3-2-1 Countdown Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• Objective
• Setup
• Game Play
  • On a Player's Turn
  • Ending the Round
• Scoring
  • 'Countdown!' Bonus or Penalty
• Ending the Game

Contents

110 Cards:

• 0, 10: eight cards
• 1, 9: nine cards
• 2, 8: ten cards
• 3, 4, 6 & 7: eleven cards
• 5: twelve cards

Objective

Reduce the total value of the cards in your hand to five or less. Declare 'Countdown!' in hopes to earn a reward! Highest score after 5 rounds wins!

Setup

Shuffle well and deal a hand of cards to each player. The hand size depends on the number of players:

• 2-6 players: 12 cards each
• 7-8 players: 10 cards each

Place the remaining cards in the middle of the table. Flip the top two cards face up, one on either side of the draw pile, to form two discard piles.

(Diagram: Discard Pile — Draw Pile — Discard Pile.)

Grandpa's Tip: Organize cards numerically from smallest to largest to help identify sets of the same number.

Game Play

The game is played in five quick rounds. With larger group sizes playing three rounds is an option. The youngest player starts the first round. The opportunity to play first rotates clockwise each round.

Grandpa's Tip: Discarding high-value cards or multiples of the same number helps reduce the total value of a player's hand.

On a Player's Turn

A turn has two actions:

1. Discard at least one card onto either discard pile. If a discard pile is empty, they must discard there. Multiple cards of the same number are discarded together.
2. Draw a card from the other discard pile -or- risk drawing from the top of the draw pile.

Ending the Round

Rounds can end in two ways: First, at the start of a turn, if the face value of a player's hand totals 5 or less, they can lay down their cards and declare "Countdown!" Second, if a player's hand consists entirely of cards with the same number, they can discard their entire hand and declare "Blastoff!" In both scenarios, no further cards are played.

After a round ends, all players must reveal their cards and calculate the total face values. Scores are determined by comparing these total face values.

Scoring

The lowest hand total gets 3 points, the second-lowest 2, and the third-lowest 1. Everyone else gets 0. In a tie, players with the same hand value get the same points, and scoring continues as normal for the others.

'Countdown!' Bonus or Penalty

• If the 'Countdown!' declarer has the lowest hand total, they get 3 points + 1 bonus point.
• If any player's hand total is lower than the 'Countdown!' declarer, the declarer gets 0. The lowest hand total gets 3 points, the second-lowest 2, and the third-lowest 1. All others get 0.
• If the 'Countdown!' declarer ties for the lowest hand total, all tied players get 3 points, second-lowest 2, third-lowest 1, and others score 0.
• If a round ends with 'Blastoff!', the player who declares it gets 3 points, second-lowest 2, third-lowest 1, and all others get 0.

Ending the Game

The player with the highest score after 5 rounds wins. In a tie, play one more round with only the tied players, while the others cheer them on.

Note: In a game with 2 or 3 players, the first player to win 3 rounds wins.