Sorry Game Rules And Cards - Learning Board Games

Sorry is a board game for 2 to 4 players, where the goal is to get all of your pawns from the start space to the home space before your opponents do. You can move your pawns by drawing cards from a deck and following their instructions.

If you land in the same space as another player’s pawn, you can send it back to the start. Alternatively, you can use a Sorry card to switch places with one of your opponent’s pawns. The game is fun and easy to play, but it can also be challenging and strategic.

Sorry Cards

The Sorry game cards are the main way to control your pawns’ movements. The deck has 45 cards, with 11 different types of cards. Each card has a number or word that tells you how many spaces to move, either forward or backward.

Some cards have special actions like switching places with an opponent or moving a pawn from the start space. Some cards also let you draw another card or split your move between two pawns.

-->

The sorry cards are:

1: You can move a pawn from the start or move forward 1 space.
2: You can move a pawn from the start or move forward 2 spaces. You must draw again.
3: Move forward 3 spaces.
4: Move backward 4 spaces.
5: Move forward 5 spaces.
7: Move forward 7 spaces or split between 2 pawns (e.g. 3 spaces for one pawn, 4 spaces for another).
8: Move forward 8 spaces.
10: Move forward 10 spaces or move backward 1 space.
11: Move forward 11 spaces or switch places with an opponent. If you cannot move forward 11 spaces and there are no opponent pawns, you have two options. You can either swap with your partner or skip your turn.
12: Advance 12 steps ahead.
Sorry!: You have the option to keep this card for future use, or you can utilize it to send a rival’s pawn back to the beginning.

Sorry Rules

The game board has a track with 60 spaces around the edge, 5 of which are marked as “home” for each color. There’s also a “safety zone” for each color, which is a separate path of 5 spaces that leads to the home space. Only pawns of the same color can enter the safety zone.
The game uses a deck of 45 cards, which have numbers or words on them. The cards tell the players how to move their pawns on the board. The cards are shuffled and placed face down on the card spot on the board.
The players take turns drawing a card from the deck and following sorry game instructions. They can move one of their pawns from the start space or from the board, depending on the card. Some cards allow the players to do special actions, such as switching places with an opponent or bumping an opponent’s pawn back to the start space.
The players can only move their pawns forward unless the card says otherwise. They can also only move their pawns to empty spaces unless they land on an opponent’s pawn. If they do, they can bump the opponent’s pawn back to the start space and take its place. This is called a “slide”.
The players cannot bump their own pawns or their partner’s pawns (if playing in teams). They also cannot bump an opponent’s pawn that is in the safety zone or the home space.
The players can only enter the safety zone with an exact number of spaces to move. For example, if a player is 3 spaces away from the safety zone, they can only enter it with a card that says 3, not 4 or 5. They can also only enter the home space with an exact number of spaces to move. For example, if a player is 2 spaces away from the home space, they can only enter it with a card that says 2, not 3 or 4.
The first player to get all 4 of their pawns into the home space wins the game. If playing in teams, the first team to get all 8 of their pawns into the home space wins the game.

How to Play Sorry Game

Here are the steps to play the Sorry game from beginning to end:

Step 1: Set up the game. Choose a color and place your 4 pawns on the start space of the same color. Shuffle the deck of cards and place it face down on the card spot on the board. Decide who will go first. You can use a dice, a coin, or any other method to determine the order of play.
Step 2: Start the game. The first player draws a card from the deck and follows its instructions. They can move one of their pawns from the start space or from the board, depending on the card. If the card says “Sorry!”, they can use it to bump an opponent’s pawn back to the start space and take its place.
If the card says “2”, they must draw another card after moving. If the card says “7”, they can split their move between two pawns. If the card says “11”, they can switch places with an opponent or move forward 11 spaces. If the card says “4”, they must move backward 4 spaces. If the card does not allow them to move any of their pawns, they must discard it and end their turn.
Step 3: Continue the game. The next player draws a card and follows the same rules as the first player. The game continues clockwise until one player gets all 4 of their pawns into the home space. If the deck runs out of cards, reshuffle the discard pile and use it as the new deck.
Step 4: End the game. The first player to get all 4 of their pawns into the home space wins the game. If playing in teams, the first team to get all 8 of their pawns into the home space wins the game. Congratulate the winner and enjoy the game.

Slide Rules in Sorry

These are the sorry rules for sliding that apply when a pawn lands on a triangle space at the beginning of a slide that shows a different color than the pawn. The pawn slides to the end of the slide and bumps any pawns in its way, including its own, back to their start spaces. If a pawn lands on a triangle space that shows its own color, it does not slide and stays on the triangle.

Sorry Fire and Ice Rules

These are the rules that apply when using the special fire and ice power-up tokens in the Sorry game. The fire token lets a player move an extra pawn from their start space to their home space, and the ice token freezes a pawn and prevents it from being bumped or sent back. The tokens can be moved to different pawns by drawing certain cards.

Sorry Game Pieces

These are the pieces that each player uses to move around the board in the Sorry game. Each player has four pawns of one color and places them on their start space. The pawns are moved by drawing cards and following their instructions. The pawns can jump over, bump, or switch places with other pawns, depending on the cards and the rules.

Rules for Sorry with Fire and Ice

These are the same as the classic rules for Sorry, except that they also include the use of the fire and ice power-up tokens, as explained above. The objective is to be the first player to move all four pawns to their home space. This can be achieved by using cards and tokens to either slow down or assist their progress.

Other Games Explained

FAQs

How do you start the game of sorry?

The youngest player goes first and draws a card from the deck. They can move one of their pawns from the start space or from the board, depending on the card. The game continues clockwise with each player drawing a card and moving their pawns.

How do you win the sorry game?

The game is won by the first player who successfully moves all four of their pieces into their color’s home square. If playing in teams, the first team to get all eight of their pawns into the home space wins the game.

What are the special cards and what do they do?

The special cards are the ones that have words on them, such as Sorry, 2, 7, and 11. The Sorry card lets you bump an opponent’s pawn back to the start space and take its place. The 2 card lets you draw another card after moving. The 7 card lets you split your move between two pawns. The 11 card lets you switch places with an opponent or move forward 11 spaces.

What are the slides and how do they work?

The slides are the colored paths that have triangles at the beginning and end. If you land on a triangle that is a different color than your pawn, you slide to the end and bump any pawns in your way back to the start space. If you land on a triangle that is the same color as your pawn, you do not slide and stay on the triangle.

What are the fire and ice tokens?

The fire and ice tokens are the special power-up tokens that can be used in the game. The fire token lets you move an extra pawn from your start space to your home space. The ice token freezes a pawn and prevents it from being bumped or sent back. The tokens can be moved to different pawns by drawing certain cards.