Platypus
Platypus Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 1 Seeker token
- 120 noun cards
- 150 adjective cards
- 8 number cards (1 to 8)
- 1 game board
Koala Mode
Setup
- Place the game board in the middle of the table. Next to it, place the 8 number cards face down.
- Shuffle the noun deck and take 8 cards from it. Place them, one by one, face up, next to each number around the game board (one card per number).
- Take 3 more noun cards and place them face down in reserve. Return the remaining noun cards to the box.
- Shuffle the adjective deck and deal 8 cards to each player. Place the rest of the deck face down next to the game board. If you want to make the game a little harder, deal 6 cards each. If you want to make it even harder, deal 4 cards each.
- The oldest player becomes the first Seeker. They put the Seeker token in front of them. The second Seeker is the player to their left.
IMPORTANT: In a game with three players there is only one Seeker.
Round
Round Preparation
The Seekers shuffle the 8 number cards. Then, without looking, they show the top card to the other players and put it back on top of the face-down deck. This number corresponds to the number of the noun that the Seekers must find by the end of the round. The player to the left of the Seekers becomes the first Clue-giver. Having finished preparing the round, alternately play Phases A and B.
Phase A
- Using the adjective cards in their hand, the Clue-giver may choose the one that fits the secret noun better than the others among the open nouns. If they cannot decide on a choice, the next player to the left (who is not a Seeker) becomes the new Clue-giver — they must choose an adjective card for themselves from their hand.
- The Clue-giver shows the chosen adjective card to all players and says: "Platypus..." (literally "The Platypus is ..."), adding that adjective, and places this card in the middle of the table.
- If the Clue-giver has 3 cards left, they draw 1 more so that they have 4.
Phase B
- The Seekers must eliminate 1 or 2 noun cards which, in their opinion, correspond least to this adjective.
- Eliminating a noun, turn its card face down. When they have finished eliminating cards, the Seekers may shout "Kookaburra!" (an Australian bird known for its cry resembling laughter) to signal the others, or simply say that they are finished.
- If the Seekers eliminated all noun cards except the secret one, the round has ended — the team has passed it successfully (set the secret card aside so that the noun remains visible). Go to "NEW ROUND".
- If the Seekers eliminated the secret noun, the round is lost and the team begins the next round.
- If 2 or more noun cards remain face up, the player to the left of the Clue-giver (who is not a Seeker) becomes the new Clue-giver. Begin a new Phase A. The Seekers do not change.
IMPORTANT: The Seekers may talk to each other and comment on their choice, but the other players must not communicate with each other or talk to the Seekers. Behave as quietly as possible, without disturbing the Seekers.
New Round
Check whether the game end condition has been met (see "END OF THE GAME"). If the game continues:
- Discard all adjective cards played in this round.
- Open a new noun card from the reserve and put it in place of the secret noun card, regardless of whether it was guessed or not.
- Turn all eliminated noun cards face up so that they can be used in the new round.
- The Seeker token passes to the player who was the first Clue-giver in this round. Thus, the one who was the Seeker in the current round will not be one in the next round. Begin a new round with Phase A.
End of the Game
The game ends after the 4th round. Count the number of guessed cards. The team gets 1 victory point for each round won. Compare your result with the table.
| Result | Rating |
|---|---|
| 0 | You have certainly read the rules! Play again! This time you will succeed! |
| 1 | Not bad for a start, but there is nothing special to boast about :) |
| 2 | A confident result and room for growth. |
| 3 | Excellent! Your team is one of the best! |
| 4 | Superb! If "Who's There?" is ever included in the Olympic games programme, you should definitely train! |
Dingo Mode
If winning under the normal rules, by winning 4 rounds, is too easy for you, try playing in Dingo mode!
During setup, put face down in reserve as many noun cards as you think necessary. You can add more cards there if needed. Return the remaining noun cards to the box. The game goes by the normal rules, but does not end after the 4th round. Instead, take a new card from the reserve and keep playing until you (finally) lose a round.
Move the Seeker token 1 place clockwise if the game has an even number of players, or 2 places if odd. Your result equals the number of rounds won. Try to beat this new record!
Sitting Mode (from 9 players)
If you want to play with a large group, use this variant:
3 players become Clue-givers, and all the others are Seekers. Deal adjective cards only to the Clue-givers, not to the Seekers. As in Koala mode, one of the Clue-givers chooses an adjective card to help the Seekers identify the secret noun.
The Seekers can jointly decide how many nouns they want to eliminate — 1 or 2. Then the second Clue-giver chooses an adjective card, and so on.
At the end of the round choose 3 new Clue-givers. Discard all adjective cards (played and unplayed). The new Clue-givers take 1 card fewer than in the previous round (but not fewer than 3 cards per Clue-giver).
THIS MODE CAN BE COMBINED WITH DINGO MODE.
Frequently Asked Questions
- If the players are unfamiliar with any of the nouns, replace it with another until everyone is satisfied.
- The box contains blank noun cards so that you can add your own words to the game! For example, the name of a popular board game author, a favourite performer, or even the players' names!
- You may set aside the adjective cards that were used only to identify the secret noun you found. At the end of the game you can discuss in what outrageous way you described Darth Vader by calling him biodegradable and smelly!