Limits

About this board game

Limits is a color-based card game for 2–6 players, played in about 45 minutes. Players track how many cards of each color have been played and compare those totals with maximums shown on a changing Limit Card.

Each player begins with five cards, each showing one of five colors. At the start of a round, players place one card face down to modify the round’s limits. The revealed Limit Card lists an allowable number for every color, from zero to unlimited.

During a turn, a player may play cards or challenge another player’s most recent play. To resolve a challenge, the last card played by the target is identified, and all discarded cards of that color are counted. The face-down limit-modifying cards are then revealed and added to the corresponding limit.

• If the total exceeds the color’s limit, the challenger gains 1 victory point and the challenged player loses 2.
• If the total does not exceed the limit, the scoring result is reversed.
• After a challenge, the discard pile is placed face down beneath the draw deck without shuffling.

When playing normally, a player places a card in the discard pile and draws a replacement. A player holding a set of four matching cards may instead draw two cards, discard two matching cards, place the other two on top of the draw deck, and receive a 1-point card bonus.

After each challenge, players return their limit-modifying cards to their hands and reveal a new Limit Card. The player who received the 2-point penalty plays first in the next round. The game ends when all Limit Cards have been played, and the player with the most victory points wins. In Limits, every challenge depends on reading the colors, tracking the totals, and judging when the evidence is in your favor.