Components
- 120 Adult Cards
- 80 Junior Cards
- 2 Card Boxes
- 4 Category Cards,
- 4 Pencils
- 1 Drawing Pad
- 1 Game Board
- 4 Movers
- 1 Sand Timer
- 1 Die
Object of the Game
The object of the game is to sketch your way from Start to Finish. The first team to reach the Finish Square and guess a final sketch correctly is the winner.
Setup
Remove the category cards from the Adult Card Deck, then place it in a Card Box. Place the Junior Card Deck in the other Card Box. Place the Card Boxes and Sand Timer where all players have easy access to them.
Divide into equal teams (maximum of four teams). Play is quicker and more exciting when there are fewer teams, and more players per team.
Provide each team with a pencil, category card and a colored playing mover (which they place on the Start Square).
Each team selects a Picturist - a player who will sketch the first word.
The die is rolled to determine the order of play. The highest rolling team starts.
Categories
Each word card in the Adult Card Deck has five categories, which relate to the colored squares on the board.
Yellow - OBJECT (Things that can be touched or seen)
Blue - PERSON/PLACE/ANIMAL (Names are included)
Orange - ACTION (Things that can be performed)
Green - DIFFICULT (Challenging words)
Red - MISCELLANEOUS (This can be any type of word)
In the Junior Card Deck, the category is stated at the top of the card, and all the clues on that card relate back to the category.
Game Play
The Start space is a yellow square (OBJECT in the Adult Card Deck; the yellow bar in the Junior Card Deck), so the first word to be played is from the yellow category. The die is NOT rolled to start.
The starting team's Picturist takes a card from the top of the appropriate card deck (if a team has a younger player, always use the Junior Card Deck), and secretly looks at the word to be played.
If this is a Junior card, the Picturist reads the category at the top of the card out loud to his team (NOT the clue in the yellow bar - that is the secret word they are going to draw).
The timer is turned over and the Picturist has one minute to sketch clues to their team. Sketching and guessing continues until the word is identified, or the time is up.
If a guess is correct, the team continues to play by rolling the die, advancing the number of squares shown and selecting a new Picturist. They then take a new card from the appropriate card deck and sketch the word matching the colored square that they landed on. The Picturist must change each time a team sketches a new word.
As long as a team stays in control of the die they continue sketching and rolling.
If a word is not identified within the time limit, the die is passed to the left. The team receiving the die begins its turn by taking a new card from the top of the pack, NOT by a roll of the die. The timer is turned over and a new turn begins.
The word matching the color of the square on which the team's cube is on is the word to be played. The ONLy time the die is rolled to advance a cube is when a word is identified within the one-minute time limit, or a team is first to identify the word in any ALL PLAy situation (see the ALL PLAy section).
A team must occupy a square for as long as it does not identify the given word. More than one playing mover can occupy the same square at the same time.
All Play
If the number rolled lands a team on an All Play Square, ALL teams will participate in the guessing of the clue AT THE SAME TIME. After the card is drawn from the appropriate card deck, the word card is shown to the Picturists on each team.
In the Adult Card Deck, both Picturists will draw the clue in the category) that corresponds to the color of the All Play Square.
In the Junior Card Deck, the Picturists will announce the category aloud, and then draw the clue in the BAR that corresponds to the color of the All Play Square. The timer is turned over and all Picturists sketch the same word simultaneously to their respective teams.
Note: if, during an All Play, it occurs that one of the picturists is an adult player and one is a junior player, both teams will draw a clue from the Junior Card Deck, even if the adult player's team landed on the all play square.
Whichever team guesses the clue correctly first wins the round and immediately gets to roll the die and advance the number of spaces indicated. This team now continues their turn with a new word.
If no team identifies the word within the time limit, the die is passed to the next team on the left. However, this team does NOT roll the die, but begins its turn by taking a new card and sketching the word corresponding to the colored square they are currently on.
Remember: any team that first identifies an all play word immediately receives the die and rolls, then moves the number of squares shown and takes another card.
Wild Squares
If a team is on a Wild Square, the Picturist may look at the card and choose any category to play (or any clue to play if using the Junior Card Deck).
If using the Adult Card Deck, they must announce the category before sketching!
End of the Game
A team must reach the final all play Square for the chance to win the game (an exact roll is not required). To win, they must have control of the die and be the first team to identify the word during the subsequent All Play round.
If no team identifies the all play word within the time limit, the die is passed to the left.
If another team identifies the all play word first, the die is passed to that team.
A team already on the final all play square cannot win the game by winning a round controlled by another team. It must regain control of the die to attempt a winning word.
Note: normal rules apply to teams not on the final all play square.
Do's and Don'ts
you CAN...
- Draw anything related to the word, no matter how tenuous the (ink
- Break words down into a number of syllables
- Draw "dock" for "doc", or "flu" for "flue", etc.
you CANNOT...
- Use "ears" for "sounds like" or dashes to show the number of letters in the word
- Use letters or numbers
- Speak to your teammates
- Use sign language
Strictness
How precise an answer must be is up to the teams playing and should be agreed at the start of the game. For example, is "bunk" acceptable for "bunk bed"? "Enlarged" for "enlarge"?
Continue Reading
