Unstable Unicorns

To set up Unstable Unicorns, first separate all cards by their backs. Shuffle the 114 black-backed cards and deal five to each player, placing the remaining cards face-down in the center of the table to form the draw pile. Next, each player must choose one baby unicorn card from the 13 available to place face-up in their play area, known as their stable; these are the first cards in each player's stable. The remaining baby unicorn cards are placed face-up next to the draw pile, forming the nursery pile. Any baby unicorn cards that leave a stable will always return to the nursery. Finally, each player receives one of the 8 reference cards. The first player is determined by who is wearing the most colors.

The objective of Unstable Unicorns is to be the first player to collect a certain number of unicorns in your stable. If you are playing with 2 to 5 players, you need to collect 7 unicorns. If you are playing with 6 to 8 players, you need to collect 6 unicorns.

A turn in Unstable Unicorns proceeds clockwise through four phases. First, activate any 'Beginning of Turn' effects from cards in your stable. Second, draw one card from the draw pile. Third, you have two options: either play one card (Unicorn, Magic, Downgrade, or Upgrade) from your hand, or draw another card from the draw pile. Fourth, end your turn by discarding cards from your hand until you are at the hand limit of seven cards. Some cards may modify this hand limit.

Unstable Unicorns features five types of cards. Unicorn cards, identifiable by a horn icon in the corner, are crucial for winning. Baby unicorns have a purple horn and are placed in the nursery if sacrificed or destroyed. Regular unicorns have an indigo horn and no special effects. Epic unicorns have a blue horn and special effects. Magic cards, with a green star, have one-time effects and are discarded after use. Downgrade cards, with a yellow downward arrow, are played into an opponent's stable to hinder them. Upgrade cards, with an orange upward arrow, are played into your own stable to benefit you. Instant cards, with a red exclamation mark, can be played at any time, even during another player's turn, to cancel effects. A 'Neigh' card can cancel any other card, but a 'Super Neigh' card cannot be canceled by a regular 'Neigh' card.

The game of Unstable Unicorns concludes immediately when a player successfully collects the required number of unicorns in their stable. If, however, the main draw pile is depleted during the game, play stops immediately. In this scenario, the player who has the most unicorns in their stable at that moment is declared the winner. If there is a tie for the most unicorns, the tied players count the number of letters in the titles of all their unicorns. The player with the highest total number of letters wins. If a tie still persists after counting letters, all tied players lose the game.