If you’re gathering with your family over the holidays, you may be tempted to play a game with your family, and a deck of playing cards will allow you to play the game Mao. Traditionally, the game consists of people who know the rules and you explain the game by saying, “The only rule of Mao I am allowed to tell you is this one.” Then, if someone breaks a rule, you point out the rule they broke and they have to draw a card.
But I’m a rebel, so for this What Are You Playing, I am going to enumerate the rules of Mao that I have learned so we can all just play the game.
- You may not look in your opponents’ hands to draw speech bubbles saying “FART ELSEWHERE” on all of the Jack, King, and Queen cards.
- You may not discard your entire hand by attempting to invoke the Floss Challenge.
- There is not a rule wherein anyone who says the Secret Word gets a bucket of oatmeal dropped on their head, nor do you get to determine the Secret Word.
- You may not claim that people are violating a rule by saying the Secret Word.
- You cannot say that when someone finally gets angry enough to scream, “There’s no rule about a secret word in Mao,” they broke the rule about only being able to tell you the one rule and now they have to play Stealth Uno.
- You cannot shuffle in the cards from other games including Uno, Magic: the Gathering, or Cards Against Humanity.
- You do not get to call someone a month later after you have been kicked out of the game and ask if someone has said the Secret Word this month.
Bonus question: Is there anything you’re hoping to get over the holiday season, either as a gift or for yourself?
​Andrew Ross (@dengarsw): It’s Community Day round-up in Pokemon Go so I’m going to do a bit of that both days. Perfect Popplio, please come find me during those hours, thanks!
Honestly, I’d just love some good food and no drama. Maybe for my pup to stay calm too. Not totally out of trouble because I’m already asking a lot, but maybe just to not hurt herself at the least when she inevitably breaks a dish or eats something she isn’t supposed to.
Andy McAdams: I’m still really enjoying World of Warcraft: The War Within – I just finished the first campaign so now we’ll see if all the solo-alt friendly stuff keeps me engaged. But I’ve been pleasantly surprised up until this point. I might also play some Veilguard because I love me some Dragon Age.
Bonus: Just a chill couple weeks? Between moving states and stupid amounts of work at the day job, I could use some time to just… chill.
Brianna Royce (@nbrianna.bsky.social, blog): Everyone here but me is sick (husband caught COVID for the first time), so I am hiding in my bedroom this weekend, trying not to catch it and playing whatever will run on my laptop, RIP me. Maybe I’ll crack into some smaller Steam games I’ve bought and not tried. Most likely I’m just going to get addicted to Balatro.
Didn’t go ham on Christmas this year for anyone but my kids – needed to buy some boring things like a new microwave instead. I did get myself a really nice custom makeup palette from a German brand, though. Have wanted it for years. Might still go in and buy the plushie warclaw in GW2. I shouldn’t. But I might.
Chris Neal (@wolfyseyes.bsky.social, blog): I’m continuing to dink about in Palworld; I’m moving into what looks like the next major tier of equipment and crafting advancement, and that means the inevitable full-scale rebuilding of my base is coming. I’ve also got the urge to level up another job or two in Final Fantasy XIV, as well as the random urge to reinstall Farming Simulator. What can I say? I like the literal digital pastoral pursuits!
I am honestly kind of hoping to get some Steam cash so I can snap up a few really wanted titles. There are a few side-scrolling beat-em-ups and multiplayer titles that work with Steam Remote Play Together that I’d like to nab. Also a VR game called I Am Cat. I mean, look up the trailer!
Eliot Lefebvre (@Eliot_Lefebvre, blog): Some FFXIV stuff as usual, plus bullet-jumping about in Warframe. I hadn’t really planned to come back quite this soon, but not only have I done so but I have made meteoric progress in the game recently.
Look, folks, I’m not going to front. Literally everything that was bad about my life a year ago has not materially changed over the past year. I’ve spent the full year looking for a full-time job with no success, I’m still traumatized over events from 2023 that I’ve talked about otherwise, nothing has gotten better and several things have gotten worse. You know what I really want for this holiday season, unrealistic though it is? For my life to actually get better in some material way. Sorry. Sometimes we want things we don’t expect to get.
Sam Kash (@samkash@mastodon.social): The holiday season is really hectic for me so gaming is going to be sporadic. Last night I got several rounds of Spell Brigade in, which was a lot of fun. I’ve also rediscovered how much I like playing MultiVersus. In couch co-op news, we’ve been playing Sea of Stars which is a really great throw back so far.
Bonus: I’m really hoping for one of those color e-readers. Prices have begun to come down so, fingers are crossed.
Tyler Edwards (blog): Partly to put my new computer through its paces on a graphically intense game and partly because they offered a free character unlock, I’m giving The First Descendant another try. It’s probably still not something I’ll keep playing long term, but I’m definitely having far more fun as Valby than I ever did as Ajax or Bunny.
Bonus: The computer was probably enough splurging on myself for one year. I’m hoping for a Steam gift card from my father so I can finally get one of the new bear mounts in New World.
Every Saturday, join the Massively OP community and staff for What Are You Playing, our roundup of what MMORPGs and other games we’re hoping to play this weekend (with a bonus question or two for our amusement). Tell us what you’re up to! Go off-topic! And don’t forget to have fun!
