HOW TO PLAY SMACKarang

Watch the quick tutorial, review the rules, and find clarifications—all in one place.

Prefer written rules?
Scroll down for the 1-Minute Quick Start, Full Official Rules, and FAQs.

1-MINUTE QUICK RULES

Goal:
Be the first player to get rid of all your cards by matching colors or weapon types and using Character Cards to shake things up.

Setup:

3–6 players
Shuffle and deal 7 cards to each player
Place the rest face-down as the draw pile
Flip a Weapon Card to start the discard pile (not a Character Card)
Youngest player goes first. Play moves left.

On Your Turn:
Play one card that matches the top card by color or weapon type.

If you can’t play, draw 1 card. If it’s playable, you may play it immediately. Otherwise, keep it and end your turn.

Character Cards:
Character Cards follow the same matching rules, but they can always be played on top of another Character Card. Each Character has a unique power—see the full official rules below for what each Character does.

Important Rule:
If you have a card you can play, you must play it. You may only draw when you have no valid plays.

Smacklash (Smackdown Challenge):
Smacklash can be played on any card, but you must also play a Weapon Card with it. Starting with the next player, everyone must play a Weapon Card of that same color.

If someone can’t, they draw 3 cards and the challenge stops—you’re safe.
If everyone succeeds, you get smacked and draw 6 cards.

Winning:
The first player to get rid of all their cards wins.
If your last card is Smacklash, the challenge must fully resolve before you can win—and another player can still win during the challenge.

FULL OFFICIAL RULES

Content
72 Weapon Cards
28 Character Cards
Total: 100 cards

Object of the Game
Be the first player to get rid of all your cards by matching colors or weapons while using Character Cards to outplay your opponents.

Setup

Players: 3–6
Shuffle the deck.
Deal 7 cards to each player.
Place the rest of the cards face-down as the draw pile.
Flip a card face-up until you reveal a Weapon Card to start the discard pile. The game cannot start with a Character Card.
The youngest player goes first (let’s be honest, it’s because they’ve spent the least time learning patience).
Play moves to the left around the table.

On Your Turn:
Play one card if it matches the top card of the discard pile by either color or weapon type. Example: If a yellow weapon is on top, you may play any yellow card or any card with that same weapon symbol.

If you cannot play, draw 1 card from the draw pile. If it can be played, you may immediately play it. If not, keep it and your turn ends.

Character Cards follow the same matching rules unless played on top of another Character Card (see Character Card rules below).

Character Card Rules:
There are two ways to play a Character Card:

A Character Card can only be played on its own color Weapon Card.
• Example: If a red Weapon Card is on top of the discard pile, you may play Crash (the red Character Card).
A Character Card can be played on top of any other Character Card, regardless of color.
• Example: If Flick (orange) was just played, the next player may play Twistie (purple), or they may play an orange Weapon Card to match Flick.

General Rule of Play:

If you have a card you can play, you must play it.
You cannot choose to draw instead of playing a valid card.

🟣 TWISTIE – Swap all cards with any player.
Choose any opponent and exchange your entire hand of cards with theirs. After playing Twistie, the next player must play either a Purple Weapon Card or any Character Card to continue the game.

🟠 FLICK – Play up to 2 cards of the same color.
You may immediately play 1 or 2 Weapon Cards from your hand, but they must be the same color. You cannot play another Character Card when using Flick.

🟡 GLITCH – All players pass cards left.
Every player gives their entire hand to the player on their left.

🟢 BOUNCE – Skip the next player and pick a color.
The next player’s turn is skipped. You then call the color that the following player must play. You do not play a card after using Bounce. After Bounce is played, the next card played by any player must be either the picked color Weapon Card or any Character Card.

🔴 CRASH – Everyone else draws 1 card.
All other players must each draw 1 card from the draw pile, in turn order, starting with the player to the left of the person who played Crash. No player may play a card during this sequence for any reason. After all players have drawn, play resumes with the player immediately after the one who played Crash.

🔵 ZIP – Choose any player to go next.You decide who takes the next turn. Play then continues to the left from that player.

⚫ SMACKLASH
See next Section for Details ⬇️

⚫ SMACKLASH – Smackdown Challenge (The villain of the deck bringing chaos to everyone.)

Smacklash is not tied to any specific color. It can be played on any Weapon or Character Card. When you play Smacklash, you MUST also play a Weapon Card from your hand (not a Character Card). The color of that Weapon Card determines the challenge.

Starting with the next player, each player must play a Weapon Card of that same color. Character Cards cannot be played during this challenge. (You are matching by color only, not by weapon type.)

If a player cannot play, they must draw 3 cards. Cards drawn this way cannot be played immediately.

The challenge continues around the table until it comes back to you (the original Smacklash player):

If every player successfully plays a Weapon Card, you get "smacked" (no real smacking—just cards) and must draw 6 cards. The Smackdown Challenge then ends, and play continues with the next player, starting from the last Weapon Card played.

If at least one player had to draw, you’re safe, and play resumes with you. You play off the last Weapon Card played as a normal turn. If you can’t play, draw 1 card as usual.

How to Win the Game:

The first player to play all their cards wins the game.
You may finish on either a Weapon Card or a Character Card.
But beware—Character Cards can change the winner.
- Example: If your last card is Glitch, everyone passes their hand left, which could make another player the winner instead of you.
Smacklash exception: If you play Smacklash as your last card, your turn is not complete until the Smackdown Challenge is resolved.
- If the challenge fails and you are smacked, you must draw the required 6 cards and the game continues.
- If another player plays their final card during the Smackdown Challenge, that player immediately wins the game, even though the Smacklash player has no cards in hand.

Q: Can I choose to draw instead of playing a card in my hand?
A: No. If you have a card you can play, you must play it.

Q: Can I end the game on a Character Card
A: Yes. But remember—some Character Cards (like Glitch or Bounce) can still change who wins!

Q: What happens if my last card is Smacklash?
A: When you play Smacklash, you MUST also play a Weapon Card from your hand (not a Character Card). If you can’t play a Weapon Card with it, you must draw 1 instead of playing Smacklash. If Smacklash is your last card, your turn is not complete until the Smackdown Challenge is fully resolved. If you are smacked, you must draw the required 6 cards and the game continues. If another player plays their last card during the Smackdown Challenge, that player immediately wins. Otherwise, if the challenge ends and you are not smacked, you win the game.

Q: What happens if two players go out in the same Smackdown Challenge?
A: The player who would go out first in turn order wins.

Q: Can I play the cards I draw during Smacklash?
A: No. Cards drawn as a penalty in the Smackdown Challenge cannot be played immediately.

Q: Can I play a Character Card on top of another Character Card?
A: Yes. Any Character Card can be played on top of any other Character Card, regardless of color.

Q: What happens if the draw pile runs out
A: Shuffle the discard pile (except the top card) to form a new draw pile.

Q: Who goes first in the next round?
A: The winner of the previous round goes first. Play then moves to the left around the table.

Official Rules & Clarifications

This page contains the most up-to-date rules for SMACKarang, including official clarifications and examples that may not appear in the printed rulebook. If anything in the physical rules and this page ever differ, the rules on this page take priority.

Still have a question? If something isn’t covered here or needs further clarification, feel free to reach out through our contact form and we’ll be happy to help.

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Ages 8+ | 3–6 Players | 15+ Min Play

Created by Rivora Games, a company focused on family-first card games that bring people together.