Cards
Set online
Pass cards, collect a full set of one name and shout Set first. Any category you like.
Set guide
Pass cards around the table at the same time and race to collect a full set first.
What is Set?
Set is a card-passing party game for 3 to 6 players: everyone passes one card at the same time, trying to collect a full hand of one name, and the first to call Set scores the most. On DD Games you can play it free against 2 to 5 bots, pass one device around, or play online with friends.
Set is a fast family card game with no turns to wait for. Every pass, the whole table hands one card to the neighbour at once, so you are always choosing, always watching what arrives, and always one card away from shouting Set. It is not the pattern-matching card game of the same name: here you simply collect matching names.
DD Games deals cards from a category you choose (Birds, Animals, Fruits, Jobs, Countries or Vehicles), or from your own custom words, such as friends' names or inside jokes. The host also picks the pass direction, the pass timer and 1 to 10 rounds, and scores carry across rounds.
How to play Set
- Pick vs Bot to play against 2 to 5 bots, Same device to share one phone, or Online for 3 to 6 players, then choose a category or enter your own words.
- Each player is dealt as many cards as there are players, mixed across several names.
- Set the pass direction (clockwise or counter-clockwise), the pass timer (20, 25 or 30 seconds) and the number of rounds.
- Every pass, everyone secretly picks one card and locks it in. When everyone has picked, all the cards travel one seat in the chosen direction at once.
- Keep the name you are collecting and pass away the rest.
- As soon as all your cards show the same name, press Set to claim it before the others.
Rules
- The deck has as many different names as there are players, with one card of each name per player, so a full set is one card of a name per player.
- All passes happen at the same time; nobody sees what they will receive before choosing. A locked-in card cannot be changed for that pass.
- Passes are paced: cards never move sooner than 6 seconds after the previous pass, even if everyone picks instantly.
- When the pass timer runs out, anyone who has not locked in a card passes a random card from their hand (a card you had highlighted is sent instead). Same device games are untimed.
- The first Set in a round scores 1000 points, the second 500, the third 250, and so on, halving each time, but never less than 50 points.
- Calling Set without a full set is simply refused; there is no penalty.
- A player who has called Set stops passing; the round ends when only one player is left without a set, and that player scores 0.
- Totals carry across rounds, and the highest score at the end of the last round wins.
Tips and strategy
- Decide early which name to collect: pick the one you already hold the most of.
- Notice what keeps arriving from the player who passes to you; they are probably not collecting it.
- Lock in before the timer ends: a random card might be the one you needed.
- Do not hold on to two names for too long; splitting your hand slows you down.
- Press Set the instant your hand is complete: a single pass of hesitation can halve your score.
Questions
How do you play a card passing game like Set?
Everyone holds a hand of cards and, at the same moment, passes one card to the next player. You keep the name you are collecting, and the first to hold a full hand of one name calls Set.
How many players can play Set?
Three to six players: online in a room, against 2 to 5 bots, or sharing one device. Each player gets as many cards as there are players at the table.
Can I use my own words in Set?
Yes. Choose the custom option and enter 3 to 12 words of up to 20 characters, with at least as many words as players, such as friends' names or inside jokes.
How is Set scored?
The first player to call Set scores 1000, the next 500, then 250 and so on, never below 50. The last player without a complete set scores nothing that round.
What happens if I do not pick a card in time?
When the pass timer (20, 25 or 30 seconds) runs out, a random card from your hand is passed for you so the game keeps moving. Games against bots use the same timer.
Is this the same as the Set pattern card game?
No. DD Games' Set is a card-passing collecting game where you gather one name, not the game about spotting patterns in shapes and colours.
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