Rainbow (2021)
Rainbow (2021) Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Object
Two players compete to create as many 6-color RAINBOWS as possible. The player who captures the most cards wins the game.
The Cards
Cards are double-sided, and the colors on either side of a card are different.
Cards can be red, orange, yellow, green, teal, blue, or purple (7 different colors). There are also Rainbow cards, which are wild and can be played as any color. And there are Cloud cards, which prevent players from completing a RAINBOW.
NOTE: the symbols on the cards are simply to assist people with color vision deficiency.
Before You Play
Shuffle the cards and place them in the card holder. Place the card holder in the box as pictured below.
Place the box between both players so that each player can only see one side of the deck.
Each player now draws 3 cards from their side of the deck. Players may never look at the back side of their own cards. However, players should be able to see the back side of their opponent's cards.
The player who most recently saw a rainbow is the "active" player and goes first.
Game Play
Players take turns trying to complete a 6-color RAINBOW. Cards are placed in a shared line in the middle of the table. This means both players are working on the same RAINBOW.
During their turn, the "active" player must play at least 1 card and may play at most 3 cards.
The "active" player plays 1 card face-up in the middle of the table. They may either choose to play the side of the card facing them (usually a safer choice), or they may play blind. Playing blind means playing the back side of their card (which is riskier but sometimes the player may have no choice).
After playing a card, the "active" player may choose to play a 2nd card. If they do, they MUST first flip over a card already on the table.
After playing a 2nd card, the "active" player may choose to play a 3rd card. Once again, if they do, they MUST first flip over a card already on the table. NOTE: they may flip the same card they had previously flipped.
After each play or flip, check to see if any of the following are true:
1 - The Sun Is Out
The line of cards consists of all different colors (i.e. no color appears twice) and no Cloud card appears. Rainbow cards are wild and are the only cards that can appear more than once in the line. All is good and play continues.
2 - Color Clash
If a player either plays or flips over a card with a color that is already on display, their opponent wins all the cards in the line (and places them in their capture pile).
3 - Overcast
If a player either plays or flips over a Cloud card, their opponent wins all the cards in the line (and places them in their capture pile).
4 - RAINBOW
If a player is able to build a line with 6 cards with no duplicate colors (other than Rainbow cards which can be duplicated) and no Cloud card, they have successfully completed a RAINBOW. As a reward, they win all six cards and place them in their capture pile.
When the "active" player decides not to play another card, or has played all their cards, they must build their hand back up to 3 cards, drawing from their side of the deck.
Play now passes to their opponent, who becomes the "active" player.
NOTE: before playing their first card, a player may choose to flip one of the cards already on the table. This doesn't happen very often, but depending on a player's cards can occasionally be very helpful.
Play continues as described above, with players taking turns until (1) a duplicate color is played, (2) a Cloud card is played (or revealed), or (3) someone successfully completes a RAINBOW.
The player that didn't collect any cards for their capture pile starts the next turn.
Winning The Game
The game ends when one player is no longer able to draw back up to 3 cards. If there are 3 or more cards on the table, the other player may take a final turn and attempt to complete the RAINBOW.
The player with the most cards in their capture pile is the winner. In the event of a tie, play again!