Blurble
Blurble Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Setup
Choose a player to be the first Blurbler. Hand this player a stack of cards face-down.
How to Race
Step 1: The Blurbler places the stack between themselves and the player to their left. These two players will compete in the first race. The other players will be Referees.
Step 2:
- When both players competing in the first race are ready, the Blurbler quickly flips over the top card and slaps it face-up on the table.
- Instantly, both players race to say a word that starts with the same first letter as the image on the card.
Step 3:
- The first player to finish saying a legal word wins the race (see FAQ on legal words).
- If a player says an illegal word, they are not eliminated from the race. Both players keep shouting out words until one player wins with a legal word.
- The card used for the race represents a point. It is awarded to the winning player.
Subsequent Races
To start a new race, the Blurbler places the stack between themselves and the next player clockwise around the table and begins again at Step 2. This continues until the Blurbler has raced each player at the table.
Next Round
Once the Blurbler has raced each player, the player to the Blurbler's left becomes the new Blurbler. Begin the next round at Step 1.
End of the Game
- With 4 – 6 players, the game ends after each player has been the Blurbler twice.
- With 7 – 8 players, the game ends after each player has been the Blurbler once.
Winning the Game
- The player with the most points at the end of the game wins!
- If the game ends in a tie, the youngest player wins.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where should the Blurbler slap the card to start a race?
- The Blurbler should slap the card halfway between both players. Both players should be able to see the image right-side up.
- The Blurbler should flip the card over quickly and slap it on the table. This way, neither player will be able to see the image before the card hits the table.
What qualifies as a legal word?
- The word must begin with the same first letter as the image on the card. So if the image is a "spoon", a legal word must start with the letter "s".
- A winning word can only be used once per sitting. So once a word wins a race, it cannot win another race in the same sitting. A sitting is any number of games played during the same gathering. This means there are fewer words available to use as time goes on.
- The word must be in the English language.
- The word cannot be a proper noun (a word that always starts with a capital letter).
- The word cannot be a number.
- The word cannot be an acronym (such as TV, ATM, or GPS).
- The word cannot be contained in the name of the image. For example, "rain" is not a legal word if the image is a "rainbow".
- The name of the image cannot be contained in the word. For example, "catalog" is not a legal word if the image is a "cat".
What role do the Referees play?
All players not participating in a race are Referees. Referees vote on the following if necessary:
- Is a word legal? If a word is ruled illegal, the race continues until one player wins with a legal word.
- Which player won the race? The winner is the first player to finish saying a legal word. If the Referees can't decide or the race is ruled a tie, neither player wins the card. Instead, discard the card and redo the race with the next card.
- The Referees have final say in any other dispute. If the Referees can't decide, neither player wins the card. Instead, discard the card and redo the race with the next card.
Playing with Younger Kids
Here are 2 suggestions that can help put younger players on equal footing with older players. Choose the one that works best for you.
- Older players have to abide by the restrictions on legal words, but younger players do not. Younger players can win a race with an illegal word, as long as the word starts with the same first letter as the image on the card.
- Require younger players to follow the standard rules, but further limit the criteria for legal words that older players can use. For example, require older players to only use words that are nouns, verbs, have a minimum of 6 letters, or have a minimum of 2 syllables.
Rules Variants
- King of the Hill: When a player wins a race, they become the new Blurbler. The new Blurbler always races the player to their left first. The first player with 10 points wins.
- The Thief: If an illegal word is used during a race, any player at the table can shout out a legal word and steal the race, even if they were not part of the original race. All other rules are the same.
- The Brainiac: Limit the criteria for legal words. For example, only allow words that are nouns, verbs, have a minimum of 6 letters, or have a minimum of 2 syllables.