Game mode: Down ‘n Dizzy

Experience how hectic Dizzy Lizzy game modes can be!

5 min readJul 6, 2023

Have a look at a game of Down ‘n Dizzy!

How is it played?

This game is very similar to Nice ‘n Easy, but now players play simultaneously! They are all laying down cards on the Dizzy Lizzy at the same time. The goal of Down ‘n Dizzy is to be the first to lay down all your cards on the Dizzy Lizzy — or to be the first that lays a final card to a Special Dizzy Lizzy (a Dizzy Lizzy with all golden backgrounds).

Game mechanics

The Dizzy Lizzy must always at least satisfy one of the following four combination conditions:

1. All colours are the same
2. All colours are different
3. All patterns are the same
4. All patterns are different

If the Lizzy combination exists out of three golden cards, it’s a Special Dizzy Lizzy.

This is how the Special Dizzy Lizzy cards look!

Golden Dizzy Lizzy Cards

The ‘golden’ Dizzy Lizzy cards are just a little bit different, yet also the same: You can win the game by placing the last card to an all-golden background Dizzy Lizzy (making the Special Dizzy Lizzy), but they also follow the same colour and pattern structure as all other cards and can be combined the same as any other card.

Opening table of a game of Down ‘n Dizzy for three players

Preparation

1. Shuffle all cards, and lay one random head-, body-, and tail card on the table. This is the starting Dizzy Lizzy (it does not have to follow any combination condition yet).

2. Every player receives the same amount of blind cards (recommended 15 cards per player for up to 3 players and ten cards per player for bigger groups); this is their personal blind stack.

3. All other cards are placed in a general blind stack next to the Dizzy Lizzy.

First, the bottom player can lay down the blue dotted body, after which the top right player can lay the red dotted tail.

Gameplay

Opening — All players open their top blind card at the same time.

During — All players are playing simultaneously; the first player that finds a combination can say it and may lay the card on top of the Dizzy Lizzy. When all of the player's open cards have been laid down, the player may open another blind card. When nobody can lay down a card on the Dizzy Lizzy, all players open another blind card simultaneously. Like this, players may have up to three cards open at a time.

End — The game finishes when one of the players has laid down all cards ór if one of the players manages to lay the last card to an all-golden background Dizzy Lizzy, making it the Special Dizzy Lizzy!

Game rules

One card at a time — During their turns, the players can only lay one of their open cards on the Dizzy Lizzy at a time.
Always follow combination conditions — After laying each card, the newly made Dizzy Lizzy must follow one of the four conditions.
“Say it before you lay it” — The players must name their combinations before laying down their cards.
Empty hand — Players may only open another blind card by themselves if they have laid down all of their open cards.
Full hand — Players may at most have three cards open at any time, after no more cards may be opened.
Error penalty — When a player is called out for laying down a false combination, the player has to add an extra penalty card from the general blinds tack to the player’s personal blind stack.
Stuck? — Only when no players can make any combination the players may open one more blind card together; each player opens a card simultaneously.
Very stuck? — In case none of the players can lay down any cards on the Dizzy Lizzy and can also not open any new cards from their blind stacks (because they are empty or they already have three cards open), one random from the general blind stack is laid down on the Dizzy Lizzy, opening new possibilities.
Empty general stack – In the unlikely case of the general stack becoming empty, it can be replenished from the cards already played under the Dizzy Lizzy.

Optional rule

‘Double trouble’ — Adds strategy and makes the game longer! When a player discards a card and makes a double combination, the next player must take (clockwise) the bottom card from the pile the last card was placed on to add to his/her blind pile.

Thank you for playing Dizzy Lizzy — Down ‘n Dizzy!

Get in touch with us

No matter who you are, we’re curious about you and how you found Dizzy Lizzy. She only just woke up in the Netherlands, but she’d love to travel the world with anyone that wants to join her, and visit your home as well.