Sorry! (game) facts for kids
Sorry! is a fun board game for two to four players. It's a bit like the older game called Ludo. In Sorry!, each player tries to move their colored game pieces, called pawns, all the way around the board and safely into their "Home" area. The game gets its name from how players can send each other's pawns back to the start, often with a playful "Sorry!"
A 1950s edition of the game
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| Publisher(s) |
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|---|---|
| Publication date | 1934 |
| Players | 2–4 |
| Setup time | 1–5 minutes |
| Random chance | High (card drawing) |
| Skill(s) required | |
Contents
- Discovering Sorry! The Classic Board Game
- See also
Discovering Sorry! The Classic Board Game
How to Play Sorry!: Game Objective
The main goal in Sorry! is to be the first player to get all your pawns from your "Start" area, around the game board, and into your "Home" space. Most of the time, pawns move forward in a clockwise direction. However, some special cards can make them move backward! You draw cards to see how many spaces your pawns can move.
The game board is a square with paths for all players. Each player has their own colored "Start" and "Home" areas. There are also special "Safety Zones" which are paths leading to your Home. These zones protect your pawns. You'll also find "Slides" on the board, which can send pawns quickly across many spaces.
The Story Behind Sorry!: Game History
The game Sorry! was first created by William Henry Storey in England. He registered it as a trade mark in 1929. The British company Waddingtons started selling the game in the United Kingdom in 1934.
In the United States, William Henry Storey also filed for a patent for Sorry! in 1930. The game was then adopted by Parker Brothers in 1934. Today, Hasbro continues to publish and sell Sorry! around the world.
Understanding Sorry! Rules: Classic Gameplay
To start, each player picks a color and takes four pawns, placing them in their "Start" area. Players take turns drawing one card from the deck.
- Getting Started: You can only move a pawn out of your "Start" area onto the main board if you draw a 1, a 2, or a Sorry! card. A 1 or 2 card places a pawn on the space right outside Start.
- Moving Pawns: You must move a pawn if you can. If you have several choices, you pick the best one. If you can't make any moves, your turn ends.
- Jumping and Bumping: Your pawn can jump over any other pawn on the board. If your pawn lands on a space already taken by an opponent's pawn, that opponent's pawn is "bumped" all the way back to their own "Start" area! You cannot bump your own pawns.
- Slides: If your pawn lands on the start of a "Slide" (that isn't your own color), it immediately slides to the end of that path. Any pawns, including your own, on those slide spaces are sent back to their "Start" areas.
- Safety Zones: The last five spaces before your "Home" are your "Safety Zone." Only pawns of your color can enter this zone. Once inside, your pawns are safe from being bumped or switched by opponents.
- Going Home: To move a pawn into its "Home" space, you must draw a card with the exact number of spaces needed. Once a pawn is Home, it stays there. The first player to get all their pawns Home wins the game!
Sorry! Cards: What Each Card Does
The classic deck has 45 cards. There are five "1" cards and four of each other card (Sorry!, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, and 12). The numbers 6 and 9 are not used to avoid confusion.
| Card | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Move a pawn from Start, or move a pawn one space forward. |
| 2 | Move a pawn from Start, or move a pawn two spaces forward. Drawing a 2 also lets you draw another card and take an extra turn. |
| 3 | Move a pawn three spaces forward. |
| 4 | Move a pawn four spaces backward. |
| 5 | Move a pawn five spaces forward. |
| 7 | Move one pawn seven spaces forward, or split the seven spaces between two of your pawns. You cannot use a 7 to move a pawn out of Start. You must use all seven spaces. |
| 8 | Move a pawn eight spaces forward. |
| 10 | Move a pawn ten spaces forward or one space backward. If you can't move forward 10, you must move one pawn back one space. |
| 11 | Move eleven spaces forward, or switch places with one of your pawns and an opponent's pawn. You cannot switch with a pawn in a Safety Zone or move a pawn out of Start. |
| 12 | Move a pawn twelve spaces forward. |
| Sorry! | Take any one of your pawns from Start and move it to a space occupied by an opponent's pawn, sending their pawn back to their Start. You cannot use a Sorry! card on a pawn in a Safety Zone or Home. If you have no pawns in Start or no opponent pawns to bump, your turn ends. |
Winning Strategies for Sorry!
Playing Sorry! involves a mix of luck and smart choices. Here are some tips:
- Splitting a 7: The 7 card is powerful because you can split its movement between two pawns. This can help you get two pawns closer to Home or even land one on a slide!
- Watch Opponents' Starts: Try not to leave your pawns right in front of an opponent's Start space. Many cards allow them to bring new pawns onto the board, and you might get bumped!
- Hold a Pawn: Sometimes, it's smart to keep one pawn in your "Start" area while moving others. This way, you're ready to use a Sorry! card to bump an opponent when the chance comes.
- Be Ready for Changes: Cards like the 11 (switching places), 4 (moving backward), and Sorry! can change the game very quickly. Even if you're far behind, you can catch up!
- Slow Down the Leader: If an opponent is close to winning, it can be a good strategy to use a Sorry! or an 11 card to send them back, even if it doesn't help your own pawns move forward much. This keeps them out of their "Safety Zone" and "Home."
Fun Ways to Play: Sorry! Game Variants
Over the years, different versions of Sorry! have been created to add new twists to the game.
Point-Scoring Sorry! Explained
In some older versions, players could play "Point-Scoring Sorry!" In this game, players get a hand of cards and score points at the end. You earn points for each pawn you get Home. The winner also gets bonus points based on how many pawns their opponents got Home.
Team Play in Sorry!
You can also play Sorry! in teams of two! Usually, players with colors on opposite sides of the board (like Red and Yellow, or Blue and Green) team up. Your team plays as if you have eight pawns together. For example, the yellow player can move a red pawn. If one partner gets all their pawns Home, they can then use their turns to help their teammate. The first team to get all eight pawns Home wins!
Sorry! with Fire and Ice Power-Ups
The 2013 edition of Sorry! introduced "Fire" and "Ice" power-ups. These special items can be placed on pawns and change how they move. "Fire" lets a pawn move quickly, while "Ice" can stop a pawn from moving or being removed from the board. This version also changed some card rules, like allowing pawns to move from Start with any positive number card.
Sorry! in the Digital World: Video Games
Sorry! has also been made into video games! A computer game version was released in 1998, and a handheld electronic game came out in 1996. There's also a game called Bump 'Em in the Hoyle Table Games collection, which is very similar to Sorry! but uses bumper cars instead of pawns.
Sorry! Express: A Quick Dice Game
Sorry! Express is a faster, travel-friendly version of the game that uses dice instead of cards. It has three dice, four home bases, a start base, and sixteen pawns. Players roll the dice, and each die can show a color, "Sorry!", "Wild Pawn", or "Slide".
- Color pawn: Take a pawn of that color. If it matches your home base, put it in your home section.
- Sorry!: Take a pawn from an opponent's home section.
- Wild Pawn: Take any color pawn from the start base or waiting areas.
- Slide: Change the color of your own or someone else's home section.
The first player to get four pawns of the same color into their home section wins! This version was re-released in 2021 as Sorry! Diced!.
See also
In Spanish: Sorry! para niños
- List of cross and circle games
- Mensch ärgere Dich nicht
- Ludo
