Rishta: Aunties Know Best

How to Play

Played before? Or playing Hard Ole Auntie Mode? Go here for a new game generator. If it’s your first time playing, follow the guide below.

Game contents

Board
  • Game board (1)
Book
  • Rule book (1)
Tokens
  • Suitor tokens (8)
  • Round token (1)
  • Sabr token (1)
Cards
  • Gossip cards (80)
  • How to play cards (10)
  • Priority cards (10)
  • Result cards (16)
  • Agenda cards (30)
  • Auntie cards (10)
  • Suitor cards (8)
Content note

Please review and replace any gossip cards that feel too sensitive.

The full Rishta set on black — box, board, suitor cards, tokens and card stacks

The guide

Become an Auntie

Choose your Auntie Card

Four players pressed together on a sofa, holding their auntie cards

You are the aunties who have gathered to ensure Sara marries the perfect match for the family. Choose a character and see how you are related to each other.

Dad’s side
  • DADI — Dad’s mom
  • CHACHI — Dad’s sister
  • FAIJI — Married into the family
Mom’s side
  • NANI — Mom’s mom
  • AMMI — Mom
  • KHALA — Mom’s sister
  • MAMI — Married into the family
Choose
  • COUSIN — Pick your mom
  • BHABHI — Pick your mother-in-law

Guide Sara

Deal Agendas facedown. Each player picks one. Discard the rest of the deck.

Two players in front of a bookshelf, one holding an agenda card close
If 4–6 players, pick from
  • A1, A3, A4, A8, A17, A18, A20
If 7+ players, also include
  • A12, A13, A19

Your Agenda Card is your motivation and win condition. You can look at it, but it MUST be kept a secret from everyone else. Agendas can be:

  • NO Dates with a specific suitor
  • THREE Dates with a specific suitor
  • At least THREE okay dates
  • Sara marries her DREAM DATE
  • Sara goes on a date with all EIGHT suitors
  • Set off the sabr (patience) tracker

Understand Modern Arranged Dating

Set Suitor Tokens on the board.

A hand setting a token onto the Rishta board and its Sabr Tracker

Sara will go on dates chaperoned by her aunties across four rounds:

  • three dates
  • three dates
  • two dates, and
  • two dates.

After her final date round, she will have her Engagement. All of her aunties will decide who she marries. There must be a majority vote, and majority rules. If there is a continued tie, Dadi is the tie-breaking vote.

Debrief Dates with Family

Reveal the top row of each Result Card for the chosen suitors. Pull up the result card behind the face card.

Two players in a kitchen covering their mouths, gasping at a card

This is what Sara told you. If you haven’t already done so during the date discussion, at this time, you must publicly show up to one Gossip Card in your hand for any of the suitors who went on a date this round. It is encouraged to read the text aloud. If you have no relevant cards, say so.

Continue Gameplay

Game play will continue in the following pattern:

A player studying a hand of gossip cards in low light
  1. Date round

    Chaperone decides which suitors Sara will date.

  2. Result reveal

    Chaperone shows the next row of how the dates went.

  3. Chaperone gets new gossip

    After the first round, every chaperone gets to draw as many gossip cards as the suitors who went on dates (second round = 3 cards, third round = 2 cards, fourth round = 2 cards).

  4. Family debrief

    Throughout the round, each auntie reveals up to one gossip card they have about one of the suitors who went on the dates.

  5. Chaperone petition

    Whoever wants to be chaperone can petition to the current chaperone to be chosen.

  6. If Hard Ole Auntie Mode

    Mark your personal tracker.

    A hand marking off a Hard Ole’ Auntie Mode trait grid with a pen
After the game

Context & debrief

Rishta: Aunties Know Best can bring up a lot of feelings around the said and unspoken expectations for daughters and marriage. Questions to process the end of the game:

  1. How did you feel about playing your character? Do you feel that you played like someone you know?
  2. How do you feel about Sara being voiceless? What does this make you think about daughters in general?
  3. Have you seen family dynamics like this before? Does this feel similar to an experience you’ve had or heard of?
  4. Did your agenda feel like yours or someone else’s?
  5. What do you think influences marriage processes for daughters?
  6. How did you feel about the traits prioritized for each boy? What did it bring up? What felt familiar? What felt unexpected? Do you think different family members hold different definitions for the same traits?
  7. What gossip felt unjustified? What felt valid?
  8. Was there a moment where you wanted to tell Sara something directly and couldn’t? What did you want to say?

What you’ll receive

  • Rishta Print & Play
    Rules & set-up guide, game board, and all cards & icons — zipped together     29.5 MB
  • Hard Ole’ Auntie Mode Grids
    Optional expansion — double sided, flip on long side     142 kB

Printing

Print all assets double-sided. The titles will indicate whether to print on the long-side or short-side. There should be 29 printed pages total (20 for cards and icons, 8 for rules and set up guide, 1 for game board). It is recommended to print on cardstock. For maximum durability, matte laminate them. For maximum cuteness, corner round cut the edges.