PUSH
PUSH Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- 120 cards
- 90 number cards (3 x numbers 1 to 6 in green/hexagons, yellow/circles, red/diamonds, blue/triangles, purple/x-shapes)
- 18 roll cards
- 12 switch cards
- 1 die
Note: All colours have a corresponding background shape that helps distinguish the different cards.
Set Up
Shuffle all 120 cards and place them face down in the middle of the table. This is your draw deck.
Whoever sat down first starts. Play continues clockwise.
Play
On your turn, flip and place cards until you choose to stop or push too far and can't play a card. Later in the game you can choose to bank cards to protect your points.
Flip and Place Cards
Flip the top card from the draw deck and put it face up in the middle of the table.
Keep flipping and placing cards until you choose to stop or you push too far and bust!
Rules for placing cards:
- You can form up to three stacks.
- No stack can contain a repeat of any number or colour/shape.
- Offset cards in each stack so you can see the card(s) already played.
- Cards mean points, so think about which stack you will claim when/if you choose to stop!
- Roll cards can go in a stack or start a new one. Only one roll card is allowed per stack.
- Switch cards should be put to one side, face up.
For example: You flip a yellow/circle 2 from the draw deck.
a. You can't place it in the first stack because there is a 2 card already there.
b. You can't place it in the second stack because there is a yellow/circle card already there.
c. So, you put it in the third stack because it doesn't contain a yellow/circle or a 2.
Remember, there is no limit to the number of cards you can flip on your turn, but you can choose to stop at any time!
Choose to Stop
If you decide you've pushed your luck far enough then you can choose to stop any time after placing a card.
- Take the stack with the highest value and put it in front of you.
- Sort the cards into colours/shapes and offset the cards so all numbers are clearly visible. This forms your bench.
- Unless you flipped a switch card, the other players, clockwise from you, take a stack (if there is one) and sort their cards to form their own bench.
Switch Card
Did you flip any switch cards? Switch cards do not change the order of play, only the order of taking stacks. One switch card reverses the order. Two switch cards revert the order back to normal, and so on.
Discard all used switch cards at the end of each turn.
Note: In a 2-player game, switch cards have no effect. You can either remove them from the deck before you start or discard them as they are flipped.
Roll Card
Is there a roll card in the stack you took? Then roll the die and discard all cards from your bench that match the rolled colour. All players must do this if there is a roll card in the stack they took.
If you roll the star, then you are safe and don't need to discard any colour/shape.
Discard all used roll cards at the end of each turn.
If any stacks remain after players have taken one each (for example in a 2-player game), discard remaining cards so the table is clear for the next player's turn.
Remember, the numbers on the cards in your bench are your points at the end of the game. So, be sure to take stacks with the highest value when possible.
Push Too Far
If you flip a card that you can't place in any stack, then you have pushed too far and you do not get to take a stack!
- Discard the card you just flipped.
- Roll the die and discard all cards from your bench that match the rolled colour/shape. If you roll the star, then you are safe and don't need to discard.
- The other players, clockwise from you, take a stack (if there is one) as usual. Remember to use any switch and roll cards flipped on each turn.
- You can protect your cards (and points) from die rolls by banking cards during the game…
Banking Cards
Instead of flipping and placing cards, you can forfeit your turn and bank cards of one colour from your bench. All banked cards are safe from future dice rolls.
- Choose one colour/shape from your bench and turn them face down.
- You can bank cards as many times as you want to and bank the same colour/shape again and again if you want.
- Only cards already in your bench may be banked.
And that's the end of your turn. It's the next player's turn to start flipping cards and creating stacks. Will you choose to stop, or will you push too far?
Example: if you roll red diamond, discard all the red/diamond cards in your bench.
Win
When the draw deck is empty and all stacks have been taken, the game is over. Each player counts the value of all cards in their bench and their bank. The player with the highest total wins! If there's a tie, the player with the most cards wins. If there is a still a tie, both/all players win!
Variant
Want to PUSH your luck further? If you want to raise the risk level, try the Star Variant. Instead of the star being a safe roll, in this version you must discard your entire bench any time the star is rolled! Banked cards are protected from this, but you need to stay super alert.