Holi: Festival of Colors Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Objective
• Components
• Courtyard Assembly
• Game Setup
• Player Setup
• Gameplay Summary
• Gameplay
• Actions
  • Throw Color (Mandatory)
    • Play a Card Face-Up
    • Direct Hit
    • Play a Card Face-Down
  • Move (Optional)
  • Climb Up (Optional)
• Falling Color
• End of Turn
• End of Game
• Scoring
• Celebrate!
• Rivalry Cards
• About the Holi Festival
• Note from the Publisher
• Credits

Objective

In Holi [hoh-lee], players gain joy (as points) by throwing color on the boards (higher levels are worth more points), getting color on others, and from collecting sweets. The player with the most points after each player can no longer throw color wins the game.

Learn to play: We'll teach you how to play at floodgate.games/holi

Components

• Courtyard Tower (4 Pillars, 1 Bottom Level Board, 2 Middle/Top Level Boards)
• 21 Rivalry Cards
• 52 Color Cards (13 Cards x 4 Colors)
• 4 Helper Cards
• 100 Color Tokens (25 x 4 Colors)
• 24 Sweets Tokens
• 4 Player Markers
• Score Track & 4 Score Markers
• First Player Marker

Courtyard Assembly

Prepare the Boards (first time): Each board has 4 edge pieces (2 with number grid labels, 2 with letters) that snap into the edges. Choose whichever side is prefered face-up -- grid labels (keeping numbered sides on opposite sides, etc.) or no labels. Snap the 4 pieces with crowd texture into the top edges of one board. The other boards are identical, snap 4 edge pieces with roof texture into each.

Assemble the Courtyard (every time):

The three boards stack vertically on four corner pillars:

1. Angle one pillar about 45 degrees away from you, resting on its side.
2. Slide the corner slot of the ground board into the bottom slot of the pillar, grid labels facing the top of the pillar (steps A, B, C in the diagram show the board sliding onto the pillar).
3. Slide the middle board's corner slot onto the same pillar above the ground board, then the top board above that (step D), keeping the grid labels facing the same direction throughout.
4. Place the second pillar into the 3 slots facing you (steps F, G), then rotate the assembly (step E) and repeat for the two remaining pillars.

After inserting the final pillar, stand the Courtyard Tower upright and continue setup.

Game Setup

1. Place 1 Sweets Token in each of the 8 spaces sharing a side with the corner spaces on the Middle Level.
2. Place 2 Sweets Tokens in each of the 8 spaces sharing a side with the corner spaces on the Ground Level.
3. Reveal up to 3 Rivalry Cards face-up so all players can see them. We recommend 2 Rivalry Cards, but this step is optional and can be skipped for a simpler gameplay experience. Cards can be selected at random or hand-picked.
4. Whoever is wearing the most colorful clothing is the 1st Player. Give that player the 1st Player Marker.

Player Setup

Give each player all components of their chosen color:

5. Their Player Marker, placed in any open corner space of the Ground Level.
6. Their 25 Color Tokens. These form their Color Supply.
7. Their 13 Color Cards, shuffled together and placed face-down to form their deck. Each player should draw 1 Color Card from their deck to form their Hand.
8. 1 Helper Card

Gameplay Summary

Players take turns performing actions, including Throw Color, Move, and Climb Up. After taking their actions, the player draws from their deck until they have a hand of 3 Color Cards. The game ends after each player can no longer Throw Color (they're out of their Color Tokens or out of Color Cards). Players score points for their color on each level (1, 2, and 3 points, respectively, for each level going up). They also score 2 points for each of their Color Tokens on other players, from collecting more Sweets Tokens than others, and according to any Rivalry Cards.

Gameplay

Beginning with the 1st Player and proceeding clockwise, each player performs one or more actions, then fills their hand until they have 3 cards. Actions may be performed in any order but may not be repeated during a turn.

Actions

Throw Color (Mandatory)

Throw your colored powder, water balloons, and buckets of colored water in the air, gaining joy for getting your color on the crowd (placed on the boards) and other players.

Color Cards are played to place Color Tokens onto the board and other players, but only if the pattern fits. This action is mandatory; if a player cannot Throw Color on their turn, they proceed to End Game.

Play a Card Face-Up

Color Cards show the pattern of spaces that Color Tokens will land in.

