Farben
Farben Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 60 Color Cards
- 59 double-sided Word Cards
- 1 Reference Card: it helps to distinguish similar colors. If you want to use the card, place it next to the Word Cards during Set-up.
Goal of the Game
Associate a color with a word and the stories emerge as if by themselves. Each round you explain to the other players why you associate the color you chose with this word. Share your moving, beautiful, funny (or even embarrassing) stories. Good stories are easier to remember! You win the game if you remember best who assigned which color to specific words and if multiple players can remember the colors you assigned to words.
Set-up
A. Shuffle the Word Cards and place 10 of them into the center of the table to create the Draw Pile.
B. Place the remaining Word Cards back into the box. They won't be needed for this game.
C. Sort the Color Cards by their backs into 5 Sets. Each player receives a Set with 12 Color Cards and takes them into their hand.
Game Flow
The most colorfully dressed player is the Starting Player. The Starting Player takes the topmost Word Card and chooses a side. They place the Word Card on the table for all players to see.
All players now simultaneously choose a Color Card that they associate with the word on the Word Card and place it face down in front of them. Once everyone has played a card, the player to the left of the Starting Player begins to tell a story.
Reveal the Color Card and tell the others why you associate this color with that word. After telling your story, turn your Color Card face down again. Place it with the symbol side face up, underneath the current Word Card. Then in clockwise direction, the next player reveals their Color Card and tells a story.
In each Set there is a multi-colored Card. Play this card if you want to express that you associate many different colors with a word.
Give each other freedom to tell their stories and don't interrupt with questions or comments.
The round ends after the Starting Player tells their story. Now a little Stack has formed in the center of the table comprised of the Color Cards with the Word Card on top. Put the Stack aside, it will be used during the Scoring Phase.
The role of the Starting Player now changes in clockwise direction. Continue with the following rounds as described above.
Example (Word Card "School")
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Roman: I dyed my hair purple, purchased leather gear for several 100 dollars, and wore make-up in my very short Goth-phase. I quickly realized that I didn't fit in the scene as I am a rather happy person and had a hard time not constantly smiling.
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Julia: My high school time was very stressful because I wasn't a good student. I worried before each exam, how I am going to explain all the mistakes marked with red to my parents.
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Eva: At the beginning of each term, I bought new folders for the different subjects. Each subject had a different color and that is why I played my multi-colored Card.
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Thomas: I was totally in love with Andrea, a fellow student one year lower than me. I got up every day at 6:30 am to catch the early bus to ride with her to school. It was still very dark at that time, that's why I chose black.
Scoring Phase
Once you play through all 10 Word Cards from the Draw Pile you start the Scoring Phase. The player to your right selects a Stack for you. Now you must recall who chose which color for the selected word without looking at the Color Cards. You earn Points if you name the colors correctly. Additionally, you earn a Point every time another player can recall your color correctly.
Depending on the number of players, each player has two or three turns during the Scoring Phase.
- With 3 players every player receives 3 Stacks in total.
- With 4 players every player receives 2 Stacks in total.
- With 5 players every player receives 2 Stacks in total.
In a 3-player game one Stack remains and in a 4-player game two Stacks remain.
The last Starting Player begins the Scoring Phase. The player to the right selects a Stack for them.
Use a pencil and paper or a smartphone to note your Points.
Place the Color Cards of this Stack face down in front of you. By the symbol on the back of the card you can recognize who played which card. Name which color a player chose and check your answer by revealing that card.
If you named the color correctly, you earn 2 Points. The player whose color you named correctly earns 1 Point. You earn 2 Points in total for naming your own color.
If you can recall the color only after a Hint, you earn 1 Point instead of 2. The player whose color was named correctly still earns 1 Point.
If you named an incorrect color, nobody earns Points.
Once you are finished with a Stack you keep the Word Card in front of you to track your turns. Afterwards, the next player in clockwise order starts their turn.
You can agree on a time limit per player during the Scoring Phase.
Example (Stack "Success")
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It is Eva's turn and Julia selects the Stack "Success" for her. Eva places the Color Cards face down in front of her. "Julia played blue." Eva reveals the card and it is blue. She earns 2 Points and Julia earns 1 Point.
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She also remembers Roman's pink. Another 2 Points for Eva and 1 Point for Roman.
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The color associated by Thomas was a little bit tricky, so Eva asks for a Hint. Thomas says "Judo." "Ah, now I remember! You recently became a green belt in Judo." Eva and Thomas each earn 1 Point.
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Eva cannot recall which color she chose herself and nobody is allowed to give her a Hint for her own color. "Hmmm red." That is wrong - it actually was orange. Eva earns no Points.
In total, she earned 5 Points. Now Thomas has a go and Eva selects a Stack for him.
Hints
If you are unsure about a color, you can ask the corresponding player for a Hint before you name the color. In that case, the corresponding player says one word which they used during their story. It is forbidden to say the color. If the corresponding player does not recall their own color, they cannot provide you a Hint. No one is allowed to provide you a Hint for your own color.
Game End
As soon as all players have the above-mentioned number of Word Cards in front of them, the game ends. The player with the most Points is the winner. In the case of a draw, there are multiple winners.