Hanabi
English Rules - Translated by Wade Nelson (wadenels) from the ABACUSSPIELE edition German rules. Please use these rules in conjunction with the illustrations and examples in the German rules included with the game.
Game Material 10 cards per color(red, yellow, green, blue, white) with the values 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5 8 Note tokens 3 Storm tokens
Aim of the game Hanabi is a cooperative game, meaning all players play together as a team. The players have to play the fireworks cards sorted by colors and numbers. However, they see their own hand cards not, and so everyone needs the advice of his fellow players. The more cards the players play correctly, the more points they receive when the game ends.
The Game
The oldest player is appointed first player and sets the tokens in the play area. The eight Note tokens are placed white-side-up. The three Storm tokens are placed lightning-side-down.
Now the fireworks cards are shuffled. Depending on the number of players involved, each player receives the following hand: • With 2 or 3 players: 5 cards in hand • With 4 or 5 players: 4 cards in hand Important: Unlike other card games, players may not see their own hand! The players take their hand cards so that the back is facing the player. The fronts can only be seen by the other players. The remaining cards are placed face down in the draw pile in the middle of the table. The first player starts.
Gameplay Play proceeds clockwise. On a player's turn, he must perform exactly one of the following: A. Give a hint or B. Discard a card or C. Play a card. The player has to choose an action. A player may not pass!
A. Give a hint To give a hint one Note token must be flipped from its white side to its black side. If there are no Note tokens white-side-up then a player may not choose the Give a hint action. Now the player gives a teammate a hint. He has one of two options:
- Color Hint The player chooses a color and indicates to his/her teammate which of their hand cards match the chosen color by pointing at the cards. Important: The player must indicate all cards of that color in their teammate's hand! Example: "You have two yellow cards, here and here." Indicating that a player has no cards of a particular color is allowed! Example: "You have no blue cards."
- Value Hint The player chooses a number value and gives a teammate a hint in the exact same fashion as a Color Hint. Example: "You have a 5, here." Example: "You have no Twos"
B. Discard a card To discard a card one Note token must be flipped from its black side to its white side. If there are no Note tokens black-side-up then a player may not choose the Discard a card action. Now the player discards one card from their hand (without looking at the fronts of their hand cards) and discards it face-up in the discard pile near the draw deck. The player then draws another card into their hand in the same fashion as their original card hands.
C. Play a card By playing out cards the fireworks are created in the middle of the table. The player takes one card from his hand and places it face up in the middle of the table. Two things can happen:
- The card can be played correctly The player places the card face up so that it extends a current firework or starts a new firework.
- The card cannot be played correctly The gods are angry with this error and send a flash from the sky. The player turns a Storm tile lightning-side-up. The incorrect card is discarded to the discard pile near the draw deck. The player then draws another card into their hand in the same fashion as their original card hands, never looking at the front.
The Fireworks The fireworks will be in the middle of the table and are designed in five different colors. For each color an ascending series with numerical values from 1 to 5 is formed. A firework must start with the number 1 and each card played to a firework must increment the previously played card by one. A firework may not contain more than one card of each value.
Bonus When a player completes a firework by correctly playing a 5 card then the players receive a bonus. One Note token is turned from black side to white side up. If all tokens are already white-side-up then no bonus is received. Play then passes to the next player (clockwise).
Ending the Game The game can end in three ways:
- The third Storm token is turned lightning-side-up. The gods deliver their wrath in the form of a storm that puts an end to the fireworks. The game ends immediately, and the players earn zero points.
- The players complete all five fireworks correctly. The game ends immediately, and the players celebrate their spectacular victory with the maximum score of 25 points.
- If a player draws the last card from the draw deck, the game is almost over. Each player - Including the player who drew the last card - gets one last turn. Note: Cards cannot be drawn in this last round.
Finally, the fireworks will be counted. For this, each firework earns the players a score equal to the highest value card in its color series. The quality of the fireworks display according to the rating scale of the "International Association of Pyrotechnics" is: 0-5 - Oh dear! The crowd booed. 6-10 - Poor! Hardly applaused. 11-15 - OK! The viewers have seen better. 16-20 - Good! The audience is pleased. 21-24 - Very good! The audience is enthusiastic! 25 - Legendary! The audience will never forget this show!
Important Notes and Tips • The discard pile may always be searched for information.