Eleminis
Eleminis Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
The Deck
81 cards:
- 11 x Star, Air, Water, Rock, Fire, Plant
- 3 x Trash, Move, Swap, Discard, Recycle
Let's Play Eleminis!
Eleminis is a fun and competitive card game where players race to collect all five mini elements (Air, Water, Rock, Fire, and Plant). These Eleminis, along with Stars and Trash, are called Character cards. The Deck also contains various types of Action cards.
Unlike other card games, players are not dealt hands. Instead, each player starts with a row of five empty slots on the table. Character cards are played face up into these slots. Each slot can hold only one card - DO NOT STACK CARDS. It's OK to have more than one of the same character card in a row, but a row cannot have more than five total cards. Also, the order of the cards is not important.
To begin play, shuffle the Deck and place it face down in the center of the table. Decide who will go first. Players take turns clockwise.
Table layout: each player sits around the table (Players A, B, C, D) with their own row; the Deck and the Discard Pile are in the center.
Winning the Game
Collect all five Eleminis to win! Can you be the first to do it? A winning row contains Air, Water, Rock, Fire, and Plant. Let everyone know when you have them by shouting 'Eleminis!' The order of your cards is not important. Also, Stars are wild and automatically represent any Elemini you need to win. See the Scoring section for counting points after each game.
Taking Your Turn
1. Draw a Card
When it's your turn, draw the top card from the Deck. You must show the card to all other players. Make sure everyone can see what you have drawn. A lot of the fun of the game is trying to convince each other how to play. Talk all you want!
If the Deck ever runs out of cards, turn the Discard Pile face down and keep playing.
2. Choose an Option
Most cards have multiple options for how they can be played. See the Character Cards and Action Cards sections for each card's options. IMPORTANT - You don't have to play on your own row.
Your card can be used in any way its options allow. Do you need it? Keep it. Want to mess up your opponent? Play it against them. It's fun to make enemies!
The example in the rulebook demonstrates your options if you draw Water:
- A) Replace your opponent's Fire and double their Water.
- B) Fill your opponent's last slot and double their Water.
- C or D) Fill one of your empty slots with Water.
- E or F) Replace one of your Rocks with Water.
3. Play and Discard
Once you have chosen an option, play your card. If you replace a Character card, discard the weaker one - DO NOT STACK CARDS.
If you play an Action card, discard it and use its ability.
You must always play your card, even if you don't like the results. If you can't play any of your card's options, discard it - you lose your turn.
After you've played your card, your turn is over. Players continue taking turns drawing and playing the top card from the Deck until someone wins. If the Deck runs out of cards, turn the Discard Pile face down, and keep playing.
The example in the rulebook shows how, if you choose option E from the example above, you discard your Rock and play the Water you drew into the same slot.
Character Cards
Eleminis (Air, Water, Rock, Fire, Plant) - An Elemini can be played into any empty slot or replace any weaker Character (the weaker Character is discarded). Icons showing which characters an Elemini can replace are in the bottom right corner of each card. (Fire can replace Plant and Air, for example).
- Fire burns Plant and Air
- Plant swallows Air and Water
- Air blows Water and Rock
- Water washes Rock and Fire
- Rock crushes Fire and Plant
Star - Stars are wild and represent any Elemini you need to win. They can be played into any empty slot, replace any Elemini, or replace a Trash card. You don't need to choose which Elemini it represents - a Star is always wild and other Character cards CANNOT replace it.
Trash - Trash is a dirty Character card used to pollute your opponent's row and prevent them from winning. Play it into their empty slot or replace any of their Eleminis, but it CANNOT replace a Star! Anyone with a Trash card in their row cannot win until they clean it up in one of five ways - replace it with a Star, discard it with a Discard card, recycle it with a Recycle card, move it with a Move card, or swap it with a Swap card.
Action Cards
Move - Choose a Character from any row, and move it to an empty slot in any other player's row (including your own).
Swap - Choose a Character card from any row and swap it with a different Character card from any other player's row (including your own). The two cards must be different Characters.
Discard - Discard a Character card from any row.
Recycle - Discard a Character card from any row. Your turn now starts over. Draw a new card from the top of the Deck and play again.
Action Cards are discarded to the Discard Pile before their effects take place. Remember, you can use Action cards on your own row of Eleminis too!
Scoring
Players have the option of keeping score of multiple games. Add 10 points for each unique Elemini and 5 points for each duplicate Elemini. Add 20 points for each Star, but subtract 20 points for each Trash. Also add 100 bonus points to any player with a winning row. The lowest possible score is 0 (players cannot score negative points). Add scores from each game until someone reaches an agreed number of total points (500, for example). The player or team with the highest score is the overall winner!
Example: 10 + 5 + 10 + 20 - 20 = 25 points (unique Elemini 10, duplicate Elemini 5, unique Elemini 10, Star 20, Trash -20).
Team Games
Team games are a great way to have fun with larger groups. Divide the players evenly into teams. (For example, 6 players can divide into 3 teams of 2, or 2 teams of 3.) Players should sit across from their teammates and next to opponents. The rules for team games are the same as normal games, except only one player on a team needs to make a winning row to end the game. So remember to help your teammates and mess up opposing teams as much as possible!
Custom Play
You can make Eleminis even more fun by thinking up your own custom ways to play! Make up your own rules - or even your own game! You can also use the deck to play classics like War or Memory.