Hanabi

To set up Hanabi, place the 8 blue tokens next to the game box and the 3 red tokens inside the box lid. Shuffle the deck of cards thoroughly. For a 2-3 player game, deal 5 cards to each player; for a 4-5 player game, deal 4 cards to each player. Players must hold their cards so that they can see the backs of their own cards but not the fronts, while their teammates can see the fronts. The remaining cards form a draw pile placed next to the box.

The objective of Hanabi is for players to work cooperatively to create perfect fireworks displays. This means arranging cards in ascending order from 1 to 5 for each of the five colors. The unique challenge is that players cannot see their own cards, relying entirely on information given by their teammates. The ultimate goal is to achieve the highest possible score by successfully completing as many fireworks sequences as possible.

On your turn, you must choose one of three actions. First, you can 'Give information' by spending one blue token to tell another player about a specific color or number they hold. This information must be complete, meaning you must point to all cards of that color or number in their hand. Second, you can 'Discard a card' from your hand to the discard pile, which allows you to retrieve one blue token from the box and then draw a new card. Third, you can 'Play a card' from your hand face-up in front of you. If the card successfully starts a new sequence (a '1' card) or continues an existing one, it is placed in the fireworks display. If the card cannot be played, it is discarded, and you lose one red token.

Scoring in Hanabi occurs at the end of the game. Your total score is calculated by summing the highest-numbered cards in each completed fireworks sequence. For example, if you have a red sequence built up to a 4 and a blue sequence built up to a 5, your score would be 4 + 5 = 9 points. The rulebook includes a 'QUALIFICATIVE' table that allows you to rate your performance based on your final total score.

The game of Hanabi can conclude in three distinct ways. The first is a 'Loss': if the third red token is removed from the box lid due to incorrect card plays, the game ends immediately, and players lose. The second is a 'Perfect Game': if all five fireworks sequences (all cards from 1 to 5 for each color) are successfully completed before the draw pile runs out, the game ends immediately, and players achieve a perfect score of 25 points. The third way is when the 'Draw Pile Empty': if the draw pile runs out, all players, including the one who drew the last card, get one final turn. After everyone has taken their last turn, the game ends, and points are calculated.