Pass and pick shapes: rules and printable materials

Keep one card at a time and pass the shrinking hand, building your own three-card pattern.

Players

3–6

Plan for

12–18 minutes

Bring

Eighteen shape cards, opaque backs and three-round sheets

Prepare eighteen cards

Use six circles, six triangles and six squares with matching opaque backs. Shuffle the full deck at the start of each round. For three to six players, deal three cards each and place unused cards aside unseen. You will choose exactly three cards during a round. Show the scoring table first: three identical shapes 5, all three shapes 3, one pair plus a different shape 1.

Pick then pass together

Look at your three-card hand and choose one card to keep face down in front of you. Once everyone has locked one choice, pass the remaining two cards left. Choose one of the received two, lock together, and pass the remaining one left. Keep that final received card without another pass. Each player now has three kept cards.

Reveal and score

Reveal all kept cards only after the final transfer. Do not change a locked choice after seeing a neighbor’s card. Example: circle,triangle,square earns 3; circle,circle,circle earns 5; circle,circle,square earns 1. The set’s order does not matter, and the three categories cover every possible three-card result. There is no extra award for collecting a rare shape.

Three complete rounds

Collect all eighteen cards and reshuffle before the next deal, including unused cards. Pass left in round 1, right in round 2 and left in round 3. Everyone receives the same three picks per round. Add the three scores, highest wins and equal totals tie. If a transfer occurs before everyone locks, pause and restore the last clear state; if it cannot be restored, replay the whole round unscored.

Make the passing accessible

A helper may pass a hand or hold cards privately for its owner. Point to the direction arrow before starting, and do not require standing or quick reactions. Use labels as well as shapes. Keep unused cards hidden until the round is over, and do not inspect another person’s hand. The printable pack is for physical drafting, without an online room.

Printable materials

Preview at 100% scale, with browser headers and footers off. Cut with suitable help. Keep host keys separate. This is a manual tabletop kit, not an online opponent, automatic judge or solver.