Standard

Game Overview

• Goal: score the most Joypoints. Every point in this game is a Joypoint.
• Score tracking: use pen & paper, or the Happiness scorekeeper app.

Setup

1. Build the deck. The youngest player builds it. Choose cards based on player count:

Know your friends: some cards touch sensitive topics (loss, accidents, fire, drinking, gambling, water). The builder chooses with the table in mind.

2. Shuffle or select, then deal 5 cards to each player. The remaining cards form the community deck.

3. The youngest player goes first.

What's On a Card

• 4 Triangles on each edge of the card (Top, Right, Bottom, Left).
• 5 Triangle Colors: Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, and Silver. Silver is wild: the silver lightning-bolt triangle matches any color.
• Symbols: each color also has a symbol (fire, water, leaf or sun), so players can match by symbol as well as by color.
• Word: the concept shown on the card.
• Joypoints: 1 to 4 on Joycards. Bummer cards score nothing.

Your Turn

1. PLAY one card from your hand onto the playing area.
2. SHARE a brief story about the word on your card.
3. LISTEN: the table hears the whole story. Nobody cuts in.
4. CONNECT: your card matches every triangle it touches.
5. DRAW one card from the community deck (if available).

Card Placement

• The first card is placed in the center of the playing area.
• Every card after must be placed adjacent to an existing card (sharing an edge, not diagonal).
• Where two cards touch, their triangles must match colors. Silver matches any color.
• If no legal placement exists adjacent to existing cards, you may place anywhere. Separated cards can be connected later as play continues.
• If the table empties, play a Joycard anywhere.

Scoring: Playing Joycards

When you play a Joycard, score its Joypoints. A 3-Joypoint card adds 3 Joypoints to your score.

Euphoria (Plus Pattern)

When you play a card that completes a plus shape (a center card surrounded on all 4 sides) and all touching triangles match:

Bummering

A Bummer can only be played when connecting and within the 5 seconds of silence between turns. Play a Bummer card instead of a Joycard and place it the usual way (adjacent, every touching triangle matching). Then share a bummer story.

Every Joycard the Bummer touches is now bummed out: swept from the playing area into your Bummer Pile, along with the Bummer card. (Touching means sharing an edge, not diagonal.) The Bummer card itself scores nothing.

Bummed-out Joypoints = the total Joypoints of all cards bummed out.

You cannot make a 0-bummer play if any other legal play exists.

Game End

The game ends at the end of the round in which the last community card is drawn (so all players have equal turns).

Most Joypoints wins.

Tiebreaker

1. Most Joypoints wins.
2. If tied: most cards in Euphoria Pile.
3. If still tied: most cards in Bummer Pile.
4. If still tied: shared victory.

Quick Reference