Objective

Out-geek your opponents by out-bidding and completing challenges in a variety of categories! Steal and score points by being able to complete bigger lists than your opponents, but don't bid too high or you could end up losing points in the end. Reach the Finish before your opponents do to win the game!

Topics

Each topic conforms to one of these categories: Movies, Television, Literature, Music, Miscellaneous.

Each topic states the minimum number of items a player must list to complete the challenge. For example, if the challenge states, "Two Songs About Animals" then a player must name at least two to fulfill the requirement. Of course other players may bid higher and attempt to list more.

Play

Players may plan one-on-one, or divide into teams. Teams are suggested with games of 8 or more players, and you can play with any number of teams.

Select one player (or team) to go first, who then rolls the die to determine their challenge category. In the case of a blank roll, that player gets to choose any category that they desire, before hearing the topics listed on the card. The opponents to the player's right then draws the top card and reads aloud the corresponding challenge. The player states clearly if they accept the minimum bid as listed on the card, or if they would like to increase it by bidding a higher total. Bluffing is encouraged!

Once the original player has made their bid, the option to bid passes to the next player, clockwise. That player may pass or bid higher, but may not bid the same number stated by the previous player. Players who wish to pass should indicate this by turning their chip to the "no" position when it's their turn to bid or pass, to help the bidding process move more smoothly. This continues in clockwise order until all players have passed, except for the last player to bid. The bidding process may take several rounds to get to this point. The highest bidder must then attempt to successfully complete the challenge.

Example: It's John's turn, and he rolls the die getting the red Movies category. Bill, the player to John's right, draws a card and reads John his challenge: "Four Films in which Will Smith has appeared." John can state, "I can list four," but being a film buff, he decides instead to raise the stakes, claiming, "I can name seven." The option to bid higher passes on to the next player in either case. Beth, the player to John's left, states that she can name eight. Lisa doesn't want to risk losing a point and decides to pass. This bidding process continues clockwise until all players have passed except one.

Once bidding is complete and the challenge has been accepted, the last player to bid may now attempt to complete their list.

Note: No serials are allowed in a valid list. For example, if Men in Black is listed, then Men in Black II cannot be listed. For more details about appropriate lists, refer to the House Rules and the Glossary.

If the challenge is completed successfully, the player who accomplished it earns 1 point. If the challenge is failed, the player who attempted it loses two points (see Scoring).

On the rare occasion that no one bids above the minimum number listed on the card, no penalty will be given if the challenge is not completed successfully. The original player can still attempt to list the minimum number, but won't be penalized if they fail. If they succeed, they still receive one point.

Play then passes to the left (clockwise) of the last player to roll the die, and the process is repeated.

End of the Game

The game ends once any player reaches a total score of 5 points. For a shorter or longer experience, you can adjust the amount of points needed to win the game.

Scoring

Players will earn 1 point each time they complete a challenge and -2 point each time they are unable to complete a challenge. The first player to reach a total of 5 points has successfully out-geeked their opponents to win the game!

House Rules

This is a party game that encourages debate and discussion. Players may campaign as to why they believe an answer is valid. Some challenges on the card are more vague than others, specifically to elicit a wider range of possible answers.

Players are encouraged to get creative when answering! See the glossary for terms that pop up frequently in the game. We recommend that you use this only as a general guide, however, and let your group decided amongst itself which answers it deems appropriate. We also suggest that you set up parameters regarding the bidding process before your game begins, such as allowing players only 10 seconds to either bid or pass, or to only write lists on paper when working as a team.

Topics listed in specific categories are intended to be composed of responses that fall only in those specific categories. For example, in the Movies category, the topic "Four Teen Actresses of the 1980s" is meant to have players list only teen actresses who appeared in movies/films that were released in the 1980s, rather than teen actresses who had only appeared on TV shows, commercials, etc, in the 1980s. However this can be left up the House Rules determined at the beginning of the game.

Glossary

Actor

The word actor can mean a male or female actor, while actress only applies to female actors.

Celebrity

A celebrity is a person who commands some degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media, who is famously or infamously recognized in a society. Celebrities can include: actors, newscasters, television personalities, politicians, athletes, musicians, authors, models, world leaders, and more.

Take Place

Films that take place in a specific location need to be primarily set in that location/time period, or that location/time period needs to be heavily featured in the film. For a TV show to take place in a specific space, the location/time period needs to appear in at least one scene in nearly every episode. For a literary work to take place in a specific location/time period, the majority of the story must be set there.

Shows

In the TV category, shows refers to television shows that originally aired on TV, or on a streaming service (such as Netflix.)

Literature

Literature includes written works, such as poems, plays, short stories, novels, graphic novels and comic books, biographies, autobiographys, and other fictional and non-fictional works; printed materials such as books, articles, newspapers, and magazines; and other published works such as articles, blogs, and online newspapers.

By

For the purpose of this game, by means sung by, performed by, written by, or created by, unless otherwise specified.

Performer

For the purpose of this game, in the Music category, a performer is any singer, musician, group, or band. A musician is any person who plays a musical instrument or sings. In this game, group and band are synonymous, and refer to an ensemble of musicians.

Named

A named item is one that actually has a name. For example, if the challenge is to list a TV named vehicle, then "The General Lee" would be valid, but "the car from The Dukes of Hazzard" would not. Unnamed items, like "the car in Starsky & Hutch" are also not allowed.

Series/Serials

A serial is any series of films, books, etc. that belong to each other in parts, sequels, trilogies or more. No serials are allowed in a valid list. For example, if Iron Man is listed, then Iron Man 2 cannot be listed (but it is possible that The Avengers would be). Spin-offs are allowed in a valid list (see Spin-offs). Reboots are considered part of a serial. For example, the film Batman and the film The Dark Knight Rises are considered serials and may not be used together in a valid list.

Spin-offs

A spin-off is a book, television show, or film that is derived from another with an alternate story line and/or cast. Spin-offs ARE allowed in a valid list. For example, if Cheers is listed, then Frasier may be listed too.

Franchise

A franchise is any well-known intellectual property that has been created into a combination of books, films, television shows, games, and merchandise.

Scoring Variants

Before the beginning of the game, players may vote to decide whether to allow players who have gone below -5 to remain in the game, even if they continue to lose points. Players who have reached the -5 space and then lose another point simply remain on the -5 space until they earn a point by successfully completing a challenge.