How To Get Out Of Start In Sorry

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Sorry is a family friendly game that can be played by 2-4 players age 6 and up. The object of the game is simple: get all four of your pawns from start to home before your opponents do. But the game can get tricky because you can bump other players back to start and miss turns if you can't make a move to a space that you do not occupy. Learn how to play Sorry and try it out at your next family game night.

1

Choose your pawn color and place all of your pawns on the START space. Sorry comes with four sets of four pawns in the colors red, blue, green, and yellow. Choose one color and take all four pawns. Then place all four pawns on the start space of the Sorry board.^[1]
2
Shuffle the cards and place them on the board. Take the Sorry cards and shuffle them a few times to get them mixed together. Make sure that all of the cards are facing in the same direction in the pile. Then, place the pile face down on the card spot of the board. There are 11 different types of cards in the deck and they all allow you to do slightly different things. The cards included in Sorry are:^[2]
- 1: You can move a pawn from the start or move forward 1 space.
- 2: You can move a pawn from the start or move forward 2 spaces. You must draw again.
- 3: Move forward 3 spaces.
- 4: Move backward 4 spaces.
- 5: Move forward 5 spaces.
- 7: Move forward 7 spaces or split between 2 pawns (e.g. 3 spaces for one pawn, 4 spaces for another).
- 8: Move forward 8 spaces.
- 10: Move forward 10 spaces or move backward 1 space.
- 11: Move forward 11 spaces or switch places with an opponent. If it is impossible to move forward 11 spaces, and there are no opponent pawns on the board, then you will have to switch places with your partner or forfeit your turn.
- 12: Move forward 12 spaces.
- Sorry!: You can save the card for later use, or you can use it to bump an opponent's pawn to the start.
3

Decide who goes first. Choose someone to go first before you start the game. You can elect a person at random, have the youngest (or oldest) player go first, or start with the player who won the last game you played. The player to the left of the person who goes first will have the next turn and turns will keep going in a clockwise fashion for the rest of the game.^[3]

1
Draw a card at the beginning of each turn. The first thing that each player does at the start of his or her turn is to draw a card from the pile. Cards cannot be taken from the discard pile. Only the face down cards may be drawn. When you draw a card, read what it says to do and follow the directions.^[4]
- Some cards have special rules that allow you to split the move between two pawns, take the place of an opponent's pawn, or move backwards.
- You need to draw either a 1 or 2 to make your first move.
2

Jump over pawns that belong to you or to other players. If you draw a card that will advance one or more of your pawns past another player's pawns or past your own pawns, then you can jump over them. Do not move other players' pawns if you jump them, just move to the space that your card allows you to go to.^[5]
3
Bump your opponents' pawns if you land on an occupied space. If you land on a space that is occupied by an opponent's pawn, then you will need to bump it back to the START space. Two pawns can never occupy the same space in Sorry.^[6]
- If you draw a card that would move one of your pawns to a space you already own, you do not get to move that turn. Leave all of your pawns where they are and let the next player take his or her turn.
4

Slide if you land on a SLIDE triangle. If you land on a SLIDE triangle that is not the same color as the pawns you have chosen, then you get to slide to the circle at the end of the triangle. As you slide, bump any other pawns (including your pawns) back to the START space. If the triangle is the same color as your pawns, do not slide. Just stay put on the triangle and move as usual during your next turn.^[7]
5

Observe the SAFETY ZONE. Each player has a SAFETY ZONE that is the same color as his or her pawns. If the card that you draw allows you to do so, you may move into your SAFETY ZONE. Doing so may protect you from losing the progress you have made with one of your pawns. On a subsequent turn, you can move your pawn back out of the SAFETY ZONE if the card allows you to do so.^[8]
6

Shuffle the discard pile if you use up all of the cards before the game is over. It is possible that you and your fellow players will draw all of the cards in the deck before the end of the game. If you do, then simply shuffle the deck and replace the cards face down on the card spot of the Sorry board.^[9]
7

Get all of your pawns to the HOME space to win the game. To win Sorry, you need to get all of your pawns to the home space. Getting your pawns home sounds simple, but it may take time because other players will bump you back to START. You also need to draw the exact number of spaces between a pawn and your home space in order to get there. The number cannot be higher than the amount of spaces between your pawn and the HOME space.^[10]

Add New Question

Question

If you draw a 2 and can't use it, can you draw another card?

AwesomeSaucy

Community Answer

No, if you draw something you can't use, you have to skip your turn. Everyone takes turns drawing.
Question

If I get a Sorry, can I move a piece out of the safe zone?

No, the safe zone is off limits for everyone except the owner of the color in which the safe zone is.
Question

Can I jump over my own pawns in the safety zone?

Yes.

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Please remember that the pawns are a moderate choking hazard for children under age 3. Please keep the game where little children cannot reach it.

Things You'll Need

The Sorry game board
2-4 players

About This Article

Article SummaryX

Sorry! is a 2-4 player board game where players race to get all of their pawns around the board and into their home space first. To set up the game, have each player choose a color and place their 4 pawns inside their corresponding start space. Place the deck of Sorry! cards in the center of the board. Then, choose one player to go first. On your turn, draw one card off the top of the deck and turn it face-up. If it's a 1 or a 2, you can move one of your pawns out of your start space and onto the board. You must draw a 1 or a 2 to move a pawn out of your start space. If you draw a "Sorry!" card, you can replace another player's pawn on the board with one of your pawns from your start space. Then, that player's pawn goes back to their start space. However, you can't send a player's pawn back to start if it's in their safety zone or home space. If you draw one of the other numbered cards, follow the directions on the card to move any one of your pawns that are outside of your start space. If you land on the same space as another player's pawn, send their pawn back to their start space. If you land on another player's triangle space on the board, slide your pawn all the way to the circle space connected to it. If another player's pawn is in your way, send their pawn back to their start space. Once you move a pawn around the board and close to your home space, you need to draw the exact number needed to move that pawn into home. Play continues like this until one player gets all of their pawns into their home space and wins! To see a list of all of the different Sorry cards and what they allow you to do, read on!

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