The game recreates for the players the history of the United States in the 19th and 20th centuries, following the period of European immigration to America.

Players compete to create a family tree of 64 characters spanning six generations. While playing, the participants will come to realize how many people were responsible for their own heritage, and for their own culture and history.

Players will learn 72 most popular male and female first names, look at ethnic costumes of Europeans and Americans and memorize 20 European nations. In the corners of the cards are US flags, reflecting the number of stars were on the flag at that particular point in time. Costumes reflect times and eras in US history, and the US flags reflect the number of States that existed in that time era.

The root of the game are depictions of immigrant families six generations ago, who came from Europe to the United States in the first half of the 19th century. The later generations show their descendants from one generation to the next that ultimately are the ancestors of Emily and Jacob, brother and sister living in the United States of 2005. As the cards are played, these five generations of Emily and Jacob's ancestors will appear.

The game contains 72 cards. They have a distribution as below:

36 male  (BLACK NUMBERS)       36 females (RED NUMBERS)
20 "6th" generation                                 20 "6th" generation  
8 "5th" generation                                   8 "5th" generation
4 "4th" generation                                   4 "4th" generation
2 "3rd" generation                                   2 "3rd" generation
1 "2nd" generation                                  1 "2nd" generation
1 "1st" generation - Jacob                      1 "1st" generation - Emily

EACH SUCCESSIVE GENERATION HAS SPECIFIC CHARACTERISTICS:
6th Generation cards bear images of the immigrating Europeans, representing 20 different nations of origin. The cards depict the clothing styles prevalent in that country, in that time period.

5th Generation cards are the American descendants of the 6th Generation immigrants, and depict clothing styles from the Victorian era, down to the American Civil War, around 1865 or so.

4th Generation represent the early decades of the 20th Century, down through World War One.

3rd Generation represents World War Two - Vietnam War era clothes.

2nd Generation represents the most recent generation, from the end of Vietnam War to the current time.

Jacob and Emily, also known as 1st Generation, are dressed contemporarily to the era this game is being designed, the end of the 20th century, the beginning of the 21st.

GAME DURATION:
A game can last from five to thirty minutes, depending on strategic play, cards drawn, and the speed at which the players recognize Couples.

HOW TO WIN the game:
The first person to run out of cards wins the game.

ALTERNATE RULES:
The game may also be played until only one player is left.

HOW TO PLAY:
Shuffle the deck and deal six cards, one at a time face down to each player. Players may pick up and hold these cards as a ‘hand’. Place the rest of the deck face down in the center of the table, reachable to all players.

Each player must play a card, if able, onto the table top. If he cannot play, a player must draw a card from the top of the Deck, until one he draws CAN be played.

CARDS MUST BE PLACED WITH THE FOLLOWING RULES:
   1.   In the beginning of the game, a player MUST play a 6th Generation card. 
   2.   A 6th Generation card that “Makes a COUPLE” is one that is of the same rank, of the opposite sex, that is from the same Nation.
   3.   A 5th Generation card cannot be played until a 6th Generation COUPLE is on the table. A 5th Generation card played on a COUPLE of 6th Generation is their CHILD. Whenever a CHILD is played on a previous generation, the older generation cards are removed from play (they are “completed”.) Place completed couples face down adjacent to the deck (they are not used for the rest of the game.)
   4.   A 4th Generation card cannot be played until two 5th Generation Parents of opposite sex are in play, and so on down to Emily and Jacob. The players may build on these sets as their turn comes, either placing one card or drawing from the deck if necessary until one may be placed.

NOTES:
- If a player doesn't have the correct card to play, he must draw from the deck until he does;
- Any player must place no more than one card during his or her turn;
- Sixth Generation is the only Generation which may be placed on the table without being a Child to an earlier Generation;
- Only one Child can be played on a Couple. (Firstborn children are the only ones this game tracks.)
- It is possible for a player to run out of cards (and win the game) before Emily and Jacob are played.
- Each set is built up with a male and female from each generation, #6 down to #1.
- There are total of six rows the players can build in this game; each row, or line, represents new generation.

WILDCARD PLAY:
If at any time of the game one player gets both cards #1 (Emily and Jacob) they can be played down below the Generations, regardless of whether their parents are yet in play. This is the only time you can play more than one card out of your hand at one time.

The 72 cards, comprising pictures of 36 men and 36 women, are divided into six categories. Each category portrays a different generation. Players are dealt six cards each, and they are allowed to dispose of a card when the person whose picture is printed on it matches the generation of the card played by the previous players. The ultimate objective of the game is for each player to get rid of all her cards, and the winner is the first one to do so.

Recommended for ages six to adult, "Six Generations" is a highly engaging concept aimed at providing wholesome entertainment. It would be a welcome addition to any family's personal collection of games. This game also has educational value, as it provides useful clues to the different types of clothing worn by the people from different nations and time periods that are featured on its cards. Fyodor Soloview's creative idea is well complemented by the appealing artwork of Andrey Ayoshin and Lyudmila Lygina.                       BookWire Review, May 18, 2005

Bookwire Six Generations file at: http://www.bookwire.com/bookwire/PDF/soloview.pdf