Pass the Burden
Take it, or pay to pass it on.
Pass the Burden is a push-your-luck game about liabilities nobody wants. Every turn you face the same choice — swallow the penalty in front of you, or spend a chip to shove it onto the next player, sweetening it so it becomes tempting for someone down the line to finally take.
Objective
End the game with the lowest net score — or trade chips to sweeten cards you never take.
How to play
- On your turn, a face-up card is on the table along with any chips previous players paid to pass. You must either Take the card (its number adds to your penalty) or Pass by paying 1 of your chips onto it. Taking a card reveals the next one and you play again; passing moves the turn to the next player and sweetens the card for whoever eventually takes it.
- If you're out of chips, you cannot pass — you must take the card.
- Cards in a row count once: if you hold 7, 8 and 9, only the 7 adds to your penalty — so taking the number right above one you hold is almost free.
- Play continues until the deck is empty. Then the chips you kept and the cards you took settle the final score.
Scoring
Your net score is the sum of the cards you took (a consecutive run, like taking 9 right after 8, only counts its lowest value) minus the chips you still have. Lower is better — see the round results for the breakdown.
Example round
- A 9-card sits face up with no chips on it yet. It's Ana's turn.
- Ana pays a chip to pass rather than take a 9-point penalty, leaving the card sweetened with 1 chip on it.
- Ben is out of chips, so he has no choice — he takes the 9 plus the chip sitting on it, adding 9 to his penalty total but banking that extra chip.
- The next card flips to an 8. Cleo, sitting on three chips, passes twice more as the pile grows before Dan finally takes an 8 with 3 chips stacked on it.
- When the deck runs dry, Ana finishes with the most leftover chips and the lowest total penalty, giving her the best final score of the table.
Strategy tips
- Track your own chip count constantly — running out forces you to take whatever card is on the table regardless of how expensive it's become.
- A card is often worth taking early and cheap rather than waiting, since every pass you dodge adds a chip that makes it more tempting for someone else to grab first.
- Taking a card right after one number below it only counts the lower value, so if you're already committed to a low run, keep taking rather than passing away from it.
- Once the chips stacked on a card outweigh the penalty of taking it, that's usually the moment to grab it before someone else does.
Best with
Plays best with 3 or more players, where the pass-or-take pressure is at its sharpest, and also works with 2: a neutral Collector takes any card once its chips reach the card divided by 5 (rounded up), so a pair can still bluff, stall and squirm. Plays well as a calmer round between louder party games — a good fit for a table that wants real decisions rather than pure luck or speed.
Variations
- Agree on a fixed starting chip count before the round if your group wants a harsher or more forgiving game than the default.
- For a tighter game, agree that whoever has the most leftover chips at the end also gets bragging rights as 'least burdened', separate from the score.
- Play best-of-three rounds and compare who accumulates the lowest total penalty across the whole set.
FAQ
What happens if I run out of chips?
You can no longer pass — you're forced to take whatever card is on the table, chips and all, and play continues with the next card revealed.
Do the chips left on a card go to whoever takes it?
Yes — every chip paid to pass on a card stays with it, so whoever finally takes it keeps those chips while absorbing the penalty.
How does taking consecutive cards affect my score?
Cards with consecutive numbers form a run, and a run counts only as its lowest card: hold 7, 8 and 9 and only the 7 adds to your penalty. Taking the number right above one you already hold is nearly free.