Official Partners Game Rules

Last Updated on March 1, 2026 by The Official Game Rules Team

Partners is a strategic team-based board game for four players. Each participant is paired with a diagonal partner on the board, and both players must work together to move all of their pawns into their goal zone before the opposing team does. Here’s a breakdown of the official Partners game rules:

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How to Play Partners

Overview

Partners is a team-based race game built on hand management, card interaction, and positional strategy. Each player has four pawns and a hand of cards that determine how they move on the board. Players must use their cards to advance their own pawns, protect their teammate, block their opponents, and make use of powerful special actions like backward movement and swaps. Coordination with your partner is essential, as cards are exchanged each round and used to assist each other once all of one player’s pawns are secured in the goal zone.

Objective

The objective of Partners is for a team of two players to move all of their pawns—four per player—into their designated goal zones before the opposing team does. Victory requires smart card play, strategic cooperation, and tactical disruption of your opponents.

Setup

  1. Board Placement: Place the board at the center of the table.
  2. Team Assignment: Diagonal players are partners:
    • Yellow & Blue are one team.
    • Red & Green are the other.
  3. Pawn Placement: Each player receives four pawns of their chosen color, placed in their matching home base area on the board.
  4. Dealing Cards: Shuffle the full deck of movement cards. Deal 4 cards to each player. Keep the remaining deck next to the board as a draw pile.
  5. Card Exchange: Each player secretly selects one card and passes it face-down to their partner. Partners exchange cards simultaneously, without revealing card values to opponents.
Group of three men playing Partners board game holding cards and thinking about their next moves. Partners board, pieces, and cards are laid out in front of them.

Game Structure

The game is played in rounds. Each round consists of all players playing their 4 cards in turn (clockwise). After all cards are played, a new round begins with fresh cards and another exchange.

Turn Sequence

  1. The player to the left of the dealer goes first.
  2. On your turn, play one card face-up in the center and perform the action based on that card.
  3. Move one of your pawns according to the value or effect shown on the card.

Movement Rules

  • A pawn must start from the home base and move to the starting space using a card with the start symbol.
  • The starting space is used only when entering from home and is not counted in standard movement or when entering the goal zone.
  • Cards indicate movement amounts or special actions, such as moving forward, backward, or swapping positions.

Special Rules

Walls (Blockades)
  • When a player has one or more pawns on their starting space, it creates a wall.
  • No other players may pass this space.
  • The player who created the wall may move through it in reverse (with a backward card).
No Valid Moves
  • If a player cannot play any of their cards legally, they must fold, placing their hand in the discard pile.
  • They must wait until the next round to receive new cards.
  • However, swap cards must be played if available, even if the player has no active pawns on the board.
Bump Back
  • If a pawn lands on a space occupied by a single opposing pawn, that pawn is bumped back to its home base.
  • If the space is occupied by two or more pawns, the moving pawn is bumped back instead.

End of Round

  • When all players have played their 4 cards, the dealer deals 4 new cards to each player.
  • Each player exchanges a card with their partner again.
  • After three rounds of dealing, the next player clockwise becomes the new dealer.

Entering the Goal Zone

  • The goal zone has four sequential circles, which must be filled from the innermost to the outermost.
  • A pawn is considered “locked” once it enters a circle using an exact movement value.
  • A locked pawn cannot be moved again.
  • Pawns cannot pass other pawns in the goal zone.

Changing Direction

  • Inside the goal zone only, pawns can move backward if they overshoot or are blocked.
  • This allows a pawn to move back onto the main track and attempt re-entry on a later turn.
  • Pawns in the goal zone may change direction multiple times until they successfully lock into place.

Helping Your Partner

  • Once a player has successfully moved all four pawns into the goal zone, they must assist their partner.
  • You may use your cards to move your partner’s pawns or use swap cards to hinder opponents or create strategic advantages.

Partners Victory Condition

The game ends when one team has all eight pawns (four per player) securely locked into the goal zone. That team is declared the winner.

Card Effects

  • Start or Move 13: Move a pawn from home to start OR move any pawn 13 spaces forward.
  • Move 8: Move a pawn from home to start OR move 8 spaces forward.
  • Move 1 or 14: Move a pawn 1 or 14 spaces forward.
  • Move 4 Backwards: Move any pawn 4 spaces backward (ideal for strategic retreats or repositioning near the goal zone).
    • Cannot be used on pawns in the goal zone.
  • Move 7 Total: Split 7 movement points across multiple pawns (each pawn moved only once).
    • Remaining movement can be used on your partner’s pawns if you finish your own.
  • Swap: Swap the positions of any two pawns (except protected ones in home, start, or goal zones).
    • Must be played if possible.
    • Can be used even if you have no pawns on the board.
    • Can swap two pawns of the same color, including your own.
    • Pawns sharing a space are considered protected and cannot be swapped.

Partners offers a highly interactive and tactical gameplay experience rooted in teamwork, timing, and communication. Success depends not just on your own movement choices, but also on how well you coordinate with your partner and adapt to ever-changing board dynamics. Whether building walls, bumping back enemies, or making clutch swaps, each card plays a critical role in your team’s strategy. With its blend of luck, skill, and cooperation, Partners is a fresh twist on traditional racing and card-based movement games.

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