Maybe. Not. Perfect!
Maybe. Not. Perfect! Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 50 profession cards
- 12 code cards
- 3 solution cards (1x Maybe, 1x Not, 1x Perfect)
- 1 game manual
Game Objective
Work together to correctly solve as many code cards as you can!
Correct means assigning the exact solution card shown on the secret code card to each of the three professions on display.
Game Setup
- Shuffle the profession cards and place them face down to form a draw pile.
- Lay out the solution cards face up next to the draw pile.
- Shuffle the code cards and deal 1 face down to each player. Set the rest aside for future rounds.
- Each player draws 3 profession cards from the draw pile.
Gameplay
You'll play Maybe. Not. Perfect! over several thoughtful rounds. Each round follows the same basic structure. You all carry out the first 3 steps at the same time:
- Check your cards (in secret!). Look at your code card and profession cards. Keep them to yourself and don't show or talk about them!
- Decide in what order you want to arrange your three profession cards: Top, middle and bottom (see next step). Important: Once you choose the order, you can't change it. It locks in how your clue will be matched: The top profession links to the top symbol on your code card, the middle profession links to the middle symbol and the bottom profession links to the bottom symbol.
- Think of a clue word that relates differently to each profession. One fits perfectly, one somewhat, one not at all.
Acceptable Clues
You can use nouns, including compound nouns. Examples of acceptable clues: Lunchbox, Bottle opener. What's not allowed: Overly complex or obscure phrases — like the Beef Labelling Monitoring Task Transfer Act. Fun fact: This German law once held the crown for the longest word in the German language. It got repealed in 2013. Hence… sadly no longer an acceptable clue. Keep it simple, relatable, and fun!
The player with the most exciting profession goes first. They become the active player and give the clue. Everyone else forms the guessing team.
- Place your profession cards face up in the centre of the table in the order you chose in step 2. Then, say your clue out loud.
- Now the other players discuss which solution card (Maybe / Not / Perfect) belongs with each profession. Once you've made your decision, place the solution cards next to the professions.
- The active player turns over their code card to reveal the correct order.
Now check the result:
- If all three matches are correct: Take one of the profession cards as a point and place it face down in a shared point pile. Discard the other two profession cards.
- If any match is wrong: No points are awarded this round. Discard all three profession cards.
- Return the used code card to the pile of code cards not currently in play. The next player (going clockwise) becomes the active player.
Repeat steps 4–7 until you've played the planned number of rounds (see the table below).
New Round
After everyone has had a turn as the clue-giver, the round ends. Shuffle all 12 code cards and deal them out again. Then each person draws 3 new profession cards, and the next round continues.
End of the Game
| Players | Rounds |
|---|---|
| 2 players | 6 rounds |
| 3 players | 4 rounds |
| 4 players | 3 rounds |
Of course, you can always keep playing for fun — no one's stopping you! But if you want to measure how well your team has played, count the number of cards in your shared score pile and check the table below to see how well you did.
Okay... if you play more rounds than planned, the following table won't work anymore. You'll just have to tell yourselves what a great job you did. But you already knew that, right?
- 0 points — Prophetically clueless: Maybe there was a strange atmospheric disturbance... or maybe someone was secretly in "traitor mode" and we haven't discovered them yet. Either way: better luck next round. Shuffle up and try again!
- 1–3 points — Semi-psychic: Okay, you got a few things right — but were you holding the crystal ball upside down? Give it a quick polish and go for another round.
- 4–6 points — Blurry visions: Your third eye almost nailed it — until a speck of dust ruined the moment. Still, not bad at all! With a little more focus, next time could be brilliant.
- 7–9 points — Clever combinations: You spotted patterns while others were still fumbling in the dark. You found what everyone was looking for... most of the time, at least. It doesn't get much better, or does it?
- 10–11 points — Brilliant mind reading: Uncanny! You were reading between the lines like a true mind whisperer. Just one step away from perfection. Now, can you go all the way?
- 12 points — Maybe. Not. Perfect!: Perfection achieved! You can't score higher than this. But was it just a fluke? Or can you do it again? Only one way to find out.