Time's Up! Party
Time's Up! Party Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Setup
Form teams of at least two players.
Choose whether the game will use the yellow or the black side of the cards.
Deal 40 cards between all players. Each player secretly looks at their cards. If a card is not to the player's liking (for being too complex, unknown to them, or any other reason), they can trade that card for a new one.
When everyone has read their cards, create a deck by shuffling together every player's cards. Choose a team to be the starting team.
The game can now begin!
First Round: Speak Freely
A player has the length of a sand timer to get their team to guess as many cards as possible.
The player draws the first card and can say whatever they want. But they cannot:
- skip the card if it doesn't work for them,
- use words that derive from the same words that appear on the card (such as "monstrous" if "monster" is on the card),
- give clues based on rhyme or things that "sound like",
- translate the card into another language,
- spell the card using sounds or letters.
Their team can make as many guesses as they want.
As soon as the word is correctly guessed, the player places the card face-up on the table, and draws the next card.
When the time is up, the player passes the deck of cards to the next team, who continue with the current card.
When all cards have been guessed, write down the number of cards found by each team and move on to the next round with the next team.
Second Round: One Word
Take the 40 cards from the previous round and shuffle them.
The round is identical to the previous one, but with the following changes:
- the player who is giving clues can now only speak a single word per card,
- their team can only make a single guess per card,
- the clue-giver can choose to skip a card.
When the sand timer is empty, the current card and all cards which were not guessed, or were skipped or guessed incorrectly, are gathered and added to the deck, which is shuffled for the next team.
When all of the cards have been guessed, write down the number of cards earned by each team and move on to the third round with the next team.
Third Round: Mime
Gather the 40 cards from the previous round and shuffle them.
The round is identical to the previous one, but with the following changes:
- the player giving clues must mime the cards,
- they can hum and make sound effects,
- they are no longer allowed to speak.
When all of the cards have been guessed, write down the number of cards found by each team.
The game is over!
Who Won?
The team who guessed the most cards during all three rounds wins the game!
If you have questions, check the FAQ.
Expert Variant for 5 and 7 Players
The rules are the same, but there are no teams any more. Each player plays with the players on their left and on their right. The points are tallied individually.
When a player has the deck, the player to their left will guess from their clues. The guessed cards are placed between the two players.
When the time is up, the player passes the deck to the player to their left, who was guessing the cards.
When all of the cards have been guessed, the score of each player is the total of cards on their left and on their right.
FAQ
My team contains more than 2 people; whose answer is valid during rounds 2 and 3?
Only the first answer counts. Even if a second answer is the right one, the card isn't won.
What should we do if a player does something forbidden while making their team guess a card?
This card is moved to the bottom of the deck. The round continues normally.
Can I make gestures or sounds during the first two rounds?
No, gestures and sound effects are reserved for the third round.
Can we choose which player gives the clues?
No, each member of the team will take turns as the clue-giver.
If the deck is empty, can I make my team try to guess the cards that were failed or skipped this turn?
No, any card that is skipped or missed is set aside for that turn.
How to play with an odd number of players?
The teams don't necessarily have to have the same number of players. However, make sure that each team gets to play in turn. You can also play with the Expert Variant for 5 or 7 players.
Credits
Time's Up! is a game by Peter Sarrett. This game is based on the US version and under license from R&R Games.
Adaptations and variants: "The Sombrero-wearing Belgians" aka Cédrick Caumont & Thomas Provoost.
© Repos Production 2004 for the current adaptation. All rights reserved.
© R&R Games (USA) 2000. All rights reserved under exclusive licence to Repos Production for Europe.
Publisher for Europe and Quebec: Edited by Repos Production SRL, Rue des Comédiens, 22, 1000 Brussels, Belgique, www.rprod.com
R&R Games, PO Box 130195, Tampa, FL 33681, USA, www.rnrgames.com