White Barn Game Co. LLC

The Game

A deck-sized game with barn-table energy.

Gadü uses garden-themed suits, bold card colors, and a patterned card back that feels like a quilt laid across the table. The rules are easy to start, but the special cards create enough strategy to keep every round moving.

Fast to teach

Players match suit or number, draw when they cannot play, and watch for special cards.

Table friendly

Designed for families, game nights, reunions, and casual gatherings.

Compact design

A complete family card game in one convenient boxed deck.

Card Suits

Garden suits and bold colors.

The site theme uses the Gadü deck’s cream background, deep navy borders, vegetable-suit colors, and quilt-inspired card back.

Carrot

Blueberry

Cabbage

Corn

Official Rules

How to play Gadü

The rules section uses the actual rule-card artwork and a readable web version of the rules for phones and desktops.

Front of Gadü game rules card — Rule card front

Back of Gadü game rules card — Rule card back

Objective

Have the lowest score of all players at the end of a game. The game ends when a player exceeds 250 points.

To win a round

At least one player must play all cards in their hand or call “Gadü” on another player.

Setup

Each player is dealt five cards. Remaining cards are placed in a face-down pile. The dealer flips the top card to start a discard pile.

Gameplay

Play begins with the player to the left of the dealer and continues clockwise until a U-Turn is played. If the card turned over by the dealer is a 9, the dealer starts. If the turned-over card is an 8, the dealer calls the suit.

Your turn

Play a card that matches the suit or the number of the top card on the discard pile. A Wild may also be played. If you cannot match the suit or number or play a Wild, draw one card from the draw pile. That card cannot be played immediately. After drawing, your turn is done.

Special cards

2 — Draw Two: The next player draws two cards unless they have a 2 in hand, which they may play.
8 — Wild: Player calls any suit. An 8 cannot be played on a 2 unless the draw penalty has already been satisfied.
9 — U-Turn: Reverses the direction of play.
1/14: Value is 1 or 14 points depending on your strategy to Gadü.

Gadü calls

You can happen at any time, regardless of whose turn it is. The trigger is when the total value of all cards in your hand equals the value of the last card laid on the discard pile.

The action: Shout “Gadü” and lay all your cards on top of the discard pile.

The result: The round ends immediately.

The penalty: The player who received the Gadü keeps the person who called it from going out and adds the last card used in the Gadü to their score.

False Gadü: If you call Gadü but the math is wrong, you incur a two-card penalty and the round continues.

Last card call

When playing your second-to-last card, announce “Last Card.” If you do not announce “Last Card” before the next person plays or draws and someone catches you, you must draw one penalty card.

Scoring

When a round ends, either the player who played their last card or Gadü occurred. Each person adds up the cards in their hand. All cards are worth face value except these three:

1/14: 14 points
2: 2 points and does the score of your entire hand
Wild: 58 points

Rounds continue until someone exceeds 250 points. At that point, the player with the lowest score wins. If someone gets exactly 250 points, they win the game.

Our Story

The Story Behind GADÜ

In 2025, I was fortunate to help drive two motorhomes carrying dear Amish friends from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, on a two-week adventure to Oregon and back. Traveling with us were 12 adults and 11 children. Along the way, I taught them a card game I had enjoyed for more than 50 years. They loved it.

There was just one problem. The game used a traditional deck of playing cards. In many Amish and conservative Mennonite communities, playing cards are discouraged because of their association with gambling and certain forms of entertainment. The family encouraged me to develop a version of the game that could be enjoyed without a standard deck of cards.

Their suggestion meant a lot to me. I come from generations of Amish and Mennonite heritage myself, and my family still attends Zion Mennonite Church in Hubbard, Oregon. I understood their concern, and I appreciated the opportunity to create something that fit comfortably within the values of a community I have been part of my entire life.

What started as a card game on a road trip became the inspiration for GADÜ. Instead of using a traditional deck of playing cards, I developed a unique set of cards designed specifically for the game. The goal was simple. Preserve everything I loved about playing it while creating something new that could be enjoyed by more people.

The Beiler family also suggested the name GADÜ, a Pennsylvania Dutch phrase meaning “It's finished.” Once you've played the game and can finally say “GADÜ,” you'll understand why the name fits so well.

My sincere thanks to Emily and Annie Stutzman and the talented team at Happylucky. Their enthusiasm, expertise, and encouragement helped turn an idea into a real game. May you enjoy GADÜ as much as I have over the last 50 years.

— Clark Yoder

Questions?

Contact White Barn Game Co.

Questions about Gadü or your order? Contact us by email or phone.

whitebarngames@gmail.com 971-412-4096