Honor System

Compatibility

Mattel 1996

Object:

Match the most Compatibility Image cards with your partner. With each correct match, score points and move along the track on the game board. The first team to reach the end of the track wins.

Contains:

6 colored movers (red, white, yellow, blue, purple, green)
100 topic cards
1 die
6 decks of 54 cards (52 Image cards, 2 Double Up cards)
1 gameboard

Setup:

Compatibility can be played by up to three teams. The teams are as follows:

      1. The Red/White team. 
      2. The Blue/Yellow team.
      3. The Green/Purple team.

Players form teams of two people each. (If you have an odd number of players see the Special Rules for Individual Play on page 3 of these instructions.) Each team takes the following:

Red/White team 
   - Snap the Red marker and White marker together
   - One teammate gets the Red on White deck of Image cards 
   - One teammate gets the White on Red deck of Image cards 

Blue/Yellow team 
   - Snap the Blue marker and the Yellow marker together
   - One teammate gets the Blue on Yellow deck of Image cards 
   - One teammate gets the Yellow on Blue deck of Image cards 

Green /Purple team 
   - Snap the Green marker and the Purple marker together
   - One teammate gets the Green on Purple deck of Image cards 
   - One teammate gets the Purple on Green deck of Image cards

Each team selects matching decks of Image cards and markers as outlined above. The pairs of markers link by snapping their bases together (fig 1.)

All teams place their linked markers at the start position on the track. Place the topic cards in two stacks face down on the board. Each player takes their own deck of Image cards which correspond with their partner's deck.

NOTE: All the Compatihility Image cards have identical pictures, words, and colors on them, so all players will select cards from the exact same assortment.

NOTE: Put all Double Up cards away in tbe box. The Double Up cards are used only with tbe Double Up Challenge option explained at the end of tbe rules.

Gameplay:

The Topic is read...
Pick any team to start. Either partner from that team rolls the die and chooses a topic card. The number rolled on the die determines what word is to be read from the topic card.

The Players Choose...
Once the topic is read, all players scan through their Image card decks looking for Image cards which best express their associations with the chosen topic. All teams play simultaneously. The amount of Image card(s) chosen by any player is equal to the number (1-5) on the space which their team's marker occupies on the gameboard track.

NOTE: Partners will always choose the same number of Image cards. However, different teams may not always choose the same number of cards because their team's marker may occupy a different space on the track.

Beginning on the "start" space, all players choose 5 cards. The Image cards must be arranged so that the card with the strongest association is first and the card with the weakest association is last. Partners place their Image cards face down opposite one another in front of them.

The Cards are revealed...
Starting with the team that picked the topic card, partners flip over their Image cards, one at a time, starting with the first card and so on.

Scoring...
Image cards that match in the same position are called Direct matches and score 3 points. Cards that match but are in different positions are called Indirect matches and score 2 points (fig 2).

The remaining teams reveal their Image cards in turn as described above.

Example: "Image B is a Direct match and is worth 3 points. Image C is an Indirect match and is worth 2 points. The total score for this team on this round is 5 points."

Moving the markers...
After all player's Image cards have been revealed, each team moves their marker one space for each point scored. More than one marker may occupy the same space on the track.

NOTE: Pay attention to the numeral on the new space your team's marker is on. This way you will know how many Image cards to choose in the next round. The more cards you are allowed to choose, the easier it is to make matches and thus more ahead on the track.

Winning...
The first team to reach the end of the track with their marker is the winner. You do not have to reach the end of the track by exact count. If two teams both reach the end of the track in the same round than the teams involved play one or more playoff rounds until one team outscores the other.

For added fun try these optional rules...
- Random Players - Randomly pass out the markers and team up based on the color combinations listed on page 1. When playing with four players, take one team combination i.e., Red/White and place aside, out of the game.

- Double Up Challenge - Double Up cards are provided to play a special version of Compatibility. Each team should take three Double Up cards - each card can be played once per game. Place the extra Double Up cards back in the box. A team places a Double Up card next to a speciflc image card BEFORE the cards are revealed. If the Image cards are the same, your score is doubled and 6 points (not 3 points) are earned. In other words, the score for that Direct match is double, otherwise, all scoring remains the same. Only a Direct match scores double, an Indirect match remains 2 points. Double Up cards are discarded after use.

Special Rules for Individual Play (for 3, 4, 5, or 6 players)

Object:

Match the most cards. With each correct match, move along the track on the board. The first player to reach the end of the track wins.

Set Up:

Each player takes a Compatibility Image deck of cards and the color mover which matches the figure design on the back of that deck. All players place their own markers at the start space on the track. Place the topic cards in 2 stacks face down on the board.

NOTE: All the Compatibility Image decks have identical pictures, words, and colors on them, so all players will select cards from the exact same assortment.

NOTE: Put all Double Up cards away in the box. The Double Up cards are used only with the Double Up Challenge option explained at the end of the rules.

Gameplay:

The Matcher goes...
Each player takes turns acting as "the Matcher". The Matcher rolls the die and turns over the topic card. The number rolled determines what word is to be read on the topic card. The Matcher now reads aloud the word and chooses five Image cards which best express their associations with the announced topic. The Matcher than arranges the five cards from the strongest association to the weakest association and places them face down on the table.

The players choose...
While the Matcher is choosing his/her cards, all the rest of the players choose Image cards from their decks which best express their associations with the announced topic. The number of cards each player chooses is determined by the number on the space occupied by their mover.

The Cards are revealed...
Now the Matcher and all the players reveal their strongest association card first and so on. Player's cards which match with the Matcher's cards in the same position are called Direct matches and score 3 points. Player's cards which match the Matcher's, but are in different locations are called Indirect matches and score two points. (fig. 3)

Example: Image B is a Direct match and scores 3 points for the Red player Image C is an Indirect match and scores 2 points for the Red player. No points would he scored for image E."

Moving the markers...
After all cards have been revealed, players move their markers forward on the track one space for each point scored. In the above example the Red player moves ahead 5 spaces on the track. More than one marker may occupy the same space on the board. The Matcher does not score any poilats for this round. The player to the left of the Matcher now becomes the new Matcher for the next round.

NOTE: The more cards you are allowed to choose, the easier it is to make matches and thus move ahead on the track.

Winning...
The first player to reach the end of the track with their marker is the winner. You do not have to reach the end of the track by exact count. If two markers reach the end of the track in the same round, than the players involved play one or more playoff rounds until one player outscores the other. A player not involved in the playoff rounds would be the "Matcher" for these rounds.

For added fun try this variation...
- Double Up Challenge - Double Up cards are provided to play a special version of Compatibility. Each player gets two Double Up cards - each card can be played once per game. A Double Up card is played next to a specific image card BEFORE the cards are revealed. If the Image cards turn out to be a Direct match with the Matcher, your score is doubled and 6 points are scored (not 3 points), otherwise, all scoring is unchanged. Only a Direct match scores double, an Indirect match remains 2 points. Double Up cards are discarded after use.