1. When playing a Color Card face-up, your marker must replace one of the filled-in spaces in the pattern. For the other filled-in spaces in the pattern, place Color Tokens of your color from your supply onto the board into each of the empty spaces (or spaces with Sweets Tokens).
2. The remaining filled-in spaces must not have a Color Token already in them on the board (spaces with a Player Marker or Sweets Token are just fine).
3. Players may rotate the card to choose any of the four orientations of the pattern.
4. After placing Color Tokens, place the card face-up near your deck to form your Discard Pile.

Some Color Cards have a flower symbol in the pattern. When playing these cards, your marker must replace the flower symbol in the pattern instead of one of the filled-in spaces. Note: These cards drop more Color Tokens, but are less flexible.

Note:

• Each space will only ever have at most one Color Token.
• Color Tokens may be placed on Sweets Tokens.
• Players do not collect any Sweets Tokens when Color Tokens are placed on them.
• If a player does not have enough Color Tokens in their supply, they place as many as possible.
• While filled-in spaces in a Color Card's grid must all be aligned over the board's grid, empty spaces do not need to be aligned over the grid.
• If a player runs out of Color Tokens, they are done taking actions for the rest of the game.

Direct Hit

If a Color Token would be placed in a space with another player's Marker, instead place that Color Token in the Color Supply of the player who was hit. Award 1 point to the player who hit them, moving their Score Marker up by 1 on the Score Track.

Note:

• The bonus point is only awarded if a player hits another player on their same level.
• Each Color Token in another player's supply gives its owner 2 points at the end of the game.

Play a Card Face-Down

A player may instead play a Color Card face-down from their hand to place a single Color Token.

• When playing a Color Card face-down, you may place one Color Token in a space on your level (any distance away).
• This token can be played in an empty space or a space with Sweets Tokens (not in a space with a Color Token or Player Marker).
• You may only play a Color Card face-down if you did not play one face-down on your previous turn (the top card of your Discard Pile must not be face-down).
• After placing the Color Token, place the card face-down into your Discard Pile.

Middle & Top Levels: Throwing color on the Middle and Top Levels may cause tokens to fall to the level below, more on this below in the Falling Color section.

Move (Optional)

Move and dance through festival grounds, collecting any sweets and getting color on you from the crowd in the space you move to.

• A player may move their Player Marker to any space on the level they are currently on, except to a space containing another Player Marker (empty spaces, spaces with Sweets Tokens, or with any player's Color Token are just fine).
• If a player moves to a space with Sweets Tokens, that player collects those Sweets Tokens, placing them in their Color Supply.
• If a player moves to a space with a Color Token, that player collects the Color Token, placing it in their Color Supply.

Note:

• Players may collect their own Color Tokens. These may be placed again as normal.
• Color Tokens from another player in a Color Supply cannot be played and will give the other player 2 points each at the end of the game.
• Players gain 5 points for each player with fewer Sweets Tokens than them at the end of the game.

Climb Up (Optional)

Heighten the celebration, climbing up in the courtyard, aiming higher in the sky, and layering your color on the crowd.

When surrounded by Color Tokens, a player may choose to climb up a level and aim higher in the sky.

• If a Player Marker is surrounded on 4 sides (orthogonally, not diagonally) by spaces with Color Tokens (of any player's color), that player may move to the corresponding space on the next higher level.
• A player may not Climb Up if another player's Marker is in the corresponding space on the next higher level.
• Once a player has Climbed Up, they may not return back down to a lower level.

Note:

• Players may never Climb Up from the edge or corner spaces.
• Players do not collect any tokens from levels below as they move.

Falling Color

When throwing color on the Middle and Top Levels, there is a possibility the Color Tokens will fall to the boards below.

• Once a Color Token is placed, check the corresponding space on the level below.
• If there is no Color Token on the corresponding space on the level below, the token falls and is placed in that space on the level below.
• If at any time a player has a Color Token in the corresponding space above them, place that Color Token in their Color Supply instead of on the board. This does not award the bonus point for a Direct Hit.
• If the Color Token fell from the Top to the Middle Level, check the Ground Level -- if there is no Color Token in the corresponding space below on the Ground Level, the token falls again.

