In Your Head Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• Idea of the Game
• Setup
• Course of the Game
• End of the Game
• Variants

Contents

• 120 Question cards, double-sided (including 20 black cards reserved for players over 18)
• 1 Giga-pawn
• 18 Target cards
• 1 score pad and pencil
• the rules

Idea of the Game

Each round, one player secretly draws a Target card that tells them which other player they must answer personal questions for. Using the clues they get, the other players try to be the first to guess who the target of the round is. The player who knows their friends best has the best chance of winning!

Setup

Write each player's first name on the score pad. Take the Target cards matching the number of players. For example, for a 5-player game, take the Target cards numbered 1 to 5 (the others are not used in this game). Shuffle the Question cards and form a pile in the middle of the table.

Note: the black cards contain questions that are sometimes cheeky, sharp, disturbing... Agree at the start of the game whether you want to shuffle them in with the other Question cards.

All players take three Question cards in hand, except the player who is questioned for the round.

(Figure 1: setup)

Course of the Game

The player who suggested this game is the first to be questioned. They place the score pad in front of them, take the Target cards, shuffle them face down, draw one and secretly look at the number shown. This number corresponds to one of the players on the score pad. The questioned player must therefore answer on behalf of that player.

Example: Pauline will answer the questions for this round. She draws Target card number 3. She discreetly looks at the score pad to see who corresponds to that number: in this case, Corentin. She must therefore answer the questions asked to her while trying to guess the answers that best match Corentin.

Note: it is possible for a player to draw their own Target card. In that case, they must answer for themselves.

The player to the left of the questioned player chooses a question from the cards in their hand and reads it aloud. They then discard the card on a pile in the middle of the table.

The questioned player answers the question by imagining what the player designated by the Target card they drew would answer, or at least which answer would fit that player best. The answer must be brief: yes, no, one of the proposed options, a short sentence... If the player does not know the answer, they must still propose one; passing is not allowed.

Then the next player clockwise asks a question in turn, and so on.

Example: Maxime, to the left of Pauline, reads the question: "What super-hero name could suit you?" Pauline answers for Corentin: "Superbarman!" because she knows Corentin never misses an aperitif. Then it is the next player's turn to ask a question, and so on.

When each player (except the questioned player) has asked a question, if nobody has guessed the identity of the targeted player, the round continues with a second question, then a third.

As soon as a player thinks they have discovered the identity of the targeted player, they take the Giga-pawn and announce their answer:

1. If they are right, the round stops immediately. The questioned player scores 1 point, and so does the player who guessed who the targeted player was (tick a box under that player's first name on the score pad).
2. If they are wrong, they can no longer make guesses or ask questions for this round.

In both cases, the Giga-pawn is returned to the centre of the table.

If all players have guessed wrong, or if every player has asked their three questions without anyone giving a correct answer, then nobody scores a point and the questioned player loses 1 point (shade a box on the score pad).

A new round then begins. The player to the left of the questioned player from the previous round takes the score pad and the Target cards. They become the questioned player for the new round. The other players top up their hands of Question cards to 3 cards.

Note: if the Question card draw pile runs out, shuffle the discard pile to rebuild it.

End of the Game

The game ends in either of these two cases:

• All players have been questioned twice. The player with the most points wins.
• A player scores their tenth point. They immediately win the game.

In case of a tie, the player with the fewest points counts to 3. The first of the tied players to seize the Giga-pawn wins. *

Note: to prevent the questioned player from looking at the targeted player when they answer for them, it may be better for the questioned player to turn their back to the table.

Gigamic declines all responsibility for any injury during this ultimate challenge! Remember that the goal of Focus is to get to know your friends better, not to massacre them!

Variants

1. Absent players are always wrong (recommended with fewer than 5 players): It is entirely possible, with few players or to spice up the game, to write on the score pad one or more people who are not present (a friend, family member, celebrity, fictional character...). Agree at the start of the game; all players should of course know these people. These absent characters do not score any points during the game. Writing them on the score pad simply links them to the Target cards.

2. Custom: You can shorten or lengthen the game by increasing or reducing the number of rounds (e.g. each player must be questioned 3 times in a 4-player game, or once in an 18-player game). It is also possible to increase or decrease the number of Question cards in each player's hand to limit or multiply the available choices. For example, if you are playing with few players but have added several absent people to the score pad, it is recommended to increase the number of Question cards.