Bamboozle
Bamboozle Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Object
To stump the other team and earn points! The first team to reach the end of their pegged track wins the game.
Equipment
BAMBOOZLE letter cube shaker and double timer, with 2 pegs Pad Consumer-applied foam feet 2 AAA-size batteries required (not included) You will need 2 pens or pencils.
Caution
As with all small batteries, the batteries used with this game should be kept away from small children, who still put things in their mouths. If they are swallowed, promptly see a doctor and have the doctor telephone 202-625-3333 collect.
Make sure the batteries are inserted correctly, and follow the game and battery manufacturers' instructions.
Do not mix old and new batteries, or alkaline, standard (carbon-zinc), or rechargeable (nickel-cadmium) batteries.
What's Allowed? What's Not?
Writing
- No proper nouns or foreign words are allowed.
- Note: If your team can't come up with 5 words in 99 seconds, the other team moves ahead one peg hole for each "missing" word.
Clue Giving
- The Clue Giver may reveal the letter the word begins with—unless the letter started as a blank. You may not reveal the letter a blank represents!
- No "sounds like" clues or any forms of the word they're trying to guess.
- If you slip and give an unacceptable clue, the other team moves ahead one peg hole. That word is removed from play.
Scoring
Keep score on your team's pegged track. At the end of your team's turn, move your peg one hole for each word your team guessed correctly. The other team moves one peg hole for every word you did not get!
Example: If you get all 5, move 5 spaces; your opponents do not move. If you get only 3, you move 3 spaces, then your opponents move 2 (for the 2 words you didn't get).
Winning
The winners are the first team to reach their track's last peg hole when both teams have taken turns Clue Giving and completed the round of play.
Towards the end of the game, if both teams are close to the end of the track, there may not be enough holes to complete scoring their turns. If this happens, peg to the end of your track, then go back to Start and peg up the track again from there. When both teams have had their turns and scored, thus completing the round, the team that's furthest ahead on the track is declared the winner!
In case of a tie: Play complete rounds until you break the tie!
Did You Drop It?
If you accidentally drop the unit (these things happen!), the timer displays may "freeze." To fix this, remove the batteries and re-insert them.
Setup
Timer and Batteries
The heading above this block is illegible in the scan.
Insert Batteries: Loosen the screw on the battery compartment on the bottom of the unit, and remove the door. Insert 2 AAA-size batteries (we recommend alkaline), making sure to align the + and – with the markings in the plastic. Replace the door and tighten the screw.
Foam Feet: Peel the paper off the back of the foam feet, and apply them inside the four raised circles on the bottom of the timer unit.
About the Timer:
- It has no ON/OFF switch.
- It will automatically "sleep" if no one touches its buttons for about 30 minutes.
- To wake it, press the orange timer button.
- To reset the timers at any time, press and hold either button for 2 seconds.
Teams and Pegs
The heading above this block is illegible in the scan; "Teams and Pegs" is a transcriber label.
- Divide into two teams, Orange and Purple. An extra person on one is OK.
- Give each team several sheets from the pad and a pen or pencil.
- Remove the Letter Shaker from the unit and slide out (do not pull) the Orange and Purple Scoring Pegs stored underneath it. Put them in the triangle at the beginning of your team's matching color pegged track.
- Put the timer unit between the two teams, where it can be reached by both. "Team Orange" is seated next to the orange button.
Gameplay
The game, played in rounds, ends when one team reaches the end of their pegged scoring track at the end of a completed round.
Each round consists of WRITING and exchanging lists of words, then GIVING CLUES so your teammates will guess the words your opponents created. The time your team takes to create a list of words...is the time your opponents have to guess the words you created!
Writing: the "count-up"
Here's how it works:
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Pick any player to shake the letters: Remove the Shaker, tip it so there are no cubes left in the shaft, and shake it. Tip it again so the letters stack up in the shaft, and put the Shaker back in the timer unit. These are the five letters both teams will use for the first round.
Blank cubes: If there's a blank in the shaft, each team decides what letter they want it to represent. Note: Don't divulge to the other team what letter you select!
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Each team picks their Writer, who writes the five letters, one under the other, on the sheet of paper. One team may want to move away from the other, to keep their lists secret!
At the count of "One, two, THREE," both teams press their own timer buttons to start the "count-up" on the ascending timer. Now all members of each team work together to create their list of five words, one starting with each letter in the Shaker. (See "Blank cubes," above.) You have a maximum of 99 seconds. Talk softly, so the other team can't hear you!
Stop the timers: As soon as each Writer has written the fifth and final word, a team member presses their timer button to stop the timer.
Giving Clues: the "count-down"
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When both teams are done writing, pick a Clue Giver for each team and decide which team will go first. (In subsequent rounds, teams should alternate going first in Clue Giving, and players should take turns being the Clue Giver.) The selected Clue Givers exchange lists and make sure all the words are legible; they may ask the other team–in secret–for clarification, if needed. Remember, when you're making up words: You must be able to tell the other team's Clue Giver what it means, if necessary!
When one team's Clue Giver says, "Ready," a member of the other team presses their own timer button so the count-down begins: The Clue Giver starts to shout out clues to get his or her teammates to guess the five words on the list. The catch: He or she must do it in fewer than the number of seconds it took the opponents to create the list (the time on their timer). Example: "It starts with M! It's the green stuff in your wallet!" Answer: Money!
Play stops when the timer reaches :00, or when the team has guessed all 5 words before time ran out. The Clue Giving team scores (see "Scoring"). At the end of one team's Clue Giving and Scoring, the other team goes and repeats the same steps, then scores. This completes the first round of play.
Important
IMPORTANT: At the end of each complete round, press either timer button to reset both timers to :00.