says Ken, penalizing Dale again. "End point of order." Then he picks up his cards.

... and the game continues (with Dale holding eleven more cards than before).


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