Pictionary (2016 edition)
Pictionary (2016 edition) Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
200 Cards, 2 Card Boxes, 4 Category Cards, 2 Erasable Markers, 2 Erasable Boards, 1 Game Board, 2 Movers, 1 Sand Timer, 1 Die.
Object of the Game
The object of the game is to sketch your way from Start to Finish. The first team to reach the Finish Square and guess a final sketch correctly is the winner.
Set Up
Remove the Category Cards and place the Clue Cards in the Card Boxes. Place the Card Boxes and Sand Timer where all players have easy access to them.
Divide into 2 teams.
Provide each team with an Erasable Board and Marker, Category Card and a Colored Mover (which they place on the Start Square). They will use the Board and Marker to sketch clues during game play.
NOTE: USE A DAMP CLOTH TO CLEAN BOARD.
The die is rolled to determine the order of play. The highest rolling team starts.
When it's your team's turn, select a Picturist – the player who will sketch the first word.
Categories
Each Clue Card has six categories, which relate to the colored squares on the board.
- YELLOW – OBJECT (Things that can be touched or seen)
- BLUE – PERSON/PLACE/ANIMAL (Names are included)
- ORANGE – ACTION (Things that can be performed)
- GREEN – DIFFICULT (Challenging words)
- RED – POP CULTURE (Movies, TV, celebrities and more)
- PURPLE – CATCH-ALL (A mix of anything and everything)
How to Play
The Start Space is a yellow square, so the first word to be played is from the yellow OBJECT category. The die is NOT rolled to start.
The starting team's Picturist takes a clue, and secretly looks at the word to be played.
The timer is turned over and the Picturist has one minute to sketch clues to their team. Sketching and guessing continues until the word is identified, or the time is up. If a guess is correct, the team continues to play by rolling the die, advancing the number of squares shown and selecting a new Picturist. They then take a new card from the appropriate card deck and sketch the word matching the colored square that they landed on. The Picturist must change each time a team sketches a new word.
If a team continues guessing correctly, they will continue rolling and sketching.
If a word is not identified within the time limit, the die is passed to the other team. The team receiving the die begins its turn by choosing a Picturst and taking a new card from the top of the pack, NOT by rolling the die. The word to be played matches the color of the space on which the team's mover stands. When the Picturist is ready, the timer is turned over and a new turn begins.
The ONLY time the die is rolled to advance a Mover is when a word is identified within the one-minute time limit, or a team is first to identify the word in any ALL PLAY situation (see the ALL PLAY section).
A team must occupy a square for as long as it does not identify the given word on its turn.
More than one team's mover can occupy the same square at the same time.
All Play
[Icon: All Play Square]
When a team's mover lands on an All Play Square, BOTH teams will race to guess the clue AT THE SAME TIME. After the card is drawn it is shown to the Picturists on each team. Both Picturists draw the clue in the CATEGORY that corresponds to the color of the All Play Square. The timer is turned over and all Picturists will simultaneously sketch the same word to their respective teams.
The team that correctly guesses the clue first gets to roll the die and advance the number of spaces indicated. This team now continues their turn with a new word.
If no team identifies the word within the time limit, the die is passed to the team that DID NOT LAND ON THE ALL PLAY SQUARE. However, this team does NOT roll the die, but begins its turn by taking a new card and sketching the word corresponding to the colored square they are currently on. If they are sitting on an All Play square, both teams sketch the word on the card as in a normal All Play round.
REMEMBER: any team that first identifies an ALL PLAY word immediately receives the die and rolls, then moves the number of squares shown and takes another card.
Wild Squares
[Icon: Wild Square]
If a team is on a Wild Square, the Picturist may look at the card and choose any CATEGORY to play.
Winning the Game
A team must reach the final ALL PLAY Square for the chance to win the game (an exact roll is not required). To win, it must be their and they must be the first team to identify the word during the subsequent ALL PLAY round.
If no team identifies the ALL PLAY word within the time limit, the die is passed to the other team.
If the other team identifies the ALL PLAY word first, the die is passed to them.
The team on the final ALL PLAY Square cannot win the game by winning a round controlled by another team. It must regain control of the die to attempt a winning word.
Dos and Don'ts
YOU CAN...
- Draw anything related to the word, no matter how tenuous the link
- Break words down into a number of syllables
- Draw "dock" for "doc", or "flu" for "flue", etc.
YOU CANNOT...
- Use "ears" for "sounds like" or dashes to show the number of letters in the word
- Use letters or numbers
- Speak to your teammates
- Use sign language
Strictness
How precise an answer must be is up to the teams playing and should be agreed at the start of the game. For example, is "bunk" acceptable for "bunk bed"? "Enlarged" for "enlarge"?
Boxed notice: The pen may stain or stick to some surfaces. Protect play area before use.