What? Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• To Start
• What Card
• How to Play
• Answer Sheet
• Helpful Hints

Contents

• 96 WHAT cards
• Answer sheet pad
• Scoring sheet pad
• 6 pencils

To Start

Distribute an answer sheet and a pencil to each player. Players must write their name on the top of their answer sheet in the spot indicated.

Select the best looking player to be the first questioner. This player should take 1 scoring sheet and write all the players' names in the spaces provided.

After one question is played (one round), the role of questioner moves clockwise around the group.

What Card

• Category 1 is the general category of WHAT® with short snappy questions that always begin with "What"?
• Category 2 is the personal category of WHAT® where the questioner fills in the _______ with someone's name. It can be someone playing the game, someone famous, or anyone else for that matter… it's up to the questioner to choose.
• Category 3 is the sticky situation category of WHAT® where players are faced with predicaments that always end up asking "What do you do?"

Note: when playing the personal questions (Category 2) with people you know well, it is generally more fun to use people who are playing the game with you. However, when playing with people you don't know so well, it is often better to use famous people everyone would know.

How to Play

1. To start a round, the questioner selects the top WHAT card and reads a question for everyone to hear. Read the question indicated on the answer sheets. For example: the questioner should read the first question on the card for Rounds 1, 5 and 9.

   Note: the question mark on the answer sheet indicates a reader's choice round, where the questioner picks his/her favorite question on the card.

2. All players, including the questioner, must write down a response in the appropriate spot on their answer sheet. There is no need to be truthful! There is no need to be tasteful! Honesty is not the best policy in this game.

   Note: if two players have the same response, the questioner cannot pick that response, as it would lead to confusion.

3. Once all players have written down their responses, all answer sheets are given to the questioner to read aloud. After all the responses have been read aloud once, the questioner selects his/her favorite response. Starting with the player to the left of the questioner, players guess who the author is of that particular response.

   Note: the questioner may indeed select his/her own response for the other players to guess. However, in this case, if nobody guesses the correct author, the questioner only receives 1 point instead of 3 points.

4. Players take turns guessing aloud, clockwise around the table. The questioner may not guess.

   Note: the questioner only selects one response per round for players to guess, and players only get one guess per round.

5. After all players have guessed, the questioner reveals who the actual author was, and then tallies the score for the round. Every player who guesses the author correctly receives 1 point. If nobody guesses correctly, the author of the response receives 3 points.

6. After the round is done, the questioner should place the WHAT card on the bottom of the pile, and pass the scoring sheet to the player to his/her left. Play continues in this manner until all 15 rounds have been played.

Answer Sheet

• Players put their names here so the questioner knows who said what for scoring.
• These numbers indicate the question category for each round.
• The question mark indicates a reader's choice round. The questioner reviews all three questions on the card and picks his/her favorite question to use for the round.
• The game is played in 15 rounds, hence there are 15 lines where players write down their responses (7 lines on the front of the sheet and 8 more lines on the back of the sheet).

Helpful Hints

• Try to think of something other players would not expect you to say, or try bluffing by writing something down that you think another player would say.
• Most people play WHAT® simply for fun, but if you are one of those overly competitive types, try to make your responses as twisted as possible. This increases the likelihood of having your response selected by the questioner.
• The questioner should read the selected question once more before reading the answers, just to remind everyone what the exact wording of the question was.
• There are no time limits, but your first thought is often your best! Try not to over-think your answer. It will be more spontaneous that way, and game play will be faster.