Match!
Match! Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 60 number cards (values 0 to 5, 2 of each color, in 5 colors)
- 4 wild cards
- 8 reminder cards
Setup
Each player receives 1 reminder card and places it in their play area, so that it shows the draw symbol. If you want, you can leave any unused reminder cards to hand to see how the turn works, or you can return them to the box.
Shuffle the deck of number cards and deal 5 cards to each player, without showing them to the other players. Leave the deck face down in the center of the table. Reveal the top card and set it aside. This is the first card of the discard pile. If a wild card comes up, put it back into the deck, shuffle, and reveal another card.
How to Play
The starting player is the player wearing the most colorful clothes. On their turn, each player must play 1 card. There are two possibilities:
Play 1 card that matches
Play 1 card that matches the top card of the discard pile. The card is placed on the discard pile. The card played can come from the player's hand or from their collection.
A card matches when it is the same color and/or the same number as the top card of the discard pile. The player must announce "Match!" Afterward, they do not draw any card.
Or: Play 1 card that does not match
Play 1 card that does not match the top card of the discard pile. This card is played from the hand and placed in the collection.
If the chosen card has a color and a number that are different from the top card of the discard pile, the player must place the card in their collection and announce "No match!"
Cards of the same color are always placed one on top of the other in the collection, so that only the top card of each color is visible. Therefore, a collection can have at most 5 piles of cards, one per color.
After playing a card into their collection, the player must draw a card from the deck and add it to their hand. If the deck runs out, set aside the top card of the discard pile, shuffle the remaining discard-pile cards, and lay them face down as a new deck. The card that was set aside becomes the first card of the new discard pile.
A player can never be left unable to place a card. Either one of their cards matches and they place it on the discard pile, or it does not match and they place it in their collection.
Once the player has placed a card (and drawn a card, if required), their turn ends. Play then passes to the next player, clockwise.
The other players do not know what cards you have in hand. So you may play a card that does not match into your collection even if you have a card in hand that would match.
The other players can see what cards you have in your collection. If you already have cards in your collection, you must follow an important rule:
If you have at least one card in your collection that matches the top card of the discard pile, you may not play a card from your hand into your collection.
This only applies to the top cards of each pile in your collection. The cards underneath are safe. In this case, you have 2 options:
- Play a card that matches from your collection onto the discard pile.
- Play a card that matches from your hand onto the discard pile.
Of course, either way, since you have placed a card on the discard pile, you do not draw a card.
Of course, you might not notice that you have a card in your collection that matches. But you can be sure that your opponents will be paying attention and will remind you.
Wild Cards
A wild card matches any card. Therefore, you can always play a wild card onto the top card of the discard pile, whatever it is. However, you can never place it in your collection.
When you play a wild card, you must announce any number or color. The announced number or color is "dedicated" to the next player.
If the next player has a card with that color or number in their collection, they must place a card with that color or that number from their hand or from their collection onto the discard pile, thereby covering the wild card. If that player also has a wild card in hand, instead of playing a card with the "dedicated" color or number, they may play the wild card, announcing a new number or color and "dedicating" it to the next player.
If you have "dedicated" a wild card to the next player and that player has no card in their collection with that color or number, that player may choose between:
- Playing a card from their hand with the "dedicated" color or number onto the discard pile.
- Placing a card that does not have the "dedicated" color or number in their collection, and then drawing a card as normal.
As long as the wild card remains on top of the discard pile, the number or color announced by the player who played that wild card continue to apply, and remain "dedicated" to the next player.
End of Round, Scoring, and End of Game
A round ends when a player runs out of cards in hand at the end of their turn.
Note: You can only end a round by playing your last card onto the discard pile. When you place your last card in your collection, you must always immediately draw a card.
At the end of the round, all players add up the value of all the cards in their collection (including the cards underneath).
From this score, each player must subtract the value of the cards remaining in their hand. A wild card in hand counts as 10 negative points. Each player's total score is recorded, and added to the scores from previous rounds.
The game ends as soon as a player reaches 50 points at the end of a round. The player with the most points wins the game.
If no player has reached 50 points yet, a new round is played (the starting player is whoever played the last card in the previous round).
The Author
Thomas Weber holds a degree in business administration and has been developing games since 2017. He loves being creative and seeing people come together and enjoy playing together. He also applies creativity and interaction to his work as a trainer, coach, and independent consultant. He helps companies and teams find creative solutions to their challenges and improve their collaboration. Thomas lives in Munich.
Credits
- Design: Schmidt Spiele GmbH
- Translation: Marià Pitarque
- Graphic adaptation: CeciRC
- Editor: Diego San Martín Pierron