FLY
FLY Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
The Object
Players try to score the most points by dropping the Swatter Card onto flies and collecting sets of symbols and colors.
Components
30 Cards:
- 27 Table Cards
- 2 Swatter Cards
- 1 Sky Card
The 27 Table Cards show a red-checkered tablecloth with flies on it. The 2 Swatter Cards show a fly swatter, and 1 is a spare. The 1 Sky Card shows a sky.
Setup
- Select a flat playing area that is visible to all players.
- Choose a dealer to perform the remaining SETUP steps.
- Shuffle all 27 Table Cards to form a deck.
- Next, create the "Table" by placing the Table Cards next to one another in a 9 x 3 grid. Place 1 Table Card face up vertically, then place another card to the right of it so that the red-checkered pattern continues across both cards. Continue placing Table Cards next to one another in a horizontal row until there are exactly 9 cards. Create Row 2 by placing a card vertically, directly below the first card in Row 1. Continue placing cards next to one another until 9 cards have been placed in Row 2. Finally, create Row 3 by placing a card under the first card in Row 2 and continue placing the remaining cards from the deck.
- Close the lid on the FLY Pack O Game Box and place it standing up vertically, close to the first card in Row 1. Next, tuck the bottom of the Sky Card slightly in the box where the tongue of the box tucks into the back. The Box should be able to hold the card up and stay standing. You may need to stabilize the Box with another object or by placing a coin inside the box.
- The youngest player takes a Swatter (Card) and begins the game.
Sample setup diagram captions: "Drop Height Minimum"; "Sky Card"; "Box"; "Box placed next to first row"; "First card in Row 1"; "Row 1: 9 cards placed horizontally"; "3 rows".
Playing the Game
There are 25 total flies. Each has a symbol and a color on its back. The goal is to collect Table Cards by dropping the Swatter onto the "Table" to completely cover flies. Players will also attempt to collect flies sharing a common symbol or color in order to make their flies worth points. In the end, the player with the most points wins the game.
On a player's turn, he must drop the Swatter Card once from a minimum height established by the top of the Sky Card. A player must hold and drop the Swatter with only one hand and his hand must be above the "Drop Height Minimum." Any flies that are COMPLETELY covered by the Swatter will allow the swatting player to remove those specific cards that contained the covered flies. If the Swatter does not completely cover any flies, the swatting player collects no cards. Whatever the outcome of a player's Swatter drop, he immediately passes the Swatter to the player to his left. Play continues with each player dropping the Swatter once per turn until all but the two blank Table Cards are collected.
Table Consolidation
Collecting cards from the "Table" creates a void. It is necessary to move Table Cards in order to fill in voids and maintain rows of 9 cards.
When one or more cards are collected, fill in the void:
- Slide cards from the same row toward the box.
- Move cards from the end (right side) of the lowest Row, upward. Rows 1 and 2 must have 9 cards in them until Row 3 is gone. Then Row 2 will supply Row 1 with 9 cards until it is depleted as well. Card voids are only allowed at the end of the lowest Row.
Turn Example
Diagram captions, in order:
- A. "Player A completely covers 2 flies and the Table Cards must be collected and removed."
- B. "Player A slides cards toward the box. Then, cards from Row 3 are added to the end of Row 1 and 2."
- "Player A places the swatted fly cards in front of himself."
- C. "The 'Table,' after the card shift. Player B may now take her turn."
Caption at the bottom: "Collecting cards from successful Swatter drops creates voids (empty spaces) that must be filled before a player may take his turn."
Game End
The game ends when the two blank Table Cards (no flies) are the only remaining cards, as these cards cannot be collected.
Calculating Scores
A player earns 1 point for a fly if he has at least 3 or more flies with the matching color OR symbol. Although each fly has two characteristics, its maximum value is 1 point. The player with the highest score wins! In the case of a tie, the player with the most flies (regardless of color/symbol) is the winner.
- A third STAR fly makes all your STAR flies worth 1 point.
- A third BLUE fly makes all your BLUE flies worth 1 point.
- A YELLOW CIRCLE makes the other 2 YELLOW flies count AND the other 2 CIRCLE flies count. The YELLOW CIRCLE is scored once (1 point).
In the example shown, the player earns 5 points.
Scoring Examples
- Player A: 0 points.
- Player B: 6 points.
- Player C: 4 points.
- Player D: 9 points.