Makara
Makara Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Setup
Split your group into 2 teams. Deal 10 cards face down to each player.
Players look at their cards, choose the 7 they like best, and return the other 3 to the box. Form a deck from all the cards chosen by everyone and shuffle it thoroughly. For 6 players the deck should contain 42 cards; for 8 players it should contain 56 cards. You may return all remaining cards to the box.
The game is played over 3 rounds with this deck.
You may increase or decrease the number of cards according to how long you want to play.
Note: If you want a family game experience, it is recommended to remove the adult cards from the deck. These are the cards marked with the adult symbol.
Choose the starting player however you like. If you cannot decide, the player who most recently used mascara, the player who most recently ate pasta, or even the player who most recently did the Macarena may start the game.
Card Anatomy
Each card has four parts:
- Word: the word the describer must get their team to guess (example card: "Atari").
- Makara: the hint text printed on the card (example: "A nostalgic device that lets us hunt ducks by shooting at the television.").
- Category: the category icon for the card (shown in the bottom-left corner of the example card).
- Points: the point value of the card (the example card is worth 1 point).
Playing the Game
One player from the starting team becomes the describer (anlatıcı). They give their teammates as many cards as possible during the time limit, describing the word on each card so the team can guess it.
The describer has 60 seconds. You can track the time with a stopwatch on your phone.
Note: If you are playing with a very large group, a time limit of 45 seconds or less will speed up the game.
- There is no limit on the number of guesses your teammates may make.
- The describer may pass as many cards as they like.
- Passed cards are placed face down in a separate pile to the side.
- If the describer's hand of cards runs out, they may return to the passed cards.
- Cards the describer's teammates guess correctly are placed face up in front of the describer, for scoring at the end of the round.
After each time period ends, shuffle the passed cards back into the deck, and give the remaining cards to the next player on the other team. We recommend taking turns clockwise.
A round ends when all the cards in the deck have been guessed correctly.
Each player adds up the points of the cards they guessed. Record the team's total points for the round as the team score. Then start the next round with the same deck created during setup.
Note: If the describer who finishes a round completed describing the cards in the deck in less than 30 seconds, that same player starts the next round. Otherwise, the next player in order on the other team starts the next round.
Play Style Changes Every Round
Round 1: You may describe the word in any way you like, including using the hint text on the card. Apart from the word itself, there are no forbidden words. You may use any word, sound, gesture, or combination of these. If you accidentally say any part of the word, you must pass that card for the rest of this round.
Round 2: You may say only one word. It may be anything except the word itself. You may repeat that one word as many times as you like, but you may not make any other sound or hand gesture.
Round 3: You may not make any sound. Silent cinema only! You are free to use objects around you, or to act out the word using gestures involving your teammates.
Since you will play with the same deck for all 3 rounds, it is recommended to listen carefully to and remember the cards described throughout the game. That way, when it is your team's turn to guess, you can more easily identify the card the describer is trying to get you to guess.
End of Game
At the end of the 3 rounds, the team with the highest total score wins the game. If the teams are tied, the team that won Round 2 wins the game.
Note: You do not actually have to keep score. What matters is spending a pleasant time together, and that is all. If you have unanswered questions, you can contact the publisher, or make up your own rules.