How to Play Set®

Rules and Overview

Features of the Cards

Set Game: Example of a card

Rules

The object of the game is to identify a 'Set' of three cards from 12 cards laid out on the table. Each card has a variation of the following four features:

A 'Set' consists of three cards in which each feature is EITHER the same on each card OR is different on each card. That is to say, any feature in the 'Set' of three cards is either common to all three cards or is different on each card.

For example, the following are 'Sets':

All three cards are red; all are ovals; all have two symbols; and all have different shadings.

All have different colors; all have different symbols; all have different numbers of symbols; and all have the same shading.

All have different colors; all have different symbols; all have different numbers of symbols, and all have different shadings.

The following are not 'Sets':

All have different colors; all are diamonds; all have one symbol; however, two are open and one is not.

All are squiggles; all have different shadings; all have two symbols; however, two are red and one is not.

The Magic Rule

If two cards are... and one is not, then it is not a 'Set'.