Reference notes from the diagram:

1. Tokens will not fall if there is a token directly below.
2. Tokens can fall 1 level, then stop.
3. Tokens can fall 2 levels.
4. Falling tokens hit players instead of falling again.
5. When a player moves to a space with tokens above it, those tokens fall onto them.
6. Color Tokens can fall through Sweets Tokens.

Note: Sweets Tokens never fall -- they're sticky!

End of Turn

After performing their actions, the current player draws cards from their Color Deck until they have 3 Color Cards in hand (usually this is just drawing 1 card), if able.

If the current player is either out of their Color Tokens in their Color Supply or out of Color Cards in their hand, they proceed to the End of Game.

The next player clockwise begins their turn. If they have reached the end of their game, play continues to the next player clockwise, and so on.

End of Game

The game ends for a player when they cannot Throw Color, or at the end of their turn if they are either out of their Color Tokens in their Color Supply or out of Color Cards in their hand.

When all players have reached the end of their game, proceed to Scoring.

Scoring

Score for each player, awarding points by moving their score marker along the score track, based on the following chart:

• Each Color Token on a Courtyard Level: 3 points on the Top Level, 2 points on the Middle Level, 1 point on the Ground Level.
• +2 points for each Color Token in all other players' Color Supply.
• +5 points for each player with fewer Sweets Tokens.
• + Points gained from Rivalry Cards.

The player with the most points wins!

Ties are broken by the player with the most of their color on other players, then by most sweets collected, then by player order.

Reminder: Players may have gained points during the game from Direct Hits.

Celebrate!

Spread joy by sharing a photo of your #HoliGame board -- be sure to tag us @FloodgateGames.

Rivalry Cards

Ramp up the friendly rivalry of the festival by adding Rivalry Cards, giving more variety and strategic choices each time you play by adding rule changes and new ways to score.

During setup, choose up to 3 cards to use -- more cards will add more changes. These can either be selected by choice or at random. It's recommended to have at most one card labelled "Rules."

Players should familiarize themselves with the changes these cards make, as they drastically alter each game's strategy. Set up and play as normal (unless indicated otherwise), paying attention to the effects of these cards.

About the Holi Festival

Holi or the "Festival of Color" is an ancient Hindu festival celebrating spring, joy, playfulness, and color. While different regions of India and Asia celebrate in their own ways, a hallmark of the festival is the profusion of color, be it bright "rangoli" patterns on floors, or the joyous "color battles" held during the day of the festival, where folks of all ages smear, spray, pour, and throw a rainbow of powders and liquids -- and in more modern times, water balloons -- onto each other. Mess and a profusion of color reign.

The origin of the festival can be attributed to many different stories (the defeat of an evil king through guile and magic by Lord Vishnu, in the form of a Man-Lion; and the attempt of Lord Krishna to color his beloved Radha's skin to match his own blue complexion are two of the most popular ones) and modern Indians treat Holi as a time for joyous celebration of the return of spring.

Note from the Publisher

Our intention for this game is to spread the joy that comes with the Holi festival, and allow more people to connect with this ancient Indian tradition through a different lens. We hope it brings joy to your friends and family all year long. To learn more about our development process for this game, please visit our website: Floodgate.Games/Holi

Credits

• Game Design: Julio E. Nazario
• Game Development: Ben Harkins, Daryl Andrews, Shivam Bhatt, Kael Barend
• Illustration: Vincent Dutrait
• Graphic Design: Vincent Dutrait
• Editing: Emily Blain
• Writing: Sharang Biswas
• Cultural Consultation: Shivam Bhatt, Sharang Biswas, Sankari Kannan, Netra Saxena
• Courtyard Board Design: Game Trayz
• Publisher: Floodgate Games
• Playtesting: Peter Yang, Evan Pedersen, Emily Tinawi, Josh Slivken, Nate Anderson, Dan Marta, Brian Schreier, Ken Grazier, Sam Bailey, Justin Woodruff, Shanti Pothapragada, Trevor Kirchner, Kandy, Andrew Chesney, Eric Andrews, Neil Roberts, James Thomas, Marcus Ross, Martin Grider, Marisa Tillman, Brooks Goodweaver, Gates Dowd, Emily Blain, Jacob Blain, and the members of: Game Designers of North Carolina and Protospiel MN
• Designer Special Thanks: "To my wife and best friend Yaseli R. Olivera, for all the support and love given to help bring this game to life"