Rainbow 7 Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Goal
• Setup
• Setting Up a Round
• Playing a Round
  • 1. Discard Cards and Draw
  • 2. Announce a RAINBOW
  • 3. Achieve a PERFECT
• End of the Game
• Summary

Goal

The goal of the game is to have as few Rain tokens as possible at the end of the game. The game ends when someone has 7 Rain tokens or more.

Setup

1. Pile the Rain tokens to form a supply.
2. Gather all of the Color and Rainbow cards.
3. Separate the 7s from the other cards. Take 2 more 7s than the number of players, and return the rest to the box.

Setting Up a Round

1. Take all of the cards that are not in the box, and set the 7s aside.
2. Shuffle the other cards and deal 6 to each player.
3. Make a face-down deck in the middle of the table with the undealt cards.
4. Deal 1 random 7 to each player. Shuffle the other two 7s into the deck.
5. Each player thus starts the round with 7 cards in their hand. If you have 2 Rainbow cards or more in your hand during the round setup, keep only one and tuck the others under the deck. Draw until you have 7 cards in your hand (but no more than 1 Rainbow card), then shuffle the deck.
6. Flip the first 3 cards of the deck face up to form 3 face-up discard piles.
7. For the first round, the player with the most colorful outfit begins! In subsequent rounds, the player to the left of the previous round's winner goes first.

Example of a 3-player setup (diagram): the printed example shows the Rain token supply, the deck, the three discard piles (A, B, C), and a hand of 7 cards including one 7.

Playing a Round

Turn order is clockwise. On your turn, you must perform one of the three following actions:

1. Discard cards from your hand, then draw 1 card.
2. Announce a RAINBOW if the total value of the cards in your hand is less than or equal to 7 at the beginning of your turn. Then announce the sum of your hand. For example: "Rainbow 4!"
3. Achieve a PERFECT by discarding a combination to empty your hand.

1. Discard Cards and Draw

Discard

Show only one combination to the other players, then place its cards in any order you like on one of the three discard piles.

The combinations:

• Solo: A single card, no matter what it is.
• Value: At least 3 cards of the same value.
• Color: A numerical sequence of at least 3 cards of the same color (for example, 3 green cards of values 3, 4, and 5).

7 Card

If you discard a multi-card combination that contains one or more 7s, you may apply their effects if you wish, one after the other, in any order. Playing a 7 as a Solo does not let you use its effect.

Examples of Combinations with a 7:

• Color Combination: You can play 1 effect.
• Value Combination: Play 1, 2, or 3 effects.

Effects:

• In turn order, beginning with the player to your left, each of your opponents must draw 1 card from the deck.
• Designate an opponent who must take a Rain token from the supply. If this is their 7th Rain token, the game will end at the end of the round.
• Do not draw a card at the end of your turn.
• Discard a Rain token.

Rainbow Cards

The multicolor Rainbow cards are wild, and are considered to be any color and any value; however, in your hand, they have a value of 0.

Examples of Combinations with a Rainbow card: printed as images (not transcribed).

Draw

Unless you used a 7's effect to avoid drawing, draw 1 card after you discard. You can draw either the top card of the deck, or the top card of one of the other two discard piles. If you drew the last card of a discard pile, flip the top card of the deck face up to seed the empty discard once again.

Your turn is complete. The player to your left goes now.

2. Announce a RAINBOW

You can announce a RAINBOW if the total value of the cards in your hand is no greater than 7. Then you announce the sum of your hand (but you don't have to). For example: "Rainbow 4!" The round ends immediately. Each player reveals their hand, and scoring commences.

Scoring

If nobody else has a lower sum of cards in their hand than you:

• You win the round.
• Each of your opponents suffers a STORM and takes 2 Rain tokens.

If at least one opponent has a sum of cards in their hand lower than yours, you suffer a THUNDERSTORM:

• Take 3 Rain tokens from the supply. Your opponents do not take any.
• There was no winner, so you become the first player for the next round.

If someone ties the value of your hand, you win the round.

3. Achieve a PERFECT

If you discard all of the cards from your hand, this is a PERFECT. You win the round (which is thus over). Each of your opponents suffers a DRIZZLE and takes 1 Rain token from the supply.

End of the Game

If someone has 7 Rain tokens or more, the game ends. The player with the fewest Rain tokens wins the game. If there is a tie, the tied player who had the lowest hand in the final round wins.

Summary

On Your Turn

Discard a combination + draw, or announce a Rainbow, or achieve a Perfect.

Combinations

• 1 card
• 3+ cards of the same value
• A sequence of 3+ cards of the same color

Rainbow

Hand 7 or less = end of the round.

• Hand value equal to or lower than all others = win the round + all opponents take 2 Rain tokens.
• Otherwise = take 3 Rain tokens and opponents take none.

Perfect

Hand empty after discard = win the round + all opponents take 1 Rain token.

End of the Game

1. Someone has 7+ Rain tokens.
2. Game ends at the end of the round.
3. Whoever has the fewest Rain tokens wins the game; tie goes to the lowest hand.