Thing Thing
Thing Thing Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Overview
Each player will get a hand of cards that they must play, or 'shed', in order to escape the game as a winner, and not be left as the loser.
On a player's turn, they will play two or more cards and offer a category that includes them both. Other players will then be able to play their cards as well, if they fit the category.
All played cards are discarded, but for each card added by another player, the current player will draw a card.
Components
- 250 Thing cards
- 20 blank Thing cards
- 1 Star token
- 1 Rulesheet
Do not include the blank Thing cards in play. They are included for your creativity. It is customary for the first player to shed all their cards (the first 'winner') to use a permanent marker and add a Thing to the deck using a blank card, usually during the current game.
Any questions about how to play? Check out the Thing Thing FAQ on the publisher's website (linked by the QR code on the rulesheet).
Set-Up
- Determine who gets the star token, normally the player who most recently lost Thing Thing (or any game really).
- Shuffle all non-blank Thing cards and make a deck that everyone can reach. Split the deck into smaller decks if necessary.
- Deal each player a starting hand of seven cards.
- The first player is to the left of the holder of the star token (they go last).
On Your Turn
On your turn, declare a category. The category can be silly, specific, strange, inventive - see the examples to the right.
You must then play two or more cards from your hand that fit that category. As long as they are not challenged, those cards are discarded at the end of your turn.
If you want to skip your turn, or have only one card in hand, you draw a card and pass.
Examples
The rulesheet shows example cards, each captioned with the category it could be played under:
- Example cards: Giant Crab, Moses, Mariana Trench, Dvd, Board Game, Apple, Boredom, Cleopatra, Parking Lot, Handcuffs, Printing Press.
- Category captions: Thing that have touched the bottom of the sea (under Mariana Trench); Things I have in my car (under Board Game); Things that may be present at a crime scene in a history museum (under Printing Press).
Adding
In no particular order, each player may add a card they feel fits the category. If it is not challenged, that card will be discarded, and the current player draws a card. This is true for each card added. Then the turn ends.
If a player adds a card that is not challenged, they may add another card. This can be repeated until successfully challenged.
Challenging
Any player may challenge a card, saying it does not belong in the category. Challenged cards return to the hand of the player who played it. The current player may adjust their category instead, if they would like.
A challenge can be overruled by any one other player, including ones that are already out. Players are expected to be good judges, or find themselves unlikely to be invited to play again. This means if you want to add a card to a category, you just need one other player to back you up.
If the current player is reduced to one card played on their own category, it goes back to their hand and they pass their turn, drawing a card.
Restrictions
There are some prohibited categories:
- Categories that include the names of the things played by the current player.
- Categories that are 'meta', such as 'cards in my hands right now'.
- While not fully prohibited, categories that rely on spelling or syllables, such as 'things that start with b' can only be done once by each player.
Winning & Losing
If a player runs out of cards, they are out of the game. If one player is left, they have lost. They should be called some sort of nickname until a time comes when they win Thing Thing. They should hold the star token up with pride.
It is customary to say 'Thing Thing' when you have two cards left, and 'Thing' when you have one. As a warning to others.
Transcription note: the printed rulesheet contains the typos "itno" (Set-up, "split the deck itno smaller decks") and "ot the right" (On Your Turn). They are corrected to "into" and "to the right" here.