Awkward Moment
Awkward Moment Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 100 Moment Cards
- 284 Reaction Cards
- 48 Decider Cards
- Instructions with Variations
Prepare for the Awkwardness
Separate and shuffle the Moment, Reaction, and Decider card decks, and place them between the players.
Types of Cards
Moment Cards: Moment cards present situations and players react.
Reaction Cards: Players select the best Reaction card from their hands to respond to the Moment, based on the Decider card drawn.
Decider Cards: Each Decider card lists a guideline that the decider uses to choose a winning reaction.
How to Play
Players first choose a decider. The decider deals five Reaction cards to each player.
Each player conceals his or her cards from the other players. The decider then flips one Moment card and one Decider card and reads them aloud.
The rulebook illustrates this with an example pair: a Moment card reading "You get gum stuck in your hair." and a Decider card reading "Most awkward."
In response to the Moment and Decider card, players each submit one Reaction card FACE DOWN to the decider.
The decider shuffles the Reaction cards and reads them aloud to the group, and picks a winner based on his or her interpretation of the Decider card. For example, if the card states "Most Practical," then the reaction the decider thinks is the most practical response will win the round.
The player who gave the winning Reaction masters the awkward moment and keeps the Moment card. The used Decider card and the submitted Reaction cards are discarded.
Winner Gets The Card! The winning player keeps the Moment card.
At the end of the round, each player who submitted a Reaction card then draws a new one to replace it. All players should have five Reaction cards in their hands at the start of each round. The decider role passes clockwise to the next player.
At the start of a round, all players except the decider have the option to discard and redraw all five of their Reaction cards. Those who do so must sit out the round and keep their awkwardness to themselves. Players may discard and redraw only once per game.
The player who has collected the most Moment cards at the end of the game is the winner!
Awkward Variations
"Double the Awkward, Double the Fun?" Instead of drawing one Decider card each round, the decider draws TWO and secretly chooses which will be used to pick a winner. The decider announces the choice immediately before reading the Reaction cards.
"The Old Awkward Switcheroo" Switch the game around by drawing four Moment cards at the start of the game and have the decider draw a Reaction card and a Decider card. In this version, players submit a Moment card they think fits the Reaction card drawn, based on the guideline stated on the Decider card.
"It's Kind of an Awkward Story" Invent a character at the start of the game and on each round, tell a new part of that character's story. Use the Moment and winning Reaction cards as inspiration. Write down the story for a precious, lasting souvenir of your game.
"Make Your Own Awkward" Do you have some awkward moments of your own? Create your own Moment, Reaction, or Decider cards and add them to the deck.
"Awkward Is as Awkward Does" The decider chooses TWO Reaction cards as "finalists" for the round. The players who submitted those cards must take turns acting out their Reaction card with as much dramatic flair as possible. The decider picks a winner based on the quality of their performances.
"Choose Your Own Awkward" Instead of using the Decider cards, the decider picks a famous person and takes on that person's point of view when choosing a winner. The other players should submit a Reaction card they think that person would most likely do in response to the Moment card.
"Awkward Momentum" Instead of having the role of decider rotate clockwise around the group, have the winner of each round be the decider for the next round.
"Decreasingly Awkward" At the end of each round, the player who submitted the winning Reaction card does not draw a replacement card. The first player to get rid of all of his or her Reaction cards wins the game.