Limits

Limits Rulebook

Table of Contents

Components
Preparation
The Game
End of the Game
Special Rules for Two Players

Components

Players: 2–6
Age: 8 and over
Duration: approx. 45 minutes
60 colour cards (red, yellow, green, blue, purple)
28 point cards (24 +1 cards, 4 +5 cards)
24 limit cards (-2 on the back)
1 set of rules

Preparation

The limit cards are shuffled. The limit cards have five different colour areas on the front and –2 penalty points on the back. Depending on the number of players some limit cards are taken out of the game:

2 players – 14 limit cards
3-4 players – 6 limit cards
5-6 players – 10 limit cards

Put the cards taken out of the game into the game box. The remaining limit cards pile is placed face down in the middle of the table.

The colour cards are shuffled and put face down as a draw pile next to the limit card pile.

The point cards are placed next to the game area ready to hand. (There are +1 point cards and +5 point cards. If necessary you can exchange 5 +1 point cards for a +5 point card.)

The players draw one colour card from the draw pile in turn until each player has 5 colour cards in his hand (see also "Special rules for 2 players").

The Game

The top limit card is revealed

The game goes in turns. Each turn a new discard pile for colour cards is formed (see "A discard pile is formed"). The turn starts with turning over the top card of the limit card pile. The five colour areas contain often a number, which shows the maximum number of cards of this colour that may be put on the discard pile. There is no limit for this colour, if there is an "X" instead of a number. So the discard pile can contain an unlimited cards of this colour.

If this limit card is face up on the limit card pile, you are allowed to place 3 blue cards, unlimited red cards, 3 green cards and 5 purple cards on the discard pile.

Each player places one colour card face down in front of him

After revealing the top limit card, each player places one of his five colour cards face down in front of him. Each colour card put down in this way raises the maximum number of cards of this colour.

Example: If the maximum number of yellow cards (according to the limit card) is 1, then a put down yellow card would raise the maximum to 2. Only the player who placed the colour card does know this.

The colour card remains on the table until the end of the turn. A player might look at the card at any time.

Example: The limit card and the 4 colour cards allow a maximum of 5 purple cards, unlimited red cards (a red colour card placed by one player would not have changed this, because there is a "X" on the limit card), 5 blue cards (instead of 3), 1 yellow card (instead of no yellow cards) and 4 green cards (instead of 3) in the discard pile.

A discard pile is formed

Each turn a new discard pile is formed. In the first turn the youngest player places the first colour card from his hand on the discard pile. In each following turn the player who got the limit card in the turn before puts down the first card (see "Check if the player exceeded the limit and end the turn").

Player actions

The players take their turns clockwise. The player whose turn it is has to do one of the following actions:

Place 1 colour card on the discard pile.
Exchange 4 colour cards of the same colour.
"Suspect" another player.

Players are not allowed to look at the cards in the discard pile. The discard pile might even be arranged in a way that the lower cards in the pile are not visible.

Action: Place 1 colour card on the discard pile

The player chooses one of the 4 remaining colour cards in his hand and places it face up on the discard pile. Next he draws a new card from the draw pile. If he forgets to draw a new card up to the moment the next player (to his left) draws his card, then he will not get a new card. He just has 3 cards left.

Action: Exchange 4 colour cards of the same colour

If the 4 cards in a player's hand are all of the same colour, he is allowed to exchange them for 4 new colour cards from the draw pile and a bonus point card. Two of the four colour cards in his hand are placed face up on the discard pile. The remaining two colour cards are placed face down on the draw pile.

Attention: You should pay attention to the limit, because placing the two cards on the discard pile may exceed the limit.

Action: "Suspect" another player

The player is allowed to "suspect" any other player. He claims that the player exceeded the limit for a colour with his last placed colour card. Next check if the player actually exceeded the limit or not.

Check if the player exceeded the limit and end the turn

To check if the player exceeded the limit first turn over the colour cards in front of the players. Now all players could see which colour limit got raised through the colour cards.

Next all colour cards in the discard pile of the colour last placed by the suspected player are counted. For example, if the player placed a yellow card on the discard pile, all yellow cards should be counted.

Attention: All cards which lie above the colour card (which were placed after the suspected player placed his card), do not count.

Example: Daniel believes that the limit for yellow cards is exceeded. It could have been Barbara or Clara. Since Barbara has more points than Clara he decides to suspect Barbara. He counts all yellow cards in the discard pile. He does not count the yellow card placed by Clara after Barbara.

If the limit for the colour is exceeded, the suspected player gets the limit card of this turn. He places the card face down in front of him. This card gives him –2 points. The player who successfully suspected the player gets a +1 point card.
If the limit is reached exactly or is not exceeded, the player who suspected unjustified gets the limit card. The player who was suspected gets a +1 point card.

Example: Daniel had suspected Barbara successfully. He gets a +1 point card. Barbara gets the face down limit card, which gives her –2 points.

After the point and limit card have been dealt, each player picks up the colour card in front of him.

The discard pile is placed face down and put under the draw pile without shuffling. This is the end of this turn.

If a player has 4 cards or less in his hand at the end of the turn he could draw enough cards to have 5 cards in his hand again.

A new turn starts with placing colour cards face down in front of each player.

End of the Game

The game ends as soon as a player has received the last limit card. Each player counts his points. From this sum he subtracts the –2 for every limit card he has. The player with the highest number of points wins.

Special Rules for Two Players

Take 14 limit cards out of the game. Each player gets 6 colour cards in his hand. He has to place 2 of these face down in front of him each turn. At the end of each turn he takes both back into his hand.