UNO Bot: UNO in Telegram

The deck gets lost, someone has no seat at the table, and friends live in different cities. None of that stops a game of UNO when you have a Telegram group. UNO Bot runs the whole round inside the conversation, and you pick cards right from the message field. 🃏

More than 42 thousand people use the bot, and about as many open it every month. It works through "inline queries", which is the main thing that sets it apart from ordinary messenger games.

How cards end up in the message field

When your turn comes, you type the bot's name in the message box. Telegram lists your cards, and you choose a fitting one. Other players see only your move, never your hand.

That solves the biggest problem of card games in chat: hands stay hidden until you play a card yourself.

A round in four steps

1. Add the bot to a group chat.
2. Create a game with /new.
3. Let the others join with /join.
4. When everyone is in, begin the round with /start.

You can quit a game with /leave. To close the lobby to outsiders use /close, and /open brings the entrance back. 🎲

Commands for the table host

• /kill ends the whole game.
• /kick removes a player from the round.
• /skip skips the turn of a player who froze.
• /notify_me sends a message when a new game starts in the group.
• /stats shows statistics.
• /settings opens language and other options.

/skip saves the evening when someone wandered off and forgot about the game. Nobody has to wait for them to come back.

Modes and languages

The /modes command explains the game modes. Classic mode follows the usual rules with the familiar deck, while the others change the pace of a round. You can always check the details inside the bot.

/enable_translations and /disable_translations switch multi-language support on and off. It helps in an international group where some people read English and others another language. 🌍

Open code and help

The /source command shows information about the source code, and /news covers updates. /help answers the "how do I use this" question and suits beginners.

Open code means anyone can inspect how the bot works. For a card game that is a pleasant plus: nobody promises you winnings or asks you to pay per move.

Why UNO lives so well in a chat

The rules are simple: get rid of all your cards first by matching color or number. You can explain the game in a minute, so it is easy to draw in a grandmother or a school friend.

A move can also happen in any free minute. You do not have to sit at the screen like at a tabletop game: a round drifts along while the conversation goes on. 🍿

Making the evening a good one

• Gather at least three players. Two people make a fast game, but Skip and Reverse cards lose their bite.
• Agree on turn time. No one should wait for a person who left to make tea.
• Remind beginners about the rules. Everyone has /help.
• Keep the jokes coming. In a chat, talking matters more than winning. 😄