Set Card Game Rules

SET Card Game Rules

Game Overview

SET is a pattern-recognition game designed by geneticist Marsha Falco. It plays solo or with a group around a shared tableau, and everything fits in a small box: 81 game cards and a rulebook. Each card carries one of 3 colors (green, purple, red), one of 3 numbers of shapes (1, 2 or 3), one of 3 shadings (filled-in, outlined, shaded) and one of 3 symbols (ovals, squiggles, diamonds). You can pick up a deck here.

Objective

The objective of the SET Card Game is to identify a SET of 3 cards from 12 cards placed face-up on the table. A SET consists of 3 cards in which each of the cards features, looked at one-by-one, are the same on each card, or, are different on each card. All of the features must separately satisfy this rule.

Setup

The dealer shuffles the cards and lays 12 face-up on the table (in a rectangle) so that they can be seen by all. The dealer does not have a hand of cards, and there are no turns in this game.

How to Play

1. Players remove SETs of 3 cards from anywhere on the table. Each SET is checked by the other players.
2. If correct, the SET is kept by the player for one point and the dealer replaces the 3 cards with 3 from the deck.
3. A player must call SET before picking up the cards. The first player to call SET gets control of the board, and no one else may pick up cards until that player has finished. The SET must be picked up within a few seconds after calling it.
4. If a player calls SET and does not have one, or if the SET is incorrect, he/she loses one point, and the 3 cards are returned to the table.
5. If all players agree that there is not a SET in the 12 cards, 3 more cards are laid face-up on the table. The 3 cards are not replaced when the next SET is found, reducing the number back to 12.

For example, the following are SETs:

• All three cards have the same shape (e.g., squiggles), the same color (e.g., purple), the same number of symbols (e.g., 2), and they all have different shading (filled-in, outlined, shaded).
• All three cards have different shapes (squiggles, ovals, diamonds), different colors (purple, red, green), and different numbers of symbols (2, 3, 1), and they all have the same shading (filled-in).
• All three cards have different shapes (squiggles, ovals, diamonds), different colors (purple, red, green), different numbers of symbols (2, 3, 1), and different shadings (filled-in, outlined, shaded).

Scoring and End of Game

The play continues until the deck is depleted. At the end of the game, there may be cards remaining that do not form a SET. The number of SETs held by each player is then counted. One point is given for each SET. The player with the highest score wins. If you want a longer game, the deal passes to the person on the dealer's left, and the play resumes with the deck being reshuffled. When all the players have dealt, the game ends. The player with the highest overall score wins.

Common Variants

For a quick introduction, start with the small deck (just the solid symbols). This eliminates one feature, shading. Once you can quickly see a SET when playing the 3 feature version, shuffle the 2 decks together to play the full game.

SET also works as a solitaire game, with one twist: if you cannot find a SET, you lay down 3 more cards and take a penalty of one SET. To win, you have to clear that penalty by finding a SET among the last 12 cards left on the table.

A Fun Fact or Record

The 12-card tableau is almost never dead. The odds that no SET at all is present in 12 cards are roughly 33:1 against, and with 15 cards on the table they stretch to about 2500:1. So when the board looks impossible, it is nearly always the eye that is stuck, not the deal.

Where to Get the Game

Set Card Game on Amazon

Beginner Mistakes to Avoid

1. Confusing SET with a single card: A SET consists of 3 cards, not one.
2. Thinking that the features must match exactly: A SET can have features that are either the same or different, as long as each individual feature satisfies the rule.
3. Rushing to call SET without checking thoroughly: Take a moment to double-check your SET before announcing it to the other players.

FAQ

1. Q: How many cards are in a SET deck? A: 81, each one combining a color, a number of shapes, a shading and a symbol, with three possibilities for each feature.
2. Q: Is there an easier way to learn the game? A: Yes, start with the small deck (just the solid symbols). That removes the shading feature and leaves only three features to compare.
3. Q: What happens if there are no SETs on the table? A: If all players agree that there is no SET among the 12 cards, 3 more cards are laid face-up. Those 3 cards are not replaced when the next SET is found, which brings the tableau back to 12.
4. Q: How do you win? A: Play continues until the deck is depleted. Each SET collected is worth one point and each wrong call costs one; the highest score wins.

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