How to Play

Red7

2-4 players 5-30 min 6.9 Board Game Geek Rating

Red7 features seven mini-games where players must win the active game or face elimination. Using a 49-card rainbow deck (seven colors, numbers 1-7), players compete in quick rounds lasting mere minutes. Victory conditions change as different games activate, but the core remains: stay ahead or get knocked out. The final surviving player claims the round.

Published 2014

Red7

Get Ready

Setup the game with these step-by-step instructions before diving into your turn.

1
Prepare the deck
Use the 49-card deck consisting of cards numbered 1-7 in each of seven rainbow colors (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet)
2
Deal player hands
Give each player a seven-card hand from the shuffled deck
3
Create starting palettes
Deal one additional card face-up in front of each player to start their palette
4
Initialize the canvas
Place the "You Are Currently Playing Red" card to start the canvas (discard pile)
5
Determine first player
The player to the left of whoever has the highest card on their palette goes first
6
Understand card hierarchy
When comparing cards, compare value first (7 is highest), then color if tied (Red > Orange > Yellow > Green > Blue > Indigo > Violet)

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

1
Choose one action
You must take exactly one of the following actions on your turn
2
Option 1 - Play to palette
Play a card face-up from your hand to your palette
3
Option 2 - Change the rule
Discard a card from your hand to the canvas to change the game to that card's color rule; you must be winning after doing this
4
Option 3 - Play and change
Play a card to your palette AND THEN discard a card to the canvas; you must be winning after doing this
5
Option 4 - Concede
Do nothing and lose; this is required if your hand is empty at the start of your turn
6
Verify winning status
At the end of your turn, you must be winning by the current rule or you are eliminated from the round
7
Determine who is winning
Compare who has the most cards meeting the current rule; ties are broken by highest qualifying card (value first, then color)
8
Handle elimination
If you lose, place your hand and palette cards face-down; you cannot have zero qualifying cards for Green or Violet rules and still be winning

Winning

How to claim victory.

1
Last player standing
The last player remaining in the round wins the round
2
Basic game victory
In Basic Red7, the winner of a single round wins the entire game
3
Advanced scoring (optional)
The round winner takes all palette cards meeting the current rule and places them under their reference card as points (cards are worth face value)
4
Continue rounds
Deal new hands without the scored cards; if there aren't enough cards to deal, the game ends
5
Points to win (Advanced)
First to reach the target score wins: 40 points for 2 players, 35 points for 3 players, 30 points for 4 players
6
Advanced draw bonus
When discarding to the canvas, if the card's number exceeds your total palette cards, draw one card from the deck

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FULL rules

Looking for the full details? Grab the complete rulebook as a downloadable PDF.

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