Overview

Drop It is a dexterity game in which players take turns dropping geometric shapes into a vertical game board. Points are earned based on how high the shape lands and whether it touches bonus circles, but shapes that land touching matching colors or shapes (or certain edges) earn zero points. The player with the most points after all shapes are dropped wins.

Components

• 1 vertical board (with drop zone)
• 1 base
• 9 shapes per color in 4 colors (Red, Yellow, Blue, Green): 3 circles, 2 squares, 2 diamonds, 2 triangles each
• 8 Joker tokens (2 per color)
• 2 bottom-edge pieces (double-sided: colors/shapes)
• 4 side-edge pieces (2 with colors, 2 with shapes)
• 4 score markers (1 per color)
• 4 +25/+50 point tokens (1 per color)
• 1 scoring track

Setup

Shape Distribution:

• 4 players: each gets 1 complete set of 9 shapes + matching score marker + point token
• 3 players: each gets 1 set; divide the 4th color’s shapes among the 3 players
• 2 players or 2 teams: each gets 2 complete sets + 1 score marker + both matching point tokens

Board Assembly (Base Game with colored side-edge pieces):

1. Place base with letters A/D on left, B/C on right.
2. Slide vertical board into base channel from the left (match letters A-A, B-B, C-C, D-D).
3. Lay bottom-edge pieces (colored side up) into base recesses, matching letters.
4. Slide colored side-edge pieces into slots on vertical board sides, matching letters.
5. Place scoring track nearby; set score markers on the yellow starting space.

Turn Structure

The player who most recently had a birthday goes first. Play proceeds clockwise. On your turn:

1. Choose one of your shapes.
2. Drop it into the drop zone at the top of the vertical board.
3. Check landing rules for violations.
4. Score points if no rules were broken.
5. Advance your score marker on the scoring track.

Actions

On each turn, the only action is choosing and dropping a shape. Strategic considerations include choosing which shape to drop, angling the drop, and considering the current state of shapes already in the board.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Landing Rules (checked after shape stops moving)

Your shape earns 0 points if it violates any of these:

Rule	Violation
Shape	Touching any shape of the same geometric shape
Color	Touching any shape of the same color
Edge	Touching any edge of the drop zone marked with the same color (or shape, in variant)
Height	Sticking out above the top of the drop zone

Scoring Points (if no violations)

• Level Points: Score equals the highest level number the shape occupies (e.g., level 3 = 3 points, level 5 = 5 points).
• Bonus Points: If the shape overlaps a bonus circle printed on the board:
  • Large circle: +1 point
  • Medium circle: +2 points
  • Small circle: +3 points

Point Tokens

• Passing 25 points: flip point token to “+25” side
• Passing 50 points: flip to “+50” side

Game End

When all players have dropped all their shapes, the game ends. Highest score wins. Ties share the victory.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Points are assessed immediately after your drop. If the shape shifts later, your score is unaffected. Points cannot be taken away once earned.
• You may turn the game board toward you on your turn, but be careful not to disturb existing shapes.
• Landing rules apply only to the final resting position of your shape.
• Edge rules pertain only to the edges of the drop zone (side-edge and bottom-edge pieces), not the entire level area.

Variants

Variant	Change
Shape edges	Replace colored side/bottom-edge pieces with shape-printed ones. Check shapes instead of colors for edge violations.
Easy (no edge pieces)	Use only 2 side-edge pieces (no bottom-edge). Ignore all edge landing rules.
Jokers	Each player gets 2 jokers. Spend 1 joker to score full points even when a landing rule is broken. Unused jokers are worth 3 points at game end. (2-player game: 2 jokers total, one per color.)
Teams	Divide into 2 teams. Team members alternate turns. One shared score marker per team. Team members may advise each other.

Player Reference

Turn Sequence: Choose shape -> Drop -> Check rules -> Score -> Advance marker

Landing Rules: No same SHAPE, no same COLOR, no matching EDGE, no above HEIGHT

Scoring: | Level | Points | |—|—| | 1 | 1 | | 2 | 2 | | 3 | 3 | | 4 | 4 | | 5 | 5 |

Bonus Circle	Points
Large	+1
Medium	+2
Small	+3