Rorschach Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Setup
• Playing the game
• End of the game

Components

• 100 image cards (inkblot images), with a back design
• 100 word cards, with a back design
• 18 markers: 3 black sets and 3 white sets, each set made up of 3 markers (9 markers per colour), plus a back design

Setup

1. Form two teams of about the same size, sitting across the table from each other.
2. Each team takes the 9 markers of one colour and places them on their side of the table in 3 face-up sets. (A)
3. Shuffle the words and the images separately and place them between the teams in 2 face-down decks. (B)
4. Choose a team to be the first round's test team. The other team will be the control team.

Playing the game

Rorschach is played over several rounds. Each round, a player secretly pairs words with inkblot images while the others try to guess those pairings. The team that does this better wins.

Each round goes as follows:

First, the test team performs these preparatory steps:

• Draw 3 cards from the word deck and display them face up on the table.
• Take one set of your markers and place one marker face up in the centre of each face-up card.
• Draw four cards from the image deck and display them face up in a square with some space between them.
• Finally, choose one player from your team to be this round's test subject and give that player a second set of your markers.

The control team must then remove one of the face-up images from play:

• Discuss among your team members which image could most easily be matched to one of the words and flip that image face down.

Then the test subject takes over:

• Pick up your set of markers. You must now secretly match each face-up image to a displayed word by placing one of your markers face down on the top left corner of each image. Each image becomes matched to the word with the same marker. How you match is up to you and your own associations.

Now the rest of the test team takes over:

• Discuss aloud or in secret how you think the test subject matched. The test subject can't give any hints, of course. Then choose an image whose word you think you know. From your third set of markers, take that word's marker and place it face up at the bottom of that image.

Next, the control team can guess too, by placing beside your marker either:

• a) one of their markers with the same symbol (if they agree with your guess).

  or

• b) one of their markers with a different symbol (if they think the word with that symbol is the right answer).

Afterwards, there is a scoring phase (a scoring overview can be found on the back of this rule book). The test subject reveals the marker on the top left corner of the image you guessed, and your guess was either:

• A) right, if the marker's symbol is the same as yours,

  or

• B) wrong, if it's different.

A) If you guessed right, check how the control team guessed:

• If they also guessed right, place the image back in the box.
• If they guessed wrong, place the image in front of you as a point.

Then you make another guess by placing another of your markers face up at the bottom of another image. The control team doesn't get another guess. Then the test subject reveals the marker on the top left corner of that image…

The printed rule book continues in two columns, under the heading "If they also guessed right" (left) and "If they guessed wrong" (right):

• Left column, if the control team also guessed right: If you guessed right, place this second image in front of you as a point. If you guessed wrong, instead place it as a point in front of the control team.
• Right column, if the control team guessed wrong: If you guessed right, place this second image in front of you as a point too. If you guessed wrong, instead place it back in the box.

B) If you guessed wrong, check how the control team guessed:

• If they also guessed wrong, the round ends with no points scored.
• If they guessed right, they get the image as a point.

Overview of the possible scoring scenarios:

The test team's guess is	The control team's guess is	Which team gets the image as a point?	May the test team make a 2nd guess?	Which team gets the 2nd image if the 2nd guess is right?	Which team gets the 2nd image if the 2nd guess is wrong?
1. right	right	neither	yes	test team	control team
2. right	wrong	test team	yes	test team	neither
3. wrong	wrong	neither	no	-	-
4. wrong	right	control team	no

Once the scoring phase is complete, each team takes its markers back and splits them into sets again.

Clean up the display area by placing this round's face-up words and unscored images (including the face-down one) in the box.

Afterwards, a new round starts, in which the roles of the teams are reversed.

End of the game

A team wins if, at the end of any scoring phase, they have at least 4 points and are at least 2 points ahead of the other team.

"Well done," says Rorschach, who has been watching you closely throughout. "You have passed the test and are free to go!" As you all get up to leave, however, the Professor raises his hand. "I meant just the winning team, of course. The rest of you must remain here." Then he smiles and adds: "But perhaps I'll give you another test soon…"