Pictionary: 20th Anniversary
Pictionary: 20th Anniversary Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Overview
Players: 3 or more Ages: 12 and up
Contents: Gameboard, one-minute timer, standard die, Challenge die, 324 cards (including 4 Category cards and 20 Fun phrase cards), card box, 4 pencil pawns, 4 pencils, 4 pads of paper.
Object of the Game: Sketch your way along the gameboard from Start to Finish. The first team to reach the Finish square and guess a final sketch correctly is the winning team.
Setup
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Remove the 4 Category cards and the 20 orange Fun phrase cards from the deck. Keep the Category cards handy as references for the category colors. Shuffle the Fun phrase deck and place it in the back of the card box.
Shuffle the main deck and place it in the card box, in front of the Fun phrase cards. Make sure all of the cards have the same color (either red or blue) facing front.
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Decide if you will play by the classic rules, or add the Challenge die (see THE CHALLENGE DIE). Then place the card box, timer, and die (or dice) near the gameboard, within easy reach of all players.
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Divide yourselves into two or more teams. It's okay if one team has one more player than the other. Each team chooses a pencil pawn and places it on the large ALL PLAY START square. Each team then takes a pencil and a sketch pad, and gives them to the player who will be Picturist (the player who sketches) for the first round.
Quick Play Rules
- Divide into teams of two or more players and choose a Picturist (the player who sketches) for each team.
- The Picturist takes a card and looks at the word or phrase that corresponds to the square that team's pawn is on. (If it's an ALL PLAY, a Picturist from each team sketches the same word at the same time.) The timer is turned over, and the Picturist(s) starts sketching.
- Your team (all teams if it's an ALL PLAY) now has one minute to guess! If you guess correctly before time is up, roll the die, move on, and take another turn. If not, stay where you are.
- Play passes to the other team if your team doesn't guess in time. When it's your team's turn, choose a different Picturist and a different card. Play the same as before, starting with the word in the category that corresponds to the square your pawn is on.
How to Play
The Picturists: Team members take turns being the Picturist. Each time your team sketches a word or phrase, a new Picturist must sketch. Note: If there are only 3 players, one player may act as the Picturist for both teams.
- The first card is selected, and each team's Picturist looks at the ALL PLAY word. (See ALL PLAY SQUARES and ALL PLAY WORDS.)
- When all of the Picturists have seen the word, the timer is turned over and they begin to sketch simultaneously. Their respective teammates have one minute to guess.
- The first team to guess the word correctly rolls the standard die and moves forward that number of squares. Play then continues clockwise. (See MOVING.) If neither team guesses the word in time, the pawns stay where they are and the other team takes a turn.
The Gameboard Squares
During the game, you'll draw pictures in the categories that match the square your team's pawn is on. The colors and symbols on the gameboard squares mean:
- ALL PLAY: this can be any type of word. (Symbol: four crossed pencils.)
- DIFFICULT: challenging words. (Symbol: a pencil with a squiggly line.)
- ACTION: things that can be performed. (Symbol: a pencil moving.)
- PERSON/PLACE/ANIMAL: names are included! (Symbol: a pencil over a cat.)
- OBJECT: things that can be touched or seen. (Symbol: a pencil over a box.)
ALL PLAY Squares
The START square is an ALL PLAY square, and there are others around the board with the same symbol. Whenever you land on ALL PLAY, the word is shown to and sketched simultaneously by the Picturist from each team. The other players must try to guess the word from their respective team's sketch.
Drawing Do's and Don'ts
You Can: Draw anything related to the word, no matter how tenuous the link. You can break words down into a number of syllables, draw mail for male or blew for blue, etc.
You Can't: Draw ears for "sounds like" or dashes for the number of letters in a word; use letters or numbers; speak to your teammates; or use sign language.
Setting house rules: It's a good idea to set some "house" rules before you start to play. For example, decide how precise an answer must be. Would you accept floss for dental floss, run for running or puzzle for jigsaw puzzle?*
*This is especially important when playing with the Fun phrase cards: for example, if the phrase is Between a rock and a hard place, players should get a break if they guess A rock and a hard place.
ALL PLAY Words
In addition to the ALL PLAY squares, there are ALL PLAY words on the cards. If the word for the category you have landed on has the ALL PLAY symbol next to it, play is the same as on an ALL PLAY square. No matter whose ALL PLAY word it is, whichever team guesses the word first within the time limit rolls, moves, and takes the next turn.
The Challenge Die
If you've decided to use the Challenge die, roll it at the beginning of your turn to see what challenge, if any, you will have.
- None (Symbol: pencil): No special challenges for this card. It's traditional PICTIONARY.
- Off Hand (Symbol: hand with arrow): Every Picturist must use his/her off hand to draw the picture. If you are right-handed, use your left hand, and vice-versa.
- Eyes closed (Symbol: closed eye): Every Picturist must draw with his/her eyes closed. No peeking or you forfeit the round. You can look up at the ceiling if that's easier.
- One line (Symbol: looped line): Every Picturist can only use one line when drawing a picture. Once the pencil hits the paper, it cannot be lifted for any reason, or that team loses the round.
- Two images (Symbol: two fingers raised): Every Picturist must draw two pictures. One picture must be the one from the correct category (i.e., the right color) while the second picture can be any other one from the card. If the first picture is an ALL PLAY (or it is the ALL PLAY category), then the Picturist whose turn it is chooses the second picture. All teams then draw the same two pictures. The pictures can be drawn in any order.
The Fun Phrase Cards
These cards have common phrases, and they are more challenging to draw and guess. If the team guesses the phrase correctly, they may add two points to their next roll of the standard die!
On any turn, the Picturist may choose to play one of the Fun phrase cards. To do this, the Picturist draws from the 20 Fun phrase cards in the back of the card box instead of a regular card. Although the categories (except for ALL PLAY) don't apply to these special cards, the rules for drawing and guessing are the same as for the regular cards.
Moving
- On the first turn of the game, the team that guesses the word or phrase first rolls the standard die and moves forward that number of squares. There can be more than one pawn on a square.
- The next Picturist for this team takes a new card from the card box. The timer is turned over and the Picturist draws the word or phrase which corresponds to the square the team has landed on. Note: If it is an ALL PLAY word, follow the ALL PLAY rules.
- If the team guesses correctly, they roll the standard die and move the number of squares rolled, then take another turn.
- If time runs out, it's the next team's turn to play. This next team does not roll the standard die. Instead, they pick a new card and must sketch the word on the card matching the category of the square they are currently on. If this square is an ALL PLAY square, everyone gets the chance to play again.
Winning the Game
Continue to sketch your way around the board, sketching the word corresponding to the square you land on. The first team to reach the FINISH square and guess a sketch correctly wins the game! (You don't need to roll the exact number to reach this final square.)