
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,193
- BGG rating
- 7.0
Linko
- 2–5 players
- 20 min
- Complexity 1.4/5
- 2014

1998
Rules assistance for Jalape-NO!
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 3 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Jalape-NO! is a board game released in 1998 for 3–9 players, 45 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Wolfgang Kramer and Michael Kiesling and its main mechanics are Trick-taking.
Jalape-NO!, first released as Pepper, is a trick-taking game in which you want to dodge the spiciness to end up with the lowest score possible. The deck consists of 108 cards (102 number cards and 6 pepper cards), with cards being numbered 1-18 in six colors and with the 1s being peppers. Based on the player count, you use 4-6 colors of cards ranging from 1-9 to 1-18. At the start of each round, you receive 12 cards in hand, and you must place any peppers on the table in front of you. The lead player in a trick plays any card from their hand or one of their peppers. Each other player must follow suit, if possible, except that you are not forced to play the matching pepper card, should you have it. (However, if you do have it, you cannot play a pepper of another color to this trick.) Whoever plays the highest card in the suit led wins the trick and leads the next trick. If you win a pepper in a trick, place it on the table in front of you; you can play this pepper on a future trick, whether to lead off the trick or to play it on a trick that's already in progress. As soon as a player has no cards in hand, the round ends. All players add any cards in hand to the cards in front of them, whether peppers or cards claimed in tricks. Each pepper you have is worth 2 points, and each card in the same suit as a pepper you have is worth 1 point. After five rounds, the player with the lowest score wins.
Jalape-NO! supports 3–9 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Jalape-NO! is 45 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Jalape-NO! for ages 10 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Jalape-NO! has a complexity rating of 1.4 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Jalape-NO! belongs to these categories: Card Game. Its main mechanics are Trick-taking. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Jalape-NO! are: Wolfgang Kramer and Michael Kiesling. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Jalape-NO! as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.