Mind Map Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• Competitive Mode for 4 to 7 Players
  • Setup
  • Round Overview
    • Example
  • Voting Phase
    • Example
  • Scoring Phase
    • Example
  • End of the Game
• Team Mode for 8 to 14 Players
  • Setup
  • Gameplay Overview
  • End of the Game

Contents

• 4 Axis tiles
• 100 Word cards
• 50 Criteria cards
• 7 Player cards
• 7 Coordinate tokens
• 7 Score tokens
• 1 Scoreboard
• 7 Number cards
• 49 Vote tokens (7 per color)
• Only used in the team mode: 7 Team Vote tokens, 24 Team Score tokens, 2 40/80 tokens

Players: 4-14. Age 10+. 20 min. Competitive mode for 4 to 7 players; Team mode for 8 to 14 players.

Competitive Mode for 4 to 7 Players

Players must make their opponents guess their Secret word by placing their Coordinate tokens in the game zone according to two Criteria and one Reference word. The player with the most points after 3 rounds wins the game.

Setup

1. Place the Axis tiles in the center of the table to form perpendicular Axes: a horizontal Axis and a vertical Axis.
2. Each player chooses a Player card, then takes the Coordinate token and 7 Vote tokens in the matching color. Return any tokens with a number higher than the number of players to the box; they will not be used this game.
3. Shuffle the Word cards and Criteria cards separately. Place each deck near the Axes.
4. Place the scoreboard nearby, then place all players' Score tokens on the 0 space of the scoreboard.

Each round:

5. Draw as many Word cards as players from the top of the deck and place them to the left of the numbered spaces along the vertical Axis, starting with space 1.
6. Draw a final Word card and place it at the intersection of the red markers on each Axis. This will be the current round's Reference word.
7. Draw the top two Criteria cards from the deck and place one on the dedicated space on each Axis.
8. Take the Number cards and remove any with numbers higher than the number of players. Then shuffle them and give one card face down to each player. Secretly look at your card, then place it face down next to your Player card. This number corresponds to the space on the vertical Axis and indicates your Secret word for this round.

Round Overview

Players simultaneously place their Coordinate token in the game zone formed by the Axes, in relation to the two Criteria cards and the Reference word for the current round.

The game zone is not limited to the edges of the arrows on the tiles. Players can place tokens beyond them if they want, as long as they remain somewhere on the table.

Place your Coordinate token based on how closely your Secret word relates to BOTH Criteria.

• The higher you place your Coordinate token in the game zone (towards the plus on the vertical Axis), the more it relates to the Criteria on this Axis. However, the lower you place your Coordinate token (towards the minus), the less it relates to the Criteria.
• The further right you place your Coordinate token in the game zone (towards the plus on the horizontal Axis), the more it relates to the Criteria on this Axis. However, the further left you place your Coordinate token (towards the minus), the less it relates to the Criteria.

Careful! You also need to place your Secret word depending on how it relates to the REFERENCE WORD in the middle of the game zone.

• If you place your Coordinate token above the Reference word, this means your Secret word relates more to the vertical Axis than the Reference word. If you place it below, it relates less.
• If you place your Coordinate token to the right of the Reference word, this means your Secret word relates more to the horizontal Axis than the Reference word. If you place it to the left, it relates less.

Make sure you keep an eye on where other players place their words and adjust your Coordinate token accordingly.

Note: You can move your Coordinate token as many times as you want until you are satisfied with its position.

Once everyone has finalized the position of their Coordinate token within the game zone, continue to the Voting Phase.

Example

(Player colors: 1 orange, 2 green, 3 purple, 4 grey.)

The two Criteria for this round are: "A must-have for all 50-year-olds" and "Collectible." The Reference word is "bathing suit."

Everyone places their Coordinate token in the game zone at the same time and moves it as many times as they like, depending on where everyone else places their token.

• The orange player thinks that "fruit yogurt" is a pretty normal object and that it's not something that's absolutely necessary to have by the age of 50 - they deem it less necessary than the Reference word "bathing suit" and the other words of the round. They place their Coordinate token as close to the minus on the vertical Axis as possible. Turning their attention to the Criteria card, they don't think that yogurt would make for a good collector's item, given that it's perishable. Since bathing suits could very easily be collected by swimming enthusiasts and looking at the other words of the round, they place their Coordinate token as close to the minus on the horizontal Axis as possible.
• The green player's Secret word is "5000-piece puzzle." Out of all the other words, they think this is the easiest thing to collect: It's less expensive than luxury watches and lawn mowers, and more interesting than bathing suits. They place their Coordinate token as far right as possible, towards the plus, on the horizontal Axis, to make sure everyone knows their Secret word is very collectible! They also think that puzzles are something a 50-year-old would like more than yogurt or a bathing suit, but maybe not as much as a luxury watch or a lawn mower. Therefore, they place their Coordinate token towards the plus on the vertical Axis, making sure it's above "bathing suit," but below the grey player's token, since their Secret word might be "luxury watch."
• The purple player has "lawn mower." To them, having a lawn mower means you must also have a house with a lawn, which is definitely something you would hope to have by 50 years old. At the very least, you would want it more than a bathing suit, though maybe not as much as a luxury watch. They place their Coordinate token towards the plus on the vertical Axis, above "bathing suit" but below the grey player's token, in case their Secret word is "luxury watch." For the Criteria card, they think it's far less common to collect lawn mowers than bathing suits, so they place their token towards the minus on the horizontal Axis, between "bathing suit" and the orange player's token, which they think might be "fruit yogurt."
• The grey player knows they should place their "luxury watch" as high as possible in the game zone, towards the plus on the vertical Axis. They see it as the best item to own by the age of 50, as it's something only the rich can own. On the other hand, as it costs so much, they don't think as many people would collect them as they do puzzles, but maybe more than bathing suits. They place their Coordinate token to the right of "bathing suit" and to the left of the green player's token, since they think it's probably "5000-piece puzzle."

