BASIC RULES

1.) Introduction

KONE is a playful, elevator and escalator themed card game for 2–4 players inspired by the prestigious Finnish manufacturer KONE Oyj. Players act as elevator or escalator operators tasked with building functional shafts or conveyors transporting three passengers — Jack (J), Queen (Q), and King (K) — to their destination.

Gameplay itself combines poker mechanics and tactical card strategy as the passengers have unique personalities and constraints challenging the task at hand.

The game reflects themes of people movement and smart flow — inspired by KONE Oyj's real-world expertise in elevators and escalators.

The game has 3 formats:

• Elevator: Passengers are moved vertically from the ground floor (A) to the top floor (10).
• Escalator: Passengers are moved diagonally upwards from the start of the escalator (A) to the end (10).
• Autowalk: Passengers are moved horizontally from the start of the escalator (A) to the end (10).

The player who successfully delivers all three passengers to their top floor or the end of the escalator or autowalk wins.

2.) Game Setup

a) Deck

2 standard poker decks (54 cards each) consisting of:

• Number cards (2-10) — 36 total per deck
• Face cards (J, Q, K) — 12 total
• Aces (A) — 4 total
• Jokers — 2 total (one red, one black)

Deck A: Used to build elevator shafts or escalator belts and assign passengers

Deck B: Used during poker runs

b) Card Functions 

• A–10 (one suit) = Elevator shaft (player’s personal suit)
• J, Q, K (same suit) = Passengers
• Jokers from Deck A are not used in the basic rules format

Passenger	Advance on    Win	Advance on Neutral	Advance on Lose
Jack (J)	+1 floor up in elevator or +1 step forward in escalator	Stays	-1 floor down in elevator or -1 step backward in escalator
Queen (Q)	+1 floor up in elevator or +1 step forward in escalator	Stays	Stays
King (K)	Move directly to destination	Stays	Halts 1 round

If a Jack (J) is already on the ground floor (A) and the player loses the poker run, the Jack (J) remains at A and does not move backward.

c) Players

• 2-4 players
• Each player controls their own elevator or escalator and passengers made up of their chosen suit

3.) Gameplay

a) Starting the Game

Phase 1: Elevator shaft or escalator belt set-up on the board

• Deck A: 
  • Each player chooses one suit (Spades, Hearts, Diamonds or Clubs)
  • Each player builds an elevator shaft (vertically) or an escalator belt (horizontally) from A (basement/start) to 10 (top floor/end) in strict ascending order
  • Each player places their passengers (J, Q, K) on the board
• Deck B:
  • Shuffle the deck and place it on the board
  • The deck is used for the poker phase and as draw deck 

Phase 2: Selection of the first delivered passenger

• Deck A:
  • Each player selects the first passenger card (J, Q, or K) of their own suit to be delivered and assigns it to the ground floor or the start of the escalator next to the respective card (A)
  • Each passenger’s destination is floor 10 (or step 10) by default in the basic rules

b) Poker runs

1st Poker Run:

• Once setup is complete and the first passenger is selected, deal 5 cards to each player from Deck B
• Based on their hand, each player may choose to keep or switch their selected passenger once before redrawing
• Each player may then discard and redraw up to 5 cards
• When all players are done, reveal all final hands face-up
• The player with the

  best poker hand moves their passenger accordingly

• Other players follow, based on their passenger’s rules and hand ranking

2nd Poker Run:

• Once the 1st run has been concluded and the passengers moved accordingly, shuffle Deck B and distribute 5 cards for each player and repeat the poker run
• Continue the process accordingly and shuffle the deck after every few rounds

c) Winning the Game

The game continues until one player delivers all three passengers to the destination. If two or more players deliver their final passenger on the same turn, the game ends in a tie. To resolve the tie, conduct one final poker run. The player with the best hand in this run wins the game.

RULE ADJUSTMENTS 

1.) Introduction

The following rule adjustments are designed to be used as adaptations of the basic rules. They offer ways to vary the gameplay by adding new challenges such as adjusting the pace and complexity or tailoring the experience to different skill levels. Once you are familiar with the basic rule, use them to keep the game fresh, accessible, or strategically deeper — depending on how you like to play.

2.) Gameplay Variants

a) Joker Mania

Rule Adjustments

• Add 2 unused Joker cards from Deck A to Deck B during the play.

Recommendations

• All players who are familiar with the basic rules
• Adds the likelihood for strong poker hands during the play

b) Face-Up Poker

Rule Adjustments

• During the poker runs, each player reveals their cards immediately after the deal, before deciding whether to switch passengers or redraw

Recommendations

• Intermediate players who are familiar with the basic rules
• Adds a layer of challenge as players can openly estimate probabilities of winning

COPYRIGHT & DISCLAIMER

KONE is a card game developed by Valos Ventures Oy. Access to this rulebook is provided on a personal, non-transferable basis.

This content is offered as is, without warranties of any kind. It is intended for personal use only and may not be printed, copied, modified, redistributed, or reproduced in any form — whether digital or physical — without the explicit written permission of Valos Ventures Oy.

© 2025 Valos Ventures Oy. All rights reserved.