4 cards and forfeits their turn or plays another 7, etc." Generally, it is desirable to have the more complex rules on a rarer trigger so that the players are not overly taxed by any one rule. The very best rules are creative, playable and fun. Penalties A penalty of one card is awarded for a number of illegal actions in Bartok. Anyone may award penalties in Bartok, although only one penalty may be awarded to a player for any given action, so if two people simultaneously accuse player X of the same action, only one of the penalties holds. Penalties do not end a player's turn. For example, if awarded a Too Slow penalty the player must still either play or pick up. Below is a typical list of penalties. Question: For a player who asks a question or started to ask a question. It does not matter if the question is relevant to the game or not. Sometimes this penalty may be dealt to an observer not playing the game - thus immediately involving them in the game. Incorrect Play: For a player who plays illegally during their turn. Out of Turn: For a player who plays when it is not their turn. Too Slow: For a player who does not play in a timely manner. This penalty can be issued multiple times during one turn if the player is extraordinarily slow. As a rough guide, leave about 3 seconds between each Too Slow issued. Failure to say "Bartok": For a player who has only one card left but has not said "Bartok". In many circles, these are issued very quickly after the player reaches one card, since they should say "Bartok" directly after playing their last card. If a player wins the round without saying "Bartok" and without being caught, they still win the round. The penalty is not awarded retroactively. False Accusation: For a player who accuses another player of a penalty incorrectly. Mao As with other combination shedding and guessing games such as Mao, the rules can become quite complex. The similarity between Mao and Bartok is such that the two games are sometimes referred to by the other's name. The principal difference is that in Mao, a substantial set of rules is maintained between games, whereas in Bartok, this is only true of the minimal initial set of rules. Further, in those variants of