OBJECTIVE OF FALLING: The objective of Falling is to be the last player to hit the ground.
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: Four to Eight Players
MATERIALS: Falling Playing Cards and One Rulebook
TYPE OF GAME: Party Card Game
AUDIENCE: Twelve Years of Age and Older
OVERVIEW OF FALLING
Falling came out in 1998. It is considered to be a real time card game, since all players make their moves at the same time. Players must try to be the last player to hit the ground, so avoiding Ground cards is key. It takes a few games to understand the full workings of the game, but once you learn it, it is like riding a bike, impossible to forget.
SETUP
Firstly, place all of the players in a circle around the playing area. Since all players will be playing at the same time, as there are no turns, each player needs to be able to see what all other players are doing. Players should have enough room between them so that they may place their cards without interruption, but they should still be able to reach other players’ cards as well.
One player is chosen to be the dealer. The dealer will separate the deck, placing the Ground cards to the side until the deck is shuffled. Once the deck is shuffled, the Ground cards are placed on the bottom. Beginning with the player on their left, they will deal cards into stacks, one at a time, to each player.
If players have numerous stacks, one card is dealt into each stack. If they have no stacks, then a new one must be started. There are Rider cards found throughout the deck that may alter the way the deal is done, placing it in the discard pile once you have finished.
Rider Cards
Hit- Deal another card to each stack the player has
Extra Hit- Deal two additional cards to each stack the player has
Split- Deal one more card in a new stack to the player
Extra Split- Deal two more cards in two new stacks to the players
Skip- This player gets no cards
Extra Skip- This player gets no cards and loses their Extra card.
GAMEPLAY
There are no turns in the game, so all players will make their moves simultaneously. The goal is to avoid the Grounds when they come out. This is done by playing skips, stops, and extras, so make sure to collect these as the game goes on.
Players may only pick up one card at a time, and the card must be played, as it is unable to be sat back down. They may only pick up the top card of their stack, so if a card has been covered, it is unable to be played. Once you are holding a card, remember, it must be played.
Follow the instructions on the cards, as they effect different portions of the game. If a Ground card is received, the player is immediately out of the game. Be slow when initially learning to pay attention to all of the action, rider, and move cards. These are what decide if there are any alterations to the game.
END OF GAME
The game comes to an end when only one player remains who has not hit the ground. All of the other players are considered the losers, and the final player is considered the winner.
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