Picture Show
Picture Show Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Goal
Make as many propositions as possible guessed by your team within a limited time.
How to Play
Setup
- Divide the players into 2 teams as fairly as possible.
- Decide whether you play with the red, blue or yellow cards.
- Place the screen in the middle of the table, with the projector just behind it.
- Place the wands and the magnetic shapes next to the projector.
- The team with the youngest player starts.
- One member of the team is designated as the shadow master and moves behind the projector. They keep this role for the whole turn of their team.
- Switch the projector on to position 2 (under the projector).
Round
- The shadow master draws a card and turns on the projector by pressing the button behind it.
- Their turn begins.
- During their turn, the shadow master must get the proposition on the card guessed, creating Chinese shadows so that their team can find the right answer. If the team is stuck, the shadow master may change the card only once during their turn.
- As soon as a proposition is found, the shadow master draws a new card, and so on until the projector goes off.
- The projector stays on for 60 seconds, then flickers for 10 seconds before switching off.
- When the light goes off:
- The team keeps the cards it has won.
- The other team designates a shadow master and follows the usual round rules.
End of the Game
- At the end of the 3 rounds, the game is over and the team holding the most cards is declared the winner.
- In case of a tie, play one more round until a team is designated the winner, following the usual round rules.
2-Player Rules
- The game becomes cooperative, and each player is the shadow master 5 times.
- The turn order follows the usual round rules.
- Beat your own records to become the undisputed masters of Chinese shadows.
How to Create Chinese Shadows
Here are some tips for getting a proposition guessed.
Simple Use of Shapes
To get "storm" guessed, use the cloud shape plus the lightning shape, as in the example shown.
Use in Superposition
Some propositions may lead you to superpose several shapes to create a new shape. For example, to get "cosmonaut" guessed, use the man shape and the round shape and superpose them on a single wand. Your second wand then lets you use an additional shape, such as the star.
Breaking Your Story Into Steps
Some propositions may lead you to split the story into several steps. For example, to get "marriage proposal" guessed, you can break it into 3 steps:
- Step 1: use the man shape plus the woman shape.
- Step 2: use the comic speech bubble shape plus the heart shape.
- Step 3: use the hand shape plus the ring shape.
Extra Tip
To help get a proposition guessed, you may use onomatopoeia: you can hum, growl, laugh, go "aie" (ouch), "ouille", "oh", or make other sounds. However, speaking is forbidden.
Publisher's Tips
- Extend the play experience by adding your own propositions.
- Picture Show is best played in a dimmed atmosphere.
- Avoid too much exposure to light.
- You can chain 3 games in a row by using the red propositions, then the blue, then the yellow.
- You can practise for hours by activating the "training" function. The light then stays on at all times. To activate training mode, set the projector to position 1 (under the projector).
Components and Batteries
- The projector runs on 3 AAA batteries. To fit them: remove the screw and the battery cover with a screwdriver, insert the 3 AAA batteries following the polarity markings, then replace the cover and tighten the screw with a screwdriver. Battery replacement must be done by an adult.
- Do not look directly into the light beam, and never point the beam at another person's face.
- Remove the batteries when the projector is not in use.
The leaflet's regulatory text (battery and electrical-waste recycling logos, the "keep this information" notice, and the copyright, licence and address lines) is not game rules and is omitted.