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Game
Rules
The object of the game is
to identify a 'Set' of three cards from 12 cards
laid out on the
table. Each card has a variation of the following four features:
(A) Color:
Each card is red, green, or purple.
(B) Symbol:
Each card contains ovals, squiggles, or diamonds.
(C) Number:
Each card has one, two, or three symbols.
(D) Shading:
Each card is solid, open, or striped.
A 'Set' consists of
three cards in which each feature is EITHER the same on each card
OR is different on each card. That is to say, any feature in the
'Set' of three cards is either common to all three cards or is
different on each card.
For example, the
following are 'Sets':
  
All three cards are red; all are ovals; all have
two symbols;
and all have different shadings.
  
All have different colors; all have different symbols;
all have different numbers of symbols; and all have the
same shading.
  
All have different colors; all have different symbols;
all have different numbers of symbols, and all have
different shadings.
The following are
not 'Sets':
  
All have different colors; all are diamonds; all
have one symbol; however, two are
open and one is not.
  
All are squiggles; all have different shadings;
all have two symbols; however, two are red and one
is not.
The Magic Rule
If two are... and one is not,
then it is not a 'Set'.
Quick Start
For a quick introduction
for anyone playing the card version, and especially for children
under six, start with the small deck (just the red cards).
This eliminates one feature, color. Play as indicated below but
only lay out nine cards. When you can quickly see a 'Set' with
this 27 card mini version, shuffle the two decks together. You can
try the quick start in this link. Here we eliminate the feature of
shading, and test your skill in finding 4 'Sets' from a layout of
9.
The Play
The dealer shuffles the
cards and lays twelve cards (in a rectangle) face up on the
table so that they can be seen by all players. The players remove
a 'Set' of three cards as they are seen. Each 'Set' is checked by
the other players. If correct, the 'Set' is kept by the player and
the dealer replaces the three cards with three from the deck.
Players do not take turns but pick up 'Sets' as soon as they see
them. A player must call 'Set' before picking up the cards. After
a player has called 'Set', no other player can pick up cards until
the first player is finished. If a player calls 'Set' and does not
have one, the player loses one point. The three cards are returned
to the table.
If all players
agree that there is no 'Set' in the twelve cards showing, three
more cards (making a total of fifteen) are laid face up.
These cards are not replaced when the next 'Set' is picked up,
reducing the number to twelve again. If solitaire is being played,
the player loses at this point.
The play continues
until the deck is depleted. At the end of the play there may be
six or nine cards which do not form a 'Set'.
The number of
'Sets' held by each player are then counted, one point is given
for each and added to their score. The deal then passes to the
person on the dealer's left and the play resumes with the deck
being reshuffled.
When all players
have dealt, the game ends; the highest score wins. |
