Components
- 200 Character Cards
- Game Board
- 6 Game Pieces
- Sand Timer
- 6 Headbands
- Instructions
Object of the Game
Move forward on the board by quickly explaining characters to the other players, and by guessing quickly when the other players explain to you!
The player who has moved the furthest on the board at the end of the game wins!
Setup
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Place the game board on the table.
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Each player chooses a playing piece and places it in the starting space.
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Place the character cards on the table so that everyone can reach them.
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Give each player a headband.
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Each player puts on their headband and slides a character card into it. The character card is placed in the headband by only looking at the back of the card.
Now the character text is visible to all the players apart from the one wearing the character card on their headband.
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When all the players have placed a character card in their headbands, the game can start.
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Decide how many rounds you want to play. (On each full round, each player takes a turn as the explainer)
A game could consist of:
- 4 full rounds for 3-4 players or
- 3 full rounds for 5-6 players
Game Play
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The youngest player starts as the explainer and the sand timer is turned.
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The explainer turns to the player on their left and starts to explain the character on that player's card, trying to make the player guess the character on their headband.
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As soon as that player guesses the character correctly, they remove the card from their headband and place it face up on the table in front of themselves, while the explainer turns to the next player clockwise and starts to explain the character on that player's headband.
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The previous guesser takes a new card and slides it into the headband.
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The game goes on like this until the time is up. Remember that speed is key! Remove the card from your headband as soon as you have guessed it correctly and replace it with a new character card.
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If the time is up and the player hasn't guessed their character correctly, don't tell them what it is! It should remain unguessed on their headband for the next explainer.
If you do accidentally say the character, that card is discarded and the player puts a new character card on their headband for the following round.
Explaining
There are four different categories of character cards - Celebrities, Professions, Fictional Characters and Nationalities. When you put a new character card in your headband, try to pay attention to the category. It might make guessing the character easier!
Each category contains some characters that are easier and others that are more difficult to explain and guess. The explainer cannot use any part of the character's word/name when explaining, but they can give the guesser all kinds of clues.
If the guesser guesses a part of the correct answer, the explainer can start using that part of the word when explaining. For example: If the guesser guesses "hair stylist" instead of "hairdresser", the explainer can start using the word "hair".
Can't Guess The Character
Sometimes a character can be just too tricky to guess correctly. Maybe the guesser is not able to figure out who the character on their headband is, or perhaps the explainer is unable to find the right words to explain it. Here's what you should do in a situation like this!
If the guesser is unable to guess the character on their headband even after the explainer has done all they can to explain the character, the other players may call "Stop".
The guesser removes that character card from their headband and places it in a separate face down pile in front of themselves. Each face down card counts as a minus point for that player at the end of the round. Now the explainer starts to explain a word to the next player clockwise.
The game is most fun when the rounds proceed smoothly and every player gets a chance to guess and score points.
If a certain player does not seem to know the character on their headband, the others can call "Stop" to make sure that the game continues at a fast pace. Just remember to be fair, so that the players all have an equal opportunity to win!
If the explainer is unable to explain the character well enough, that character card is placed separately on the table in front of the explainer, and the guesser slides a new character card in their headband. Now the explainer starts to explain a new character to the same guesser.
Scoring
When the turn is over, all the correctly guessed cards in front of the players are counted and added up. The total number of these cards makes up the explainer's score for this turn.
The explainer moves their game piece that same number of steps forward on the game board. The other players, who acted as the guessers during the turn, move their own game pieces a number of steps equal to their number of guessed cards.
For each face down card a player has, they move their game piece one step backwards. After each turn, place the used cards on the bottom of the deck!
Consecutive Rounds
The next player clockwise from the explainer of the last round becomes the new explainer. All the players make sure they have a character card in their headband. Then the timer is turned and a new round can begin!
End of the Game
When the last player has explained at the end of the last round, the player who has moved the furthest on the game board wins!
If more than one game piece stand together in the furthest space on the board, those players share the victory!
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