Pazzaparola
Pazzaparola Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 110 cards in total:
- 46 Theme cards
- 58 Letter cards
- 6 Special Letter cards
Transcriber's note: the rulebook text does not list the point value printed on each Letter card or how many of each Letter there are; these are shown on the card faces and are not transcribed here.
Setup
- Shuffle the Letter deck (including the Special Letter cards) and place it face down on the table.
- Shuffle the Theme deck and place it face down on the table.
Overview
Play proceeds over a variable number of rounds. In each round, follow these 5 simple steps:
- Step 1: Deal the Letter cards
- Step 2: Reveal the Theme
- Step 3: Pass the Letters!
- Step 4: Compose the word
- Step 5: Calculate the score
Step 1: Deal the Letter Cards
At the start of each round, every player draws 8 cards from the Letter deck and looks at them without showing them to the other players. Any cards left in the deck are not used in that round.
Special Letters
In addition to the normal Letter cards, which appear in different quantities and with different values in the deck, there are also the following three Special Letters. Each of them appears twice in the deck.
- Copy from right or left: lets you copy 1 Letter from the player to your right or from the player to your left, as indicated by the arrows. The copied card remains in the possession of that player, who can still use it normally.
- Copy from yourself: lets you copy 1 Letter from yourself (that is, you can double a card you have already used to compose the word).
NOTE: you may also combine Special Letters with each other. That is, you can copy a card from a player seated beside you and double it using the "Copy from yourself" card.
IMPORTANT: you choose the Letter to copy with the Special Letters only during Step 4.
Step 2: Reveal the Theme
At the start of each round, reveal the top card of the Theme deck so that everyone can see it clearly. To win, you must compose a word related to this Theme that is worth more than those of your opponents.
Step 3: Pass the Letters!
A. Choose 1 of the 8 cards in your hand to use for composing the word, and place it face down on the table in front of you.
B. Simultaneously, all players reveal the card lying face down in front of them by turning it face up, so that it is clearly visible to everyone.
C. When all players have revealed their card, pass the remaining cards in your hand to the player on your left, and take the cards that the player on your right passes to you.
D. Repeat steps A to C until there are no more cards to pass and everyone has 8 cards lying face up in front of them.
Example: Step 3
John, George, Paul and Ringo begin the game and each receive 8 cards. They reveal the Theme "Things that make you lose patience."
John has the cards shown in the example and chooses card A, placing it face down in front of him on the table. He keeps the other 7 cards in his hand.
After all players have chosen their card, each turns it face up on the table.
John passes his 7 cards to Ringo, who is seated on his left, and receives the same number of cards from George, who is seated on his right. Among these new cards John chooses "Copy from yourself" and places it face down on the table. He has 6 cards left in his hand.
The players reveal the card they chose. John passes his 6 cards to Ringo and receives the same number from George, and from these he chooses the Z. He has 5 cards left. The procedure repeats in the same way until the players have no more cards to pass.
NOTE: when playing with fewer than 8 players, you will sometimes receive some of the cards you had in your hand at the start of the round.
Step 4: Compose the Word
Each player must now think of a single word related to the drawn Theme.
- You may use any letter of the alphabet, without restriction, even if it does not appear on any of your cards, but the more cards you use, the more points you will score!
- You are not obliged to use all the cards in front of you, but try to use as many as possible!
- You do not have to use the cards in the order in which you chose them. Arrange them however you like!
Place the Letter cards face up in front of you, forming two rows:
- In the upper row, place the cards that form part of the word you have thought of, in order from left to right.
- In the lower row, place the cards you have not used, in any order, but turned face down.
Starting with the player who won the last round, or with the eldest player in case of a tie, each player in clockwise order announces their word, which must be related to the drawn Theme. In case of doubt, the players must agree whether the word is valid or not.
IMPORTANT: see the RULES FOR VALID WORDS at the end of the rulebook.
Example: Step 4
The Theme is "Things that make you lose patience." John arranges the cards in front of him in two rows: he has thought of the word "ZANZARA" (mosquito).
Step 5: Calculate the Score
The score of each word is calculated as follows:
- add up the points written on each card used (upper row);
- subtract 1 point for each unused card (lower row).
The player with the highest score takes the Theme card and places it face down in front of them, on the side showing 1 Victory Point. In case of a tie between several players, all players with the highest score each take 1 Theme card from the deck and place it as a Victory Point.
IMPORTANT: by using a Special Letter card, you can also copy a Letter that the player to your right or left is not using (one from their lower row). The points granted by Special Letters are those of the Letters copied.
Example: Step 5
The Theme is "Things that make you lose patience," and John has chosen the word "ZANZARA." John calculates the points of the Letters in front of him:
- 7 points for the Z.
- 2 points for the A.
- 7 points for the Special Letter with which he copies a second Z from himself.
- 2 points for the Special Letter with which he copies the A from Ringo, who is seated on his left.
- 3 points for the R.
- -3 points for the 3 unused cards.
John's total is 18. Ringo scores 14 points, Paul scores 10 and George scores 9.
John takes the Theme card and places it in front of him as a Victory Point.
End of the Game
When a player obtains the third Victory Point, they win the game. If several players obtain it in the same round, they tie for victory.
Rules for Valid Words
Many categories use the term "things" in a generic sense. For every category, verbs, animals, abstract concepts, proper names and anything else that may be related to the Theme are also valid. Let your imagination run wild!
Words are always valid both in the singular and in the plural, and both in the masculine and in the feminine, provided they exist and are grammatically correct.
Verbs must be in the infinitive.
Foreign terms are accepted if they have entered common usage.
Famous people are accepted, provided they are indicated with a single word.
Valid examples: Zerozerosette, Vasco, Ligabue, Schwarzenegger, Superman, Ronaldo, Zerocalcare, Beatles.
Invalid examples: James Bond, Peter Pan, Iron Man, De Niro, Rolling Stones.
Hyphenated words are considered a single word and are therefore accepted. In case of dispute, the Wikipedia entry is decisive.
Valid examples: pick-up, post-laurea, Emilia-Romagna.
Some words may be considered partially valid, by eliminating only some letters.
Example: the Theme is "Things found in the kitchen." Paul proposed the word "FRIGORIFERINO" (little fridge), using the letters F, R, I, G, N, saying that the fridge at his home is small. The other players do not accept it, but they accept "FRIGORIFERO" (fridge). Paul must move the N from the upper row to the lower row.
TIP: the purpose of the game is to have fun! If everyone laughs when the word is announced, we recommend considering it valid.