Articulate Your Life Game Rules

These rules are for the first edition of Articulate Your Life

OUTLINE OF THE GAME

Teams compete to be the first round the board by guessing words that their team-mates describe during turns that vary in length.

PREPARING TO PLAY

Unfold the board, switch on the timer and place it in the centre. Players divide into teams. Two larger teams are better than several smaller teams. Each team selects a playing piece and puts it on the 'START' segment.

SOME THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW:

The Bonus Dice: The Bonus Dice sides are numbered 3 - 8. At the start of each turn a DESCRIBER throws the dice to determine the team's BONUS TARGET for that turn. If your team correctly guess the BONUS TARGET number of words (or more) during that turn they win two bonus moves. For example if you throw a 4 and your team guess five card entries correctly you move your playing piece 5 spaces PLUS a further two.

The Random Timer: The timer has three time lengths: 27 secs, 32 secs and 37 secs. When the timer is started the team does not know which time length they are going to get. The timer ticks for the last 8 seconds to warn the DESCRIBERS that time is almost up.

Max Time Category: If a team lands on the MAX TIME segment (White) they can chose which category they want to play on their next turn AND they also get the MAXIMUM 37 second long turn. To make the timer give a 37 second turn, hold down the timer's button for 2 seconds. At the start of a 'Max Time' turn a DESCRIBER throws the Bonus Dice as usual.

HOW TO PLAY:

Describers and Guessers: Each turn team members divide into DESCRIBERS and GUESSERS. All players MUST take their turn at being DESCRIBERS during the course of the game.

No matter how big the team there are never more than two Describers. Once you have played the game several times teams may wish to have only ONE DESCRIBER whatever the team size.

PLAYING A TURN:

Play begins when a DESCRIBER throws the BONUS DICE to decide the team's BONUS TARGET for the turn. Now a member of an opposing team starts the RANDOM TIMER by pushing the large domed button on top.

The DESCRIBERS immediately take a card from the front of the pack and describe the entry corresponding to the segment on which their playing piece sits. The START position is on the HOME LIFE category (Pale brown segment) so each team starts with this category.

When one of the team GUESSERS shouts out the correct answer the DESCRIBERS quickly take another card and repeat the process using the same category.

When the timer runs out, the turn is finished. The DESCRIBERS count the number of cards that were correctly guessed and move their playing piece forward that many segments. If this number equals or exceeds the BONUS TARGET add two bonus segments. The segment that the playing piece lands on dictates the category that the team will play on the following turn. Play passes on to the next team.

WINNING:

The first team to land on or pass the FINISH segment WINS.

The ENTERTAINMENT category on the Finish segment is used if players decide beforehand that they want a longer game and play two circuits.

DESCRIPTION RULES

You must not...

Say what letter the word starts with or how many letters it contains.

Say the word itself or any derivative eg. If the word is "Post" you may not say "Postage" or if it is "Swim" you may not say "Swimmer"

Use "rhyming with" or "sounds like" clues.

You may...

Gesticulate, act, mime (NOT by mouthing the word).