Hold your Hat
Hold your Hat Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 147 word cards
- 6 color cards
- 1 sand timer
- 17 special cards
Setup
- Divide into teams of 2 or more players and teams sit next to each other. Each team chooses a name.
- Shuffle the word cards and place the top 40 cards face down on the table to create the word deck. Return the remaining cards to the box.
- Select 1 color card and place it face up on the table. Return the other color cards to the box.
- Shuffle the special cards and place them face down to the right of the word deck. Played special cards go to a discard pile on the left.
- Place the 1 minute sand timer next to the special cards.
- Use pen and paper to create a scoring table with columns for each round and the total score.
| Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silly Billies | ||||
| Joel and Mike | ||||
| Sea Wolves |
The team with the most original name goes first. The game is played clockwise.
The game area is arranged with the word deck, the played special cards discard pile, the sand timer, the selected color card, and the special cards deck all within reach of the players, who take turns as clue-giver.
On Your Turn
Take the word deck and turn over the sand timer. Look at the top card of the deck and give clues for the word that matches the selected color. If your teammates guess correctly, place the card face up on the table and draw a new card. When the sand timer ends, keep all guessed cards and draw a special card to end your turn. Pass the word deck to the next team in clockwise order.
Team members take turns being the clue-giver for each round.
Round One - Description
Give clues consisting of many words. You may not use root forms of the word, derivatives, or a direct translation from a foreign language.
For "protection," you MAY give a clue of "the opposite of attack," but MAY NOT say "like protect."
Round Two - One Word
Give a single clue consisting of one word. You may not use root forms of the word, derivatives, or a direct translation from a foreign language.
For "defense," you MAY give a single clue of "shield" or "attack," but MAY NOT say "defensive."
Round Three - Mime
Give a clue consisting of only gestures, facial expressions, and sounds (no words). You may not directly specify objects that contain the word.
For "telephone," you MAY hold a hand to your head to mime making a call, but MAY NOT display an actual telephone.
Special Cards
Drawn special cards are placed face up in front of their respective team and are visible to all players. Teammates decide together when to use a special card's ability. Each card has a description of its effect.
- If the deck of special cards runs out, shuffle the played special cards to form a new deck.
- There is no limit to the number of special cards a team can have. However, using them often can help you win the game.
Drawn special cards are kept between rounds until they are used. When used, they are discarded.
Types
BINOCULARS (3x) - On your turn, before turning over the sand timer, look at the top 5 cards and rearrange them in any order. You may only use one BINOCULARS card per turn.
EXTRA TIME (3x) - On your turn, after the sand timer has run out, draw 3 new words and start the sand timer again. Keep every word your team guesses correctly. You may only use one EXTRA TIME card per turn.
- You may not use EXTRA TIME in the same turn that you draw it.
- While using EXTRA TIME, other teams may not play RAID.
SKIP (3x) - On your turn, skip the drawn explanation word and draw a new one. Set the skipped word to the side face down and place it at the bottom of the word deck when the sand timer ends. You MAY use more than one SKIP card per turn.
THEFT (4x) - During another team's turn, play THEFT to guess the word that is currently being explained. If your guess is correct, you win the card. If wrong, discard THEFT and play continues as normal. You MAY use more than one THEFT card per turn.
- Hint: Use THEFT to steal phrases worth 2 points!
RAID (4x) - Before another team's turn, play RAID to allow your team to guess their words at the same time. Take the card for every word your team guesses correctly. More than one team may play RAID in a single turn.
- Hint: Play RAID when it's a good clue-giver's turn!
Remember!
- Each correctly guessed word counts for 1 point. Phrases marked with a hat icon are played the same way, but are more difficult and count for 2 points. When explaining a phrase, you MAY indicate the number of words in the phrase.
- Your teammates may try to guess the current word multiple times.
- You may not preview or skip a word card unless a special card gives you the ability to do so.
- If a team breaks the rules while giving clues, place the word card face down to the side and return it to the bottom of the deck after the sand timer runs out.
- When the timer runs out, your turn ends immediately. If you are still giving clues for a word, return it to the bottom of the deck.
- If players from different teams guess a word at the same time, show sportsmanship and give it to the team with less points.
- Turn order is kept throughout the game - after a round ends, the next round will start with the next clockwise team.
- As a variant, give each team one RAID card at the start of the game.
End of the Game
The team with the most points wins the game. In case of a tie, victory is shared.
Credits
Publisher: NASTOLA Games Author: Miroslav Garigov nastola.games