Memory: The Board Game
Memory: The Board Game Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Goal
The goal of the game is to find as many pairs of cards as possible and return those cards to matching spaces on the board. Cards that are returned to the board earn tree trunk pieces as a reward. The player who has the largest tree in front of them at the end of the game wins.
Contents
- 1 game board
- 60 picture cards (30 pairs)
- 4 trees (each consisting of a crown and a root)
- 35 tree trunks in 4 sizes (5 x 4-trunks, 7 x 3-trunks, 10 x 2-trunks, 13 x 1-trunks)
Setup
Before the first game, carefully punch out all game materials from the punch sheets.
Place the game board in the middle of the table and shuffle the 60 picture cards.
Place one face-down card at random on each square space of the game board.
Each player takes a tree (consisting of a crown and a root) and places it in front of them.
Sort the tree trunks by size and place them next to the game board as a supply.
Gameplay
The youngest player begins. Play then continues clockwise.
When it is your turn, you choose one of two actions:
- Either: Turn over two cards to find a pair (A).
- Or: Place up to four of the cards you have already collected face up back onto the game board and receive tree trunks for them (B).
Note: At the start of the game, you must first collect card pairs. Once the opportunity arises, you may then return cards to the board.
A • Turn over cards
Turn over two face-down cards one after the other to try to find a pair.
- If both cards show the same picture, you may take them. Place the cards face down in front of you. You then take another turn. Now you choose again: do I turn over cards, or do I return cards?
- If the two cards are not the same, turn them face down again. Your turn ends and the next player takes their turn.
Example: Anna turns over two picture cards and finds a pair. She takes the two cards from the game board and places them in front of her. She is now due another turn. She decides to turn over two cards again. Unfortunately the pictures are not the same. She turns these two cards face down again and her turn ends. Had she been successful, she would have had to choose again: turn over or return, and so on.
B • Return cards
If you choose this action, you may place one to four cards back on the game board. For doing so, you receive a tree trunk as a reward, with which you grow your tree. Your turn then ends and the next player takes their turn.
The following rules apply to placing cards:
- You may place 1, 2, 3 or 4 cards face up on free spaces of the game board. You must never place more than four cards.
- The cards must be placed on landscape spaces of matching colour:
- Cards with a yellow background go on the yellow farmland, cards with a blue background go on the blue river, and so on.
- The card is placed on a free landscape space of matching colour.
- The one to four cards must be placed adjacent to each other. The placed cards must touch each other on at least one side. The shape of the layout is arbitrary.
- Important: The pictures no longer matter when placing. This also means that pairs of cards do not have to be placed together on the game board.
Placement examples
Allowed: 1, 2, 3 or 4 cards are placed adjacent to each other in any shape on matching free landscape spaces (all 3 examples).
Forbidden:
- Example 1: The card must be placed on a matching landscape space.
- Example 2: Two or more cards must be placed adjacent to each other.
- Example 3: The cards must touch each other on at least one side.
Receiving tree trunks
- Returning 1 card earns one of the smallest tree trunks (1-trunk).
- Returning 2 cards earns one of the second-smallest tree trunks (2-trunk).
- Returning 3 cards earns the second-largest tree trunk (3-trunk).
- Returning 4 cards earns the largest tree trunk (4-trunk).
Attention: The number of tree trunks is limited. You only receive tree trunks as long as the supply lasts. If a length is no longer available, you receive the next smaller one.
Example: Benno has found a pair of cards and places it in front of him. Now he may choose again: turn over cards or return cards? He decides to return cards. He returns four cards to the game board and receives the largest tree trunk (4-trunk) for them.
After you have returned cards and received a tree trunk, your turn ends.
End of the game
The game ends as soon as the last pair has been turned over and taken from the game board. Then each player may return exactly once more one to four cards, following the rules described above. The player who took the last pair from the game board begins.
Then compare your trees: the player who has the largest tree in front of them wins. In case of a tie, among the players involved, the player who has more picture cards in front of them wins. If there is still a tie, there are several winners.
Tips & Tricks
- It is worth returning 3 or 4 cards at once to the game board, because the large tree trunks make your trees grow especially fast.
- The number of tree trunks is limited, and the game sometimes ends sooner than you think. So remember to return cards to the game board early enough to make your tree grow tall!
Variant (with younger children)
In this variant the game does not end when the last pair has been found. Instead, all players take turns placing 1, 2, 3 or 4 cards on the game board, following the placement rules, and receive the corresponding tree trunks as a reward. This continues until no player has any cards in front of them. A player who no longer has any cards in front of them is skipped.
The game ends when all spaces on the game board are covered with cards again. (If there are no 1-trunks left and you would have received a 1-trunk, unfortunately you do not receive a tree trunk.)