Anomia: Party Edition
Anomia: Party Edition Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Quick Reference
Players: 3-6 players, ages 10+ (see "Playing with Younger Kids" for variations)
Goal: To win the most cards by facing off with other players.
Game duration: One round lasts about 25 minutes.
Vibe: It can be your turn anytime and anyone can be your opponent!
How To Play
ANOMIA™ is simple. The easiest way to learn is by playing.
IMPORTANT! Read the following directions out loud AS you begin to play. In other words, read #1 below and then do what it says, then read #2 and do what it says, etc... Playing as you read the directions will greatly simplify the learning process.
-
The Draw Piles: Sit in a circle, take one (1) of the decks from the box and shuffle thoroughly (5 or 6 times), split into two piles, and place within easy reach of all players. These are the Draw Piles.
-
Play Begins: The shuffler takes the first turn. He or she draws a card from either pile and quickly flips it face-up in front of themselves for all to see. Notice that the card displays some text and a symbol. (If any Wild Cards are drawn in the next few steps, set them aside and draw again, we'll get to Wild Cards in #7.)
-
Play Piles: One at a time, players continue drawing cards from either pile, in clockwise order, until the symbols on two players' cards match. If you draw a card and there is no match, the next player draws. Note: You should only have one face-up card showing at a time. If it's your turn and you already have a card in play, flip the new card on top of your existing card. This pile of cards is your Play Pile.
Figure 1 shows what the table for a 4 player game might look like: each player has a Play Pile and a Winning Pile in front of them. Matching symbols on Player 3's and Player 4's Play Piles creates a Face-Off between players 3 & 4.
-
Face-Offs & Winning Piles: When the symbols on two players' cards match, they must Face-Off with one another. This is the heart of the game. A Face-Off consists of giving a correct example of the person, place, or thing on your opponent's card, before they can do the same for your card. The player who finishes blurting out a correct answer first wins the Face-Off. The winner takes the loser's top card and places it, face-down, in their separate Winning Pile. The winner's top card stays where it is.
-
Cascades: The loser's Play Pile may now reveal a new top card. Watch out! A new Face-Off may now occur between the loser and any other player! Drawing must not continue until all possible Face-Offs have been played. Please note, play is structured so that there can be only one Face-Off at a time, though there may be many in quick succession. This is called a Cascade.
-
After a Face-Off/Cascade: Drawing continues with the next player in the clockwise drawing sequence. You may find it helpful to pass a small token around to indicate whose turn it is. A salt shaker or coin will do nicely.
-
Wild Cards: A Face-Off can also be caused by a Wild Card. If you draw a Wild Card, place it face-up between the Draw Piles. A Wild Card displays two different symbols. If those two symbols are in play (i.e. if they appear on the top of any two player's Play Piles) then those two players must Face-Off.
Figure 2 shows what a Wild Card match between players 1 and 2 might look like: symbols matching the Wild Card means a Face-Off between players 1 and 2.
-
After a Wild Card is drawn: Going forward, all players must now look out for Face-Offs caused by same-symbol matches OR by the Wild Card in play. Only one Wild Card can be in play at a time. It will remain in play until covered by a new Wild Card. If you draw a Wild Card, you get to draw again, but only after all possible Face-Offs have been played.
-
The End: When the Draw Piles are depleted, the person with the most cards in their Winning Pile wins the round. You can play another round with the same deck, or use another deck in the box to play with a whole new set of cards. Each deck is unique.
A Few More Important Things...
Card Flipping: Flip your card quickly! Make sure that all players can see its face at the same time. You may not peek at your card, and you must keep your hands out of the way. Failure to do so will result in losing your turn. We suggest grasping the card from the far edge and quickly flipping it back toward yourself.
Unnoticed Face-Offs: If there is a match on the table, but the matching players do not notice it, another player may prompt them to look more closely. Urgent murmuring usually does the trick. Poking can be helpful too. Remember, drawing cannot proceed until all possible Face-Offs have been played.
Repeats: The group may determine whether the 'no repeat' rule is in effect for a round. It's fun to play either way, but it's harder when you are not allowed to repeat answers that have already been used. If you opt for the 'no repeat' rule the following applies: Once an example is uttered, whether in play or in conversation, it may NOT be used to win a Face-Off during that round/sitting. The exception to this is when the same answer is appropriate for a different card.
Example: Card = Type of Fruit / Answer: Orange Card = Color / Answer: Orange
Tie Breakers: If two players tie during a Face-Off, a third player will draw a card and flip it over for the two tied players. In this case, the two tied players are attempting to give an answer for the same card. The winner of the Tie-Breaker gets the loser's card from the initial Face-Off. The card(s) used for the Tie-Breaker get shuffled back into the Draw Piles. If the card drawn for a Tie-Breaker is a Wild Card, place it back into one of the Draw Piles and draw again.
Giving Answers: A correct answer is usually common knowledge, can be real or fictional, current or historical, and is one that the group generally recognizes to be true. For example, if you are trying to name a musician; you could give an example of a famous musician (Michael Jackson), a local musician (your Aunt Sally), or a commonly known fictional musician (The Pied Piper).
Any disagreements about the winner of a Face-Off, or the correctness of an answer, shall be decided by a group vote called by the loser. If necessary, you may use dictionaries, magazines, the internet, etc..., to help settle disputes.
Blank Cards: There are two blank symbol cards included in each deck. You can use these in two different ways.
-
Add your own categories to the deck by writing directly onto the card. Use a washable marker or white-out tape if you want to change the category.
-
Use the blanks as an "anything-goes" category where players are free to give an example of anything at all (harder than it sounds!) or some predetermined category.
Variants
Two or three-player games: We suggest having each player defend two Play Piles. This simulates a four or six player game, respectively.
Playing with Younger Kids: If you want to include younger kids in a game try assigning them a single category (i.e. "Animal") for the whole round. Each time they have a symbol match with another player all they have to do is come up with an example from their assigned category ("Elephant!"). You'll find that this keeps things simple but challenging enough to make it fun for everyone.
Combining Decks and Adding Players: Decks may be combined if a longer game is desired. Even with combined decks, we don't recommend playing with more than six players simply because more players mean more frequent face-offs, which prevents players from building up their play piles. If you do play with a larger group, expect more drawn matches and fewer cascades.
Credits
Visit www.AnomiaPress.com to be in touch or learn more about what we're up to. We'd love to hear from you about your own House Rules, custom Category Cards, or other game variations you've come up with! You can also find Anomia Press on Facebook and Twitter.
© 2012 Anomia Press LLC, All Rights Reserved. ANOMIA™ & Where common knowledge becomes uncommonly fun™ are trademarks of Anomia Press LLC. Any other marks used are the property of their respective owners.