NUMBER OF PLAYERS: Two to six (best played with four)

AGE APPROPRIATE: 8 to adult (Advanced level version – 12 to adult). It is recommended that all players start with the basic version when first learning to play.

THE DECK: Universal Card Deck – all 60 cards

RANK OF CARDS: Galaxy (high), Sun, Moon, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 (low)

RANK OF SUITS: E-Earth (high), J-Jupiter, M-Mars, N-Neptune, S-Saturn, V-Venus (low) 

VALUE OF SUITS: Earth and Neptune cards are valued at 3 points each. Jupiter and Saturn cards are valued at 2 points each. Mars and Venus cards are valued at 1 point each. 

THE SHUFFLE AND CUT: Draw or cut for deal; high suit deals. If any players draw or cut the same highest suit, the card rankings go into effect. Dealer shuffles. The player at dealer’s right cuts the deck. 

THE DEAL: The dealer gives one card at a time, face down, until each player has six cards. The remaining cards are placed face down in the center of the table, forming the stock (see Glossary of terms on next page).

Deal and play are clockwise.

OBJECT OF PLAY: To form matched sets of three cards on a player’s board. The sets may consist of three of a kind; e.g., 6E, 6M, 6S, or a sequence of three cards in consecutive rank order; e.g., Moon, 7, 6 all of the same suit (suited run), or a sequence of three cards in consecutive rank order, all of different suits (rainbow run); e.g., 5S, 4J, 3V. Points are acquired through making sets.

THE PLAY: Each player first decides which three cards of the six in his/her hand will be placed face up on his/her board. The three chosen cards are first placed in a stack on the board face down until all players have completed their choices. After that all players simultaneously turn their three chosen cards face up for all to see (refer to diagram below). Each player has three cards remaining in his/her hand and will do so throughout the game.

Play starts with the player left of the dealer. The player can do only one of four things during his/her turn:

1. Draw a card from the stock, and then discard one of the four cards now in the player’s hand.

2. Switch a card from the player’s board with one from another player’s board or the top card on the discard pile.

3. Switch a card from the player’s hand with one on his/her own board.

4. Switch a card from the player’s hand with one from another player’s board or the top card on the discard pile.

The first player who decides to draw a card from the stock (1 above) creates the discard pile at the end of his/her turn. The discard pile should be beside the stock and all cards are face up.

If a switch is made between two players’ boards (2 above), those same two cards may not be switched back.

Once a match is made on a player’s board and the other players have verified the match, the three cards are collected by the player and put aside for counting at the end of the hand. Three new cards are then drawn from the stock and placed on the player’s board face up to replace the previous cards. Play goes to the next player, even if the three new cards already make a match.

Play continues until there are no more cards left in the stock to complete play. At that point all play stops, and all cards on the board and in players’ hands are discarded. Points are tabulated for all cards of matched sets acquired.

SCORING: Points are tabulated by counting up the point value assigned to the various suits of the cards acquired by each player (See chart to the right). A running total is kept for each player. The first player to acquire 100 points or higher is the winner. 

ADVANCED VERSIONS: Either one or both of the following two adaptations can be added to enhance strategy: 

A. Any switch with another player’s board or the discard pile (2 and 4 from THE PLAY) requires the card given be of equal or greater value than the card being taken: i.e., Earth and Neptune cards (3 point value) can be switched with any card; Jupiter and Saturn cards (2 point value) can be switched with only Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, and Venus cards; Mars and Venus cards (1 point value) can only be switched with Mars and Venus cards.

B. If a player makes a perfect match he/she receives 7 extra points at the time the match is made. If a player makes a non-perfect match, and another player has the card to make it a perfect match in either his hand or board, that other player can make the switch, take the match for his/her own, and acquire 7 extra points. The card switched must be of the same number rank; e.g. 4S switched for a 4E. If both A and B are in effect together, the switching restraints apply to making the perfect match as well.