Casque Chèque Chat
Casque Chèque Chat Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Components and Setup
- 132 Expression cards (including 6 Starter cards)
- 8 slates
- 2 secret slates
- 12 Hmm tiles
- 2 dry-erase markers
- Form 2 teams (orange and blue) that are as evenly matched as possible. Split each team into 2 groups. Place the 4 groups around the table so that the colours alternate. With fewer than 8 players, some groups therefore consist of a single person.
- Take all the components out of the box except the Expression cards. Leave the Expression cards in a face-up pile in the box, with the orange side visible.
- Randomly choose a First group, which keeps the box close by.
Card Anatomy
- Common theme: the theme shared by the 3 expressions on a card (for example, "arts & entertainment"), shown in a vertical band.
- Expressions to guess: three expressions, marked A, B and C. A is the expression more familiar to younger players (but not necessarily easier). C is the expression more familiar to older players (but not necessarily harder).
- Foreign-language note: if an expression is in a foreign language, the card says so (for example, "ENGLISH").
- 1 Hmm tile = 1 syllable (the syllables are shown on the card as a line of Hmm tiles).
- 1 group of Hmm tiles = 1 word.
Gameplay
In "CASQUE CHÈQUE CHAT?", everyone plays at the same time with the same expression to guess. Some players know the expression and give clues, while the others try to guess it. As soon as someone on your team says the answer out loud, your team wins the round. Win 4 rounds and you win the game!
Each round, follow these steps:
- Assigning roles
- Clues and answers
- End of the round
1. Assigning Roles: Clue-Givers and Guessers
During this round, the First group and the group to its right are the clue-givers. They take their team's slates (5 at the start) and one marker.
Draw an Expression card and insert it into the box. Only the 2 clue-giving groups can see the blue side of the card (with the expressions).
The 2 clue-giving groups choose together one expression to guess from the 3 (A, B or C). Hard to choose? Follow the letter shown in the top-right corner of the card on top of the pile.
Once the expression is chosen, tell the guessers the letter.
The other 2 groups are the guessers. They guess the same expression. Make sure your team gets there before the other team does!
For your first 3 rounds, use the Starter cards.
2. Clues and Answers
The guessers take the Hmm tiles. They place them in a line in the centre of the table, as shown on the orange side of the card, in their reading direction. They therefore know the number of words and the number of syllables in each word (as well as the theme of the expression to guess). Set aside any remaining Hmm tiles.
Adjust the number of lines of Hmm tiles to the space available on the table.
1 Hmm tile = 1 phonetic syllable. Here, the words are split according to the sounds produced by each natural emission of the voice (at least, for our Lorraine accent at Iello!). For example, "PASSERELLE" is naturally pronounced "PASS-REL", so only 2 syllables. Clue-givers, adjust the number of tiles to your regional accent.
The clue-givers think about the clues to write at the same time. As soon as one of them has found a valid clue, they write it on one of their slates.
Valid Clues
Not related to meaning. It is forbidden to write clues related to meaning. Here, you play only on the sound of the words, which is essential! Synonyms and words from the same family are therefore banned. Examples of valid clues to make players guess "Habiter" (to live): "Habille" (dresses), "Thé" (tea). Examples of invalid clues to make players guess "Habiter": "Habitation" (dwelling), "Habitant" (inhabitant), "Loger" (to lodge).
Not the same spelling. The clue cannot appear identically within the expression. To make players guess "Bordure" (border), you cannot write "Ordure" (rubbish) or "Dur" (hard). But the reverse is possible: to make players guess "Ordure", you can write "Bordure". Changing or adding a single letter is enough: to make players guess "Anneau" (ring), you can write "Agneau" (lamb), "Panneau" (panel), "Âne" (donkey) or "Haut" (high). You cannot write "Anne" or "Eau" (water).
Must exist. The clue must be a word or group of words that is common and known to all players. Conjugated verbs, compound words, acronyms, first names, foreign words, phrases, etc. Almost everything is allowed: "Déclara" (declared), "SOS", "Paf!" are permitted examples. "Château d'eau" (water tower) is also allowed on a single slate, because it is two words that form a common term. To describe "La reine" (the queen), you cannot write "Lard haine" on a single slate. Use two slates.
Once the clue is written, the clue-giver immediately places the slate at the matching position along the line of Hmm tiles.
Example: you make players guess "Ali Baba et les Quarante Voleurs" (Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves). You write BLABLA on your slate and place it along the line of Hmm tiles where the syllables "BABA" would be. Another clue-giver writes "HANDBALLEUR" (handball player) and places their slate at the level of "-RANTE VOLEURS".
Secret Slates
Each team has a special slate: the secret slate.
As soon as a valid clue is written on the secret slate, do not place it along the line of Hmm tiles. Hand it directly to your teammates who are guessers, without indicating where it is supposed to go. Only they may look at it. Your opponents do not have access to it.
Warning: you cannot give your secret slate until you have already placed at least one slate along the line of Hmm tiles.
Your clue-giver hands you this secret slate. You do not know where it goes in the line.
You may give several clues for the same syllable with different slates (as with "Carotte" in the example above). You are not required to give clues for every syllable. You cannot take back a slate that has been placed in order to change a clue. There is no turn order: do not wait for the other team. Write, place, write, place! Keep placing clues as long as you have slates available.
3. End of the Round
The expression to guess is said out loud by a guesser...
- ...and at least one slate of their team is along the line of Hmm tiles: the round is won! Return one slate from this team to the box. The secret slate never returns to the box. Yes, indeed! The more rounds you win, the fewer slates you have.
- ...but no slate of their team is along the line of Hmm tiles: the round is void. No team returns a slate to the box.
If the expression to guess is not said, even approximately, 10 or 15 seconds after the last slate is placed: the round is void. No team returns a slate to the box.
As soon as the first slate is placed, the guessers try to find the expression to guess. They may propose as many answers as they like, and may even discuss them together. One of them must say the expression to guess out loud to win the round.
Examples of guesses shown in the rulebook: "Hmm Hmm Blabla Hmm / L'écart handballeur", "Rallye Blabla Hmm / L'é-carotte-balleur", and "Ali Baba et les quarante voleurs!"
Preparing the Next Round
Collect the remaining slates in play and erase them. Return the card used to the box. Pass the box to the group on the left, which becomes the new First group, and start a new round from the step "Assigning Roles".
The former First group is therefore a clue-giver a second time in a row.
End of the Game
You win your 4th round. Return your 4th and last slate to the box: your team wins the game!
Reminder: the secret slate never returns to the box.
Faults
If you write an invalid clue (even on a secret slate), the opposing team immediately wins the round.
Playing Beyond the Cards
If you have already played with all the cards, simply keep playing by imagining your own words or expressions! Find more content on the iello.fr website.