Sour Apples to Apples
Sour Apples to Apples Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
What's in the Box
- 360 Red/Green Apple Cards
- Sour Apple Spinner
- Quick Play Rules
Setting Up
- Set the Sour Apple spinner to the side.
- Open the card packs and thoroughly shuffle the cards.
The Cards
SOUR APPLES to APPLES cards are dual-sided for double-duty! When you're trying to make a match, play the Red Apple side of your cards, and when it's your turn to be the judge, flip your cards around and play the Green Apple side.
- When it's your turn to play a match: play the Red Apple side.
- When it's your turn to be judge: play the Green Apple side.
Starting the Game
- Choose a player to be the first judge.
- The judge deals five cards, face down, to each player (including him or herself) then sets the deck to the side to form a draw pile.
- Players may look at their cards and should arrange them so the same colors are lined up.
Playing the Game
- The judge looks at the Green Apple side of his or her cards, chooses one to play and places it face up on the table, reading the word out loud.
- Each player (except the judge) looks at the Red Apple side of his or her cards, picks the one that he or she thinks is most like the Green Apple card played by the judge and places it face down on the table.
Quick Pick Option
For a faster game, players must choose their Red Apple cards as quickly as possible. The last Red Apple card placed on the table is returned to that player's hand and will not be judged during that round. If you snooze, you lose!
- The judge mixes up the Red Apple cards so no one knows who played which card.
- The judge turns over each Red Apple card, reads it out loud then picks two of them – the Red Apple card that he or she thinks is MOST like the word on the Green Apple card and the Red Apple card that he or she thinks is LEAST like it. Once the judge has chosen the winning and losing cards, the decision is final.
Playing Tips
- It's OK to play a Red Apple card even if it isn't a perfect fit. Some judges will pick the funniest or most interesting Red Apple card.
- Lobbying and "table talk" are encouraged! Players can try to convince the judge to pick any of the Red Apple cards on the table.
- Red Apple cards that begin with "My" should be read from the judge's point of view. For example: when the judge reads "My Co-Workers," it means the judge's co-workers.
Best Comparison Wins!
- The player whose Red Apple card was selected as being most like the Green Apple card is the winner of the round and receives the Green Apple card.
- To keep score, players should keep the Green Apple cards they have won on the table in front of them until the end of the game.
Worst Comparison Spins!
- The player whose Red Apple card was selected as being least like the word on the Green Apple card must spin the Sour Apple to see what fate has in store for them!
- Push down on the top of the Sour Apple spinner to spin it. Whatever symbol stops in the window determines what happens next:
- Can't Talk Next Turn: The next time you play a Red Apple card, you can't speak when the other players "lobby" to persuade the judge to choose a card!
- Play Red Before Green: The next time you play a Red Apple card, you have to play it before the judge plays his or her Green Apple card!
- Pass the Sour Apple: Lucky break! You get to pass the Sour Apple spinner to any other player – except the player who just won this round – and they have to spin it!
- Double Play: The next time you play a Red Apple card, you get to play two Red Apple cards instead of one!
- Lose a Card: You must immediately discard 1 card from your hand, and for the rest of the game you only play with 4 cards. If you spin this symbol again later in the game, it has no effect – you can't have less than 4 cards in your hand at the start of a round.
End of the Round
- The judge picks up the Red Apple cards played during the round and discards them into the box.
- The role of judge passes to the player who won the round.
- Each player draws cards from the draw pile until everyone has five cards in his or her hand again (except for any players who received the "Lose a Card" penalty from the Sour Apple spinner – they only get four cards).
- Play continues following steps 1-11 until someone wins.
Winning the Game
The first player to score 5 points wins the game!
For a longer game, play to 7 or 10 points.
Want to Play Again?
Shuffle all cards played in the previous game and place them at the bottom of the deck. Pass the deck to the next judge and you're ready to play again!
Occasionally shuffle the cards – constantly mixing them will allow you to make new combinations.