Rhymes with Duck Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Objective
• Setup
• How to Play
• Scoring
• Don't Spell Q-U-A-C-K
• Winning
• Clarifications

Objective

Be the first player to score 20 points or have the most points when an opposing player spells the word "QUACK."

Setup

1. Hand all players a Marker and Answer Board.
2. Assign one person as the Score Keeper and give them the Score Board. Write each player's name in the blanks.
3. Place the Word Cards within reach of all players. Play the red side for 4-5 player games and the green side for 6-8 player games.
4. The youngest player at the table is first to be Chuck. Place Chuck in front of them.

How to Play

1. The player with Chuck selects a Word Card, reads the word aloud, then places it on the table for all players to see.
2. Each player privately writes a word that rhymes with the start word on their Answer Board.
3. Once everyone has written a word, each player reveals their Answer Board one-by-one, starting with the player to the left of Chuck.
4. The Score Keeper marks the points on the Score Board based on the scoring criteria included on this page.
5. Chuck is now passed one player to the left and play continues in the same manner until a winner has been determined.

Scoring

1. Players who match only one other player score 3 points.
2. Players who match more than one other player score 1 point.
3. Players who match the player with Chuck score 2 bonus points, in addition to the points they were awarded above.
4. Players who do not match any other player score no points.
5. The player with Chuck scores 1 bonus point for each player they match with, in addition to the points awarded above.

Don't Spell Q-U-A-C-K

1. All players want to avoid receiving penalty letters and spelling the word "Q-U-A-C-K" as it disqualifies them from winning and ends the game immediately (like the "H-O-R-S-E" game in basketball). The Score Keeper tracks player's penalty letters by crossing out the letters in "QUACK" on the Score Board.
2. Any player that does not match another player during a round receives 1 penalty letter.
3. If you're the player with Chuck and you don't match with another player, you receive 2 penalty letters.

Winning

The first player to score 20 points or the player with the highest score once any player spells Q-U-A-C-K, whichever comes first, is the winner. The player(s) who spelled Q-U-A-C-K cannot win, regardless of score. On the last round, when someone spells Q-U-A-C-K, all scores still count from this round.

Clarifications

1. Matches are based on the sound. "Chance" rhymes with "dance," but so does "pants," even though they're spelled differently.
2. Words that sound the same are the same. "Toe" and "tow" are matching answers because they sound the same.
3. Answers must be the same number of syllables. You can't rhyme "duck" with "nunchuck."
4. There are no wrong answers. It does not matter whether a word actually rhymes - if two players write the same word, they score.
5. "Tagging" is allowed: saying another player's name in the hopes of triggering a common memory or connection, thus bettering your chances of making a match.
6. When choosing your response, either add letters or substitute letters. See examples below.

• Start word: PANT, CAPE
• Add letters: YES - PLANT, CREPE
• Substitute letters: YES - RANT, SHAPE
• Delete only: NO - ANT, APE