Components

• 108 playing cards (18 cards each in 6 colors)
• 2 start player cards
• Instructions

In addition, you will need paper and pencil to record players'scores.

Object of the Game

The players earn victory points, not by collecting the most cards, but by collecting the most cards in each of the 6 different colors. At the end, the player with the most victory points is the winner!

Game Play

The game is played over three sessions, each containing four rounds. After each session, the players tally and record their victory points. Then, they begin a new session. After three sessions, the game ends!

The youngest player (or the player chosen by the group) is the first "large" player. He takes both start player cards (the "small (with the small mouse) and the "large" (with the large mouse)).

He first shuffles the 108 playing cards thoroughly as a card supply. He draws 2 cards for each player and places them face up in the player's play area (the space before him on the table).

These are the players' starting layouts. Next, he draws cards from the supply placing them face up next to each other in the middle of the table - as many cards as there are players.

Then, he draws cards from the supply to add another face-up card to the cards he just placed in the middle. Next, he adds one face down card from the supply to the card sets in the middle. (see below). Finally, He now places the card supply to the side.

The start player now chooses one of the triplets in the middle of the table and takes it. He looks at the face-down card (without showing it to the others) and places the face-down card in his play area, leaving it face down.

Next, he decided which of the two face-up cards (of the triplet) to keep, adding it to his play area face up. Finally, he gives the other face-up card (of the triplet) to any one of his opponents, placing it face up in the opponent's play area. The opponent, naturally, responds with a heartfelt",Gracias!

And the others

And now the other players take their turns in clockwise order in the same manner. Each area. He then chooses which of the face-up cards to keep, placing it in his play area,and gives the other to any opponent, placing the gift in the opponent's play area, both of these face up (a player may never choose to keep or gift both cards!).

In this way, the players take their turns until all triplets in the middle of the table have been taken and distributed in the players' play areas.

Then, the players begin the next round.The player with the small mouse gives it to his left neighbor,who becomes the new small start player. The small start player takes the card supply and lays out enough triplets for each player in the middle of the table, as before (two face up and one face down card for each player).

Then, as before, starting with the small start player,each player chooses a triplet, looks at the face-down card and places it face down in his play area, chooses one face-up card for himself, placing it face up in his play area, and giving the other face-up card to any opponent, placing it face up in his opponent's play area.Rounds 3 and 4 are played as above, with a new small start player each round.

After four rounds After four rounds, each player will have four face down the session ends, cards played as described, so the session ends with the scoring described below.

Scoring

First, the players must add their four face down cards to their face up cards in their play areas. As before, they place them with cards of the same kind/color.

If a player now has 5 or more cards of a color, he places those 5 cards face down in a stack in his play area. If a player has more than 5 of a kind/color, these remain face up in his play area, unless he has five more...

Next, the large start player calls out the card colors one at a time - the order is not important. The player with the most cards of a color, as it is called, face up in his play area (do not count those in the face down 5 stacks) must discard all these cards (place on the card supply).

If several players tie for the most, each discards these cards.

After all 6 colors have been handled in this way, the players now score 1 point each for their remaining cards, including their face down stacks of 5 cards (each stack is worth 1 point, not 5).

The players note their points with paper and pencil. Finally, the players place all their remaining cards on the card supply.

The Next Session Begins

The large start player gives the large mouse card to his left neighbor, who also takes the small mouse card.

This player now has both start player cards and begins the new session just as the previous was done: he shuffles all 108 playing cards and gives two to each player face up; then, he creates a triplet for each player; and so on, as before.

The third session is played in the same way, with the large start player from the second session giving the large mouse to his left neighbor.

End of the Game

After the third session, the game ends. Players sum their most points is the scores from the three sessions.

The player with the most total points is the winner.

If players tie with the most, the player among them with the highest single session score is the winner. If there is still a tie, the player among them with the second-highest single session score is the winner.

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