Everything Ever
Everything Ever Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Overview
In Everything Ever, you and your friends take turns listing things from categories like "Every Dinosaur Movie" or "Every Brand of Soap". If you can't, you can change the category or push your luck and collect the card as a penalty. Keep your friends' iffy answers in check with judge cards, and win by collecting the fewest cards once the deck runs out.
You got this!
Components
- 250 sweet little Category Cards
- 10 two-sided Judge Cards ("I'll allow it, but watch yourself, counselor" / "You're out of order")
Setup
- Shuffle the category cards.
- Give three cards to each player face-down. If a player needs additional help, give them an extra card or two. If a player is an expert, give them only two cards or fewer.
- Give each player one Judge Card. Put the rest back in the box.
- Make a Draw Deck of Category Cards (3 per player). Put the rest back in the box.
| Number of players | Draw deck count (3 per player) |
|---|---|
| 2 | 6 |
| 3 | 9 |
| 4 | 12 |
| 5 | 15 |
| 10 | 30 |
- Place the top two cards from the draw deck face-up in the center of the table; they'll be the starting Categories.
- As randomly as possible, choose a person to go first.
Table layout: the Draw Deck and the two face-up Categories are in the center; each player has their Judge Card and their hand.
How to Play
On your turn, you do two simple things. Actually, it's just one simple thing, twice:
- Say a thing that fits in the category on one card in the center of the table.
- Say a thing that fits in the category on the other card.
For each category, you must say a thing that nobody else has said already for that category. After your turn, play continues clockwise around the table.
Example: with the categories "Every Song with the Name of a City or Country in It" and "Every Animal Sound", a player says "Lost in Japan" and "Baaa!"
For each category, if you can't think of something, you have two options (choose one):
1. Change a Category
Play a card from your hand on top of the Category Card. Then, say a thing that fits the new category.
You do not draw a new card afterward, so choose this option wisely.
2. Take a Penalty
Take the Category Card (and any cards stacked beneath it) and set it in front of you as a penalty.
Place the top card of the draw deck in the empty space as a new category.
You don't have to say a thing that fits the new category, but you may.
Category Cards stay in the center until they're changed or collected as a penalty.
Bonus: Naming Something That's in Both Categories
On your turn, if you can say one thing that fits both categories, you can take one of two bonuses:
- Discard one of your penalty cards.
- Draw a card (from the Draw Deck) to your hand, then add a third Category Card to the table.
Players will now have to name a thing for each of the three categories.
If a player takes a penalty, don't draw to replace the third card. Continue play as normal with only two Category Cards.
Example: with the categories "Every Captain" and "Every Breakfast Cereal", a player says "Cap'n Crunch!"
You Have Ten Seconds!
When it's your turn, try to say a thing for a category in about ten seconds. If somebody is taking too long, feel free to initiate a countdown. If the countdown ends before they do anything, the player must accept failure and take a penalty for that category.
Judge Cards
You can play a Judge Card on a player when they say a thing that's technically accurate, but pushing it – if they keep on saying specific models of cars when the category's Everything With Wheels. If a player repeats a thing someone already said for the category, definitely play a Judge Card.
On a player's first offense, any other player can play a Judge Card, "Watch Yourself" side up, in front of that player as a warning. On a second offense, any other player can flip that card to the "You're Out of Order" side. When this happens, that player must take a penalty (collecting the Category Card(s), etc.). Afterward, return all Judge Cards to their owners.
Acceptable Answers
Categories are broad but specific. "Every Captain" means every captain. If it's not a captain in some way, it's no good. Gilligan was the first mate, not the captain.
- The Rule: Be Cool About This.
- The Supplemental Rule: Your Group Decides if an Answer is No Good.
The End of the Game
Play continues clockwise until a player takes a penalty but there are no cards left in the draw deck. When this happens, the game ends.
The player with the fewest penalty cards wins! If there's a tie, the tied player with the most cards remaining in their hand wins. And if there's still a tie, the tied players have a final face-off with two random cards from the box. Last one to say a thing for each categories wins!
More Ways to Play
There's no wrong way to play Everything Ever. Mix things up, get an extra challenge, or take on a trivia beast with Everybody Together Mode, Everycard Ever Mode, 3verything 3ver, or Extra Casual Mode. Check out everythingever.party to find rules for these ways to play and more! (The official variants sheet is included as a companion document.)
How to Play Everything Ever, More or Less (Quick Reference)
- Shuffle the deck of Category Cards and deal three cards to each player.
- Give each player a Judge Card.
- Make a face-down deck of Category Cards equal to three cards per player. Reveal the top two cards.
- Randomly pick a player to start.
- On your turn, name one thing for each Category Card (or one thing that fits both cards). If you can't think of a thing for a category, instead pick one:
- Play a card from your hand on top of a category card to change the category. You do have to say a thing for this new category.
- Take the category card (or stack) as a penalty and reveal a new card from the deck to replace it. You don't have to say a thing for this new category.
- Continue playing clockwise until the a player takes a penalty when the Draw Deck is empty.
- The player with the fewest penalty cards wins!
Judge Cards
If a player's answer is suspicious or iffy, play a Judge Card ("Watch Yourself" side up) to them as a warning. Once warned, if a player has another sketchy answer, flip the Judge Card to the "You're Out of Order" side, and they'll take the Category Card (or stack) as a penalty. Then, return all the Judge Cards to their owners.