Welcome to Untangle!
Untangle is an exciting bonus game that comes with Christmas Lights Card Game. It shares some elements with the original game, but it has its own unique twists and challenges.
In Untangle, you and your friends will embark on a mission to untangle a chaotic knot of bulbs. Your goal is to arrange the bulbs in a way that matches the pattern cards you have. It’s not as easy as it sounds, though. Every turn, you can take one action to try and rearrange the bulbs to your advantage. Your strategy and clever moves will determine your success.
If you manage to create an arrangement that matches one of your pattern cards, you’ll earn some points! The first player to match two pattern cards will be crowned the winner and prove their skill at untangling. Are you up for the challenge?
Ready, Set, Go!
Hey there! Let’s get started on the setup, shall we? First, mix up all those pattern cards and hand out three to each player. Remember, keep them hidden from one another. Now, let’s grab all those bulb and bubble bulb cards and shuffle them together. Leave out the broken bulb cards, by the way. Once they’re all mixed up, lay out 10 bulb cards in a neat row, face up. We call this row the “knot.”
Oh, don’t forget to include those broken bulbs in the deck. Shuffle ’em in and deal three to each player, face down. Got it? Great!
THE GAME
Okay, here’s how the game works. I’ll explain the different actions you can take on your turn: swap, exchange, draw, discard, and place.
SWAP
Let’s say you want to mix things up a bit. You can swap two pulp cards in the knot. Just remember, once you’ve swapped them, the next player can’t swap them back.
EXCHANGE
If you have a card in your hand that you don’t like, you can exchange it with one from the knot. It’s a great way to improve your hand.
DRAW
Now, if you want to add a new card to your hand, you can draw a bulb card from the deck. When you draw a card, you also have to place one card from your hand at either end of the knot. It keeps things interesting.
DISCARD
Let’s say you’re not happy with your current hand. No problem! You can discard your entire hand and draw three fresh cards. It’s like starting over.
PLACE
Lastly, you can place a card from your hand anywhere in the knot. It’s a way to strategically position your cards for future moves.
When you’re playing the game, you have the option to take a broken bulb card from your hand and place it on top of any bulb in the knot. This action removes both the broken bulb and the card it covered, which are then placed in the discard pile. By doing this, you also close the gap that was formed by sliding the bulbs together.
SCORING
After you perform your chosen action, it’s time to see if you can score any sequences. If there is a sequence in the knot that matches one of your pattern cards, you can remove those five cards from the knot and discard them. Make sure to reveal your pattern card and leave it face up for everyone to see.
To replace the cards you removed, draw five new ones and place them in the knot. If you happen to draw any broken bulbs during this time, just discard them.
If the draw pile ever runs out of cards, you can shuffle the discard pile and use it as the new draw pile. That way, the game can keep going!