Point Salad rules: how to play and how to score

Point Salad quick rules

The goal

Every card has two sides: a veggie on one, a point card on the other. You collect cards to build your salad, all the veggies in front of you. At the end, each point card you own scores based on the veggies in your salad, and the most points wins.

The components

There are six veggies: lettuce, tomato, carrot, pepper, onion and cabbage. In the center, three piles show their point side, and below each pile, two cards are flipped to their veggie side: that’s the veggie market. With fewer than six players, you remove cards before starting.

A turn

On your turn, take the top point card of one of the three piles, or two veggie cards from the market, of the same kind or not. Put what you took face up in front of you, and your turn is over.

Flipping a point card

Once per turn, you may also flip one of your point cards to turn it into a veggie, whether you took it this turn or earlier. It’s a free action, on top of your choice. The veggie is shown in the card’s corners. You can never flip a veggie into a point card.

End of turn and the market

After your choice, refill the market: each empty space gets the card from the pile in its column, flipped to its veggie side. If a pile runs out, cut the biggest pile in half, and the bottom half replaces the empty pile. Then it’s the next player’s turn, clockwise.

The end of the game

The game ends when all the cards from the piles and the market have been taken. For each point card you own, look at your whole salad, all your visible veggies, and apply the card’s condition.

Scoring

One veggie can count for several point cards, and a point card scores as many times as its condition is met. Veggies that match no point card score nothing. For a “most” or “fewest” card, on a tie, the card’s owner scores. On a final tie, the player who played last wins.

Beginner traps

Don’t flip all your point cards too fast: a flipped point card no longer scores. Watch the other players’ veggies: a “most” card depends on what they have. And you can never turn a veggie into a point card.

How to score Point Salad

“Per veggie” cards

The cards that pay for each veggie of one kind (2 per lettuce…), penalties included. The total can be negative.

Pairs, trios and sets

The cards that pay for a combination of veggies, or for a set of every kind.

Even / odd

The cards that pay depending on whether you have an even or odd number of a veggie.

Most / fewest

The “most…” and “fewest…” cards, for one veggie or in total. On a tie, every tied player who owns the card scores its points.

Other scoring cards

Missing kinds, at least N of each kind, and the rest.

Tie-breaker

If points are tied, the player who played last in turn order wins.

Worked example

Emma scores 8 points from her “per veggie” cards, 15 from pairs and sets, 7 from even / odd, 10 from a “most…” card and 3 from her other point cards: 8 + 15 + 7 + 10 + 3 = 43 points.

Common mistakes

• Counting a veggie for just one point card: it counts for all of them.
• Scoring a point card only once: it scores as many times as its condition is met.
• Scoring a flipped point card: once it’s a veggie, it no longer scores.
• Forgetting penalties: some “per veggie” cards make you lose points.

How to set up Point Salad

Setup takes about 3 minutes. How many cards you remove depends on the number of players.