Lambada
Lambada Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- 56 Letter Cards (L, A, B, M, D in 7 colors)
- 7 Starting Cards (spelling "LAMBADA")
- 8 Victory Tokens
Cards include the ColorADD system for color vision deficiency: Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Red, Purple, Pink, and Light Gray.
Game Set-Up
Arrange the seven gray Starting Cards on the table to spell "LAMBADA."
Shuffle the Letter Cards and deal seven to each player. Players may look at their cards but should keep them hidden from others.
Draw two Letter Cards and place them on top of any two matching gray Starting Cards. If two identical cards are drawn, replace them so that two different colors and two different letters are visible. Two different color A's counts as two different letters.
Stack the remaining cards face-up in a draw pile. The top card of the draw pile determines the starting Forbidden Color.
Playing the Game
Starting with the youngest player and moving clockwise, each player must play one card from their hand on top of any matching letter on LAMBADA.
NOTE: Played cards MUST always match the letter below. However, played cards do NOT need to match the color below. You can even play the Forbidden Color.
Depending on the card played, ONE of three scenarios occurs:
1. Matching the Color
If the color played matches any color already on LAMBADA (and is not the Forbidden Color), the player passes one of their hand cards to the player on their left and ends their turn.
EXAMPLE: Blue, red and orange are visible on LAMBADA, so the player should play either the blue or orange card (not green, as this is the Forbidden Color).
NOTE: After playing the chosen card, one of the remaining hand cards is passed to the left.
Fifth Color Penalty
If the color played makes it so there are five (or more) of the same color Letter Cards visible on LAMBADA, the player draws three cards and ends their turn (no card is passed to the left).
EXAMPLE: Five red Letter Cards visible on LAMBADA.
2. Non-Matching Color Penalty
If the Letter Card played does not match any color already on LAMBADA (and is not the Forbidden Color), the player draws one card and ends their turn (no card is passed to the left).
EXAMPLE: Neither yellow nor orange is visible on LAMBADA. Playing either color will force the player to draw one card and end their turn.
3. Forbidden Color Penalty
If the color played matches the Forbidden Color (determined by the top card of the draw pile), the player draws three cards and ends their turn (no card is passed to the left).
EXAMPLE: The player has no choice but to play a red card, and red is the Forbidden Color. After playing their card, the player draws three cards and ends their turn.
End of the Round
If a player plays or passes their last card, they win the round. However, the following Victory Condition must be met - all seven gray Starting Cards in LAMBADA must have Letter Cards covering them. The player shouts "LAMBADA", selects a Victory Token, and may perform a celebratory dance - wiggle those hips Lambada style!
After the round, gather up the colored Letter Cards, leaving the gray Starting Cards on the table. Reshuffle and set up the game for the next round.
The winner of the previous round starts the next round.
Winning the Game
The first player to win three rounds (2-4 player game), or two rounds (5-6 player game) wins the game and celebrates by shouting "LAMBADA", and may dance around the table LAMBADA style!
Notes on Play
FORBIDDEN COLOR: The Forbidden Color only changes when cards are taken from the draw pile. The Forbidden Color remains in effect, even if cards of that color are present on the word LAMBADA.
IF VICTORY CONDITIONS AREN'T MET: If a player plays their last card but does not follow a color, or if gray Starting Cards are still visible, the player must draw one card from the draw pile, ending their turn.
MULTIPLE PENALTIES: If a played card results in more than one penalty being earned, the player takes the worst penalty.
UNCAUGHT PENALTIES: If a player is not caught playing an illegal card (Forbidden Color, Fifth Color, or Not Following Color) before the next player takes their turn, they get away with it, and the card played remains without penalty.
IF THE DRAW PILE RUNS OUT: Collect all the cards underneath the top layer of LAMBADA, leaving only the Starter Cards and top Letter Cards in place. Reshuffle the cards to form a new draw pile.