SET Super Rules

Rules that make sense, unlike the official ones.

Why We Created Our Rules

The original SET rules are as simple as they are confusing: "Lay out twelve cards on the table. If a player finds a SET, the dealer replaces the three cards with new ones. If no sets are found, the dealer adds more cards." These rules left many details unclear, making the game difficult to play smoothly. For instance: What happens if a SET is found while laying out cards? How should we handle false SET calls? How are points scored? And what if the dealer’s flip technique gives some players an advantage?

Over the course of a year playing during lunch breaks, we refined the rules to make gameplay more enjoyable and eliminate confusion. And don't worry, even with these rules there's still plenty of room for heated debates! That's what SET does to you!

Super Rules

  1. Every player a dealer: Divide the deck into piles for each player. Each player gets a pile to draw from. (No need for precise dealing; just roughly equal piles.)
  2. Turn based: Going clockwise, when a player is ready, he takes a card off his stack, moves it face down to a free spot on the card grid and flips it. Ideally, all players see the card face at the same time. Flipping technique is not to be underestimated. Bad flippers can be called out and booed! If bad flipping persists, they might lose their flipping privileges.
  3. Eternal SET searching: Everyone looks continuously for a SET.
  4. SET Found: At any point, if a player spots a SET, they shout "SET" and point out the three SET cards.
    • If they correctly identified a SET, they take one of the three cards as a point, while the remaining two cards go to the discard pile.
    • If they were mistaken, the cards stay on the table, and the SET caller must put one of their points on the discard pile. If they have no points, they cannot call SET again until another player has correctly identified one.
    • If the SET caller delays pointing out the SET (suggesting they may have made an error), another player may take one of their points to put it in the discard pile. If that point card touches the pile before the SET is pointed out, the point is lost and anyone can call SET again (including the player that just lost a point).
    • If multiple players call SET at the same time, the others decide who was first. If no agreement is reached, both players earn a point. However, if one cannot identify the SET, they give up a point, and the other player must identify it correctly.

    (Simultaneous SET calls can spark debates. Ideally, we would use a voice recorder to review audio or implement a button press or table slam to mark the first caller.)

    Tip: An alternative to yelling SET is to touch one of the three cards of a SET. Touching it first is equivalent to yelling SET.

  5. Super Round: At any time before a flip, a player can call a super round. Other players may choose to join or not.
    • A super round starts with the next card flip. It implies that participating players have ten seconds during which only they can call SET while the other players count down the seconds.
    • If a super round player calls SET during this period and correctly points it out, they receive all three SET cards as points.
    • If they cannot show a valid SET, they lose two points.
    • After ten seconds, if no SET has been identified, each super round player who couldn’t find a SET must pay one point to the bank.
    • The game then resumes with everyone eligible to call SET as usual.

    Super rounds are useful when:

    • The game is close to ending, and a player wants a last chance to catch up on points.
    • There are many cards on the table, and the next flip is likely to reveal a SET easily.

    Debatable Rule: Must a SET found during a super round include the just-flipped card? If not, a player how sees a SET can pretend like he doesn't and call super round to capitalize on it...IF other players don't see the SET in the meantime of course.

  6. Comments:
    • It's good to store points face up, to not confuse the pile with a player's draw pile.
    • As the cards from a SET get split up (point cards, discard cards), the discard pile and points pile are shuffled by default. A new game of SET does not need cards to be shuffled extensively!
    • One round per games night / lunch is recommended. When a full game is played, often the mood is good and the adrenalinen high. The mistake is made to play another round. Halfway that round the momentum is lost and people are fed up with it.