Sharing a piece of information requires the player to take one of the 8 blue clock tokens and put it in a discarded token pile. They can then pick any other player and either share information about a color OR a number in that player’s hand (e.g. “you have two blue cards in your hand” or “you have one four in your hand”). Players MUST give complete information, so if a player has multiple cards in their hand that pertain to the piece information, they must indicate ALL of the applicable cards by pointing. This action can’t be performed in there are no clock tokens available.
Discarding a card allows the player to take a clock token from the token discard pile and move it back to the available pile. They then draw a new card. Playing a card doesn’t require the player to state which firework it belongs to, just that they are attempting to play a card. If it can successfully be played (either creating a firework of a new color or continuing an existing firework) it will be placed accordingly on the table for all players to see. If there is nowhere for it to go (e.g. it does not continue a firework or successfully create a new one) the firework fizzles and two things happen: the card goes into the discard pile and a fuse token is lost. Either way, the player draws a new card.
The game ends one of two ways: the players run out of cards or they lose three fuse tokens, revealing the explosion token. At that time the players count up their points (add the values of the top card of each firework) to see their score for that game (25 being all five fireworks were completed).
Hanabi is a game that combines memory, strategy, and communication skills at the same time. The only way players are allowed to influence or help other players is by the sharing a piece of information action, making the action phase extremely tactical. Do you share information about a card that you think someone should play? Or do you tell them about the two 5’s in their hand so they don’t accidentally discard them? Or do you gamble and discard a card to bring a precious clock token back on the table? This card in the middle of your hand was a 1... or was it? What if it’s a 5?! These are the kinds of questions you’ll be asking yourself when you play a game, because there’s never enough information or time.
There isn't much more to show as far as components go, so here are some fireworks
I really can’t say enough great things about Hanabi. The box is small making it ridiculously portable and it plays in about 20-30 minutes. I’ve played it with 2 players and 4 players and it plays well with both, but differently. With 2 players memory is crucial as you end up with large amounts of information about your hand. With 4 players prioritizing which information is shared is much more of a factor and you’ll often run into an issue with not knowing enough about your hand, but being forced to either play or discard a card. Hanabi is a fun, challenging, and unique co-op experience that I think many co-op fans will enjoy.