Voting Phase

Players now try to guess which word corresponds to each Coordinate token.

The Criteria cards are often deliberately subjective! Put yourself in the other players' shoes and try to understand how they would interpret each card!

All at the same time, place a Vote token face down on each Coordinate token (except your own) with the number of the word you think matches.

• You can only vote once per Coordinate token.
• Stack the other players' Vote tokens on top of each other on the Coordinate token. If you prefer, you can instead lay them nearby, so you can see where everyone has voted.

Once everyone has placed their Vote tokens, continue to the Scoring Phase.

Example

Out of all the Coordinate tokens in the game zone, the purple player thinks they've found "fruit yogurt." They place their Vote token #1 face down on the orange player's Coordinate token. Clearly, it's something too commonplace to collect or be excited about owning as a middle-aged person.

Following that logic, a luxury watch is more exciting than any other word this round, so they place their Vote token #4 face down on the grey player's Coordinate token, which is highest in the game zone.

Finally, they place their Vote token #2 face down on the green player's Coordinate token, since a 5000-piece puzzle is the most collectible item this round. The other players are placing their own Vote tokens at the same time.

Scoring Phase

Take turns revealing your Number card and Vote tokens for each Coordinate token.

You score:

• 1 point per player who guessed your Secret word.
• 1 point per other player's word you guessed.

Move your Score token up the scoreboard equal to the number of points you scored.

After scoring, if it's not the end of the third round, begin a new round. Take your Coordinate token and Vote tokens. Discard the Word cards and Criteria cards used in the previous round, then set up the next round by revealing new Word cards, a new Reference card, and two new Criteria cards (see Setup).

Example

• Everyone guessed the orange player's Coordinate token correctly, so the orange player scores 3 points and the other players each score 1 point.
• For the purple player's Coordinate token, the orange player was wrong, so they don't score any points. The purple player scores 2 points, while the grey and green players each score 1 point.
• Everyone guessed the grey player's Coordinate token correctly, so the grey player scores 3 points and the other players each score 1 point.
• For the green player's Coordinate token, the orange player was wrong, so they don't score any points. The green player scores 2 points, while the grey and purple players each score 1 point.

End of the Game

The game ends after 3 rounds. The player with the highest score wins the game. If there's a tie, the tied players share the victory.

Team Mode for 8 to 14 Players

In the team mode, players are split into two teams and go head-to-head over 4 rounds. Each team takes turns trying to score the most points while playing cooperatively. The inactive team is still able to vote using the Team Vote tokens, and will therefore score points during these rounds too. The team who scores the most points after 4 rounds wins the game.

Setup

Follow the normal setup rules (see Setup), with the following exceptions:

• Leave the players' Score tokens in the box. They will not be used in this game.
• Place both Team Score tokens on the 0 space of the scoreboard.
• Split up into two equal teams. If you have an odd number of players, one team may have one extra player.
• Each player on the active team chooses a Player card, then takes the Coordinate token and 7 Vote tokens in the matching color.
• Players on the inactive team take the Team Vote tokens.
• Reveal as many Word cards as players on the active team, then one additional Word card to be the Reference word, and finally one Criteria card on each Axis.

Gameplay Overview

Follow the normal game rules, with the following exceptions:

• The active team plays its round, scoring points cooperatively. They will score 1 point per teammate who correctly guessed each Coordinate token.
• During the Voting Phase, after players on the active team have voted, the inactive team must vote. They must all agree on how to vote, by placing their Team Vote tokens face up on each Coordinate token. They will score 2 points per correct guess.

After the first team finishes their first round, the teams swap roles: The second team becomes the active team and plays one round. They then swap again until both teams have played two rounds each as the active team.

If a team scores higher than 40 points, they take their 40 token and continue from the start of the scoreboard. If they score higher than 80 points, they flip their token to the 80 side and continue from the start of the scoreboard.

End of the Game

The team with the most points after 4 rounds wins the game. In case of tie, both teams share the victory.