How to Play the Sequence Board Game

An exciting game of strategy for 2 to 12 players aged 7 and up

I had heard so much about the game Sequence Board Game that I was considering putting it on our Christmas list. Then I saw it in one of my favorite second-hand shops–and I snapped it up right away. It was missing one deck of cards but we didn’t mind–that’s an easy fix.

You can play Sequence as a dice game in Sequence Dice too. And if you can’t find a copy of the game, you can make your own Sequence board with these instructions.

Sequence is a great game for a group as it has flexible amount of players. It fits in with our favorite group games like Apples to Apples, Cheat card game and Ohio dice game.

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Sequence Players

Sequence can be played with two or three players or in teams in multiples of two or three up to 12 players. If there are one to three players, everyone plays on their own. For four players there are 2 teams of 2. For six players, two teams of three. Eight players are two teams of four. Next if you have nine players you have three teams of three. Ten payers are two teams of five. Last, 12 players are three teams of three.

The Object of Sequnce

The object of the game is pretty simple: get five tokens in a row (a sequence) or 2 five token lines (2 sequences) depending on the number of players. Sequences can be horizontal, vertical or diagonal. A token can be used in more than one Sequence at a time.

Special Spaces

There are four special spaces on the Sequence board. The four corners are considered wild. They can be used by multiple teams at the same time. A token is not used to claim.

Deciding Who Goes First

A member from each team cuts the deck. The team with the lowest number deals and the team with the highest number plays first.

Dealing

How many cards each player gets depends on how many players are playing.
2 players = seven cards.
3 or 4 players = six cards.
6 players = five cards.
8 players = four cards.
10 players = three cards.
12 players = three cards.

Set up

Players sit around the Sequence game board in an alternating pattern with tokens in front of them.

How to Play Sequence

A player looks at his hand and chooses a spot on the Sequence game board that matches. There are two of each card on the board in different places. The player chooses the one that is most strategic and places one of his tokens on that place on the board. Then, he discards the card form his hand and picks a card from the draw pile. If you forget to pick up a card, then you are down a card for the rest of the game. If both spaces of a card that you have in your hand are taken, you say “dead card” and discard and draw a new card. You can only do this once per turn.

Special Cards

A one eyed Jack card allows you to remove any token on the board except for a token that is already in a completed Sequence.
A two eyed Jack card is wild and allows you to place a token on any unoccupied space on the game board.

Special Rules

There is absolutely no table talk amongst team members. If a team is found to be guilty of table talk, sharing info about cards they have or what space they should play, every member of the team loses a card in their hand for the remainder of the game.

Winning Sequence

If there are two players or two teams, then you need 2 Sequences to win. On the other hand, if there are three players or three teams, only one Sequence is needed to win.

What we Liked

The rules are simple enough for everyone to play. The first time we played on the wooden board, I believe our youngest was five and she played with little trouble. There were a few random placements of tokens that made it interesting.
The flexible number of players is a really nice feature. We have played with two, three and two teams. It feels like a different game when you play in pairs than when you play individually. We prefer at least four players but love that we can play when someone is missing.
The game length is pretty good–long enough to play just once but short enough to play a couple of times in a row for an afternoon or game night.

What we Didn’t Like

The only complaint we have with this game is that it’s sometimes hard to find both cards on the board, making some turns take a long time.

Is Sequence Worth Adding to your Family Game Shelf?

Sequence is a great family game. The box age says seven and up. I would agree with that age, although younger kids can play too. This classic family game has seen many forms–jumbo Sequence, Travel Sequence, Sequence Dice, even a Harry Potter Sequence. There are many other themes to Sequence too. I can see why; with it’s simple to follow rules, easy strategy that can be simple or more complex, and the multiplayer options, Sequence is a keeper and well worth being adding to your Family Game Shelf.

You can get your copy of Sequence here, there are plenty of options for shopping this game. Canadians can shop for Sequence here. If you need a Sequence board you can get your for free in our Fun Library. And you can learn how to play Sequence Dice here and how to make your own Sequence game here.
If you’re looking for other game reviews, click here.
For dice games, click here.
And don’t forget to check out other card games here.

Rating:

Pros: easy to play, multiplayer options, great for the whole family
Cons: adults might tire of it after a few too many rounds
Mom: strategy, critical thinking