Falling Star

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Falling Star Solitaire is to move all cards from the tableau, reserve, stock, and discard piles to the foundations, building each foundation pile up in alternating colors from Ace to King, or from the base card revealed during setup, depending on the variant.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Use two standard 52-card decks (104 cards total).
• Reserve ("Stars"): Deal 11 cards face-up in a row; this is the reserve pile. These cards are called "Stars" and must be moved to the foundations to win.
• Foundations: Below the reserve, deal one card face-up to start the first foundation pile. This card establishes the rank for all foundation piles (e.g., if an Eight is revealed, all foundations must start with Eights).
• Tableau: Below the foundations, deal eight cards face-up in a row to form eight tableau piles.
• Stock: The remaining cards form the stock pile, placed face-down.
• Discard/Waste Pile: Cards drawn from the stock that cannot be played are placed face-up in a single discard pile.

Key Play Areas:

• Reserve: 11 face-up cards; only the top card is playable, and only to the foundations.
• Foundations: Up to eight piles, built up in alternating colors starting from the base card.
• Tableau: Eight piles, built down in alternating colors; only the top card of each pile is playable.
• Stock: Draw pile for new cards.
• Discard/Waste: Receives cards drawn from the stock that cannot be played immediately.

Falling Star Solitaire Rules:

• Card Movement Principles:
  • Tableau: Build down in alternating colors (e.g., red-black-red), moving only one card at a time.
  • Foundations: Build up in alternating colors, starting from the base card revealed during setup, and continuing circularly (Ace follows King).
  • Reserve: Only the top card is playable, and only to the foundations; reserve cards cannot be played to the tableau or moved back.
  • Stock & Discard: Draw one card at a time from the stock to the discard pile; the top card of the discard is playable to tableau or foundations.
• Building Sequences:
  • Tableau: Sequences must alternate colors and descend in rank (e.g., 10♠ on J♥).
  • Foundations: Sequences must alternate colors and ascend in rank, starting from the base card (e.g., 8♣, 9♥, 10♠, J♦, …).
  • Circular Building: Building is circular; Ace follows King and vice versa (e.g., King can be placed on Ace in tableau, Ace on King in foundations).
• Card Movement Conditions:
  • Only the top card of each tableau pile, reserve, stock, or discard is playable.
  • Cards from the tableau may be moved to another tableau pile (if legal) or to the foundations.
  • Cards from the reserve may only be moved to the foundations.
  • Cards drawn from the stock may be played to the tableau or foundations, or placed in the discard if not playable.
  • No cards may be moved into the reserve.

Gameplay:

• Turn Sequence:

  1. Move any available cards from tableau or reserve to the foundations, following building rules.
  2. Move tableau cards between tableau piles if legal (down in alternating colors).
  3. If no moves are possible, draw one card from the stock to the discard pile.
  4. Play the top card of the discard pile to the tableau or foundations if possible.
  5. Fill any empty tableau pile immediately with the top card from the discard or stock; no other moves are allowed until the empty tableau is filled.

• Introducing New Cards:

  • Cards are introduced by drawing from the stock to the discard pile, then played to tableau or foundations as allowed.

• No Redeals: Only one pass through the stock is permitted; once the stock is exhausted, no redeals are allowed.

• When No Legal Moves Remain:

  • If the stock is exhausted and no moves are possible, the game ends.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Winning: The game is won when all cards (including the reserve "stars") are moved to the foundations, completing each foundation pile in alternating colors from the base card up to King (or Ace, depending on the starting card).
• Losing/Unwinnable State: The game is lost if the stock is exhausted and no further legal moves are possible, leaving cards stranded in the reserve, tableau, or discard piles.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Tableau Piles:
  • Any empty tableau pile must be filled immediately, using the top card from the discard pile or, if the discard is empty, from the stock.
  • No other moves are permitted until the empty tableau is filled.
  • Exception: If both stock and discard are empty, play continues without filling the empty tableau.
• Foundation Start Rank:
  • All foundation piles must start with a card of the same rank as the initial base card revealed during setup.
• Circular Building:
  • Building is circular; Ace follows King and vice versa on both tableau and foundations.
• Reserve Restrictions:
  • Cards cannot be moved into the reserve, and only the top card of the reserve can be played, exclusively to the foundations.
• No Redeals: Only one pass through the stock; once exhausted, no further cards can be drawn.
• Priority: Moving reserve cards to the foundations should be prioritized to avoid blocking progress.

Note: Falling Star Solitaire is considered a challenging game with a low win rate; strategic planning and careful management of tableau and reserve cards are essential for success.