Buffalo
Buffalo Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Starting the Game
Select a number of cards to play with for your desired game length:
- 20 minutes: 50 Blue and 50 Orange cards
- 90 minutes: 200 Blue and 200 Orange cards
Or anywhere in between!
Shuffle the decks separately and flip one card from each face-up onto the table. Try to be the first player to make a match.
(The setup diagram shows a Blue Buffalo Card and an Orange Buffalo Card being flipped alongside an Orange "Dead" Word Card and a Blue "Cartoon Character" Word Card, each deck's top card placed face-up in the middle of the table.)
Making Matches
Race to make matches using two or more Word Cards. To make a match, simply shout out the name of a person or character who matches the descriptors on two or more cards. The first player to make a match takes the matched cards and play continues. Unmatched cards remain in play.
(The example shows four Word Cards on the table: Dead, Male, Musician and Cartoon Character.)
In this example, you could shout Elvis and take Male, Dead, and Musician. Or, you might match Dead and Male using Julius Caesar. You could even match Cartoon Character and Male with Superman.
Each person or character can only be used to make a match once per game!
Adding More Cards
Flip an extra card from each deck whenever the group is Buffaloed (stumped). This can happen for three reasons:
- No one can think of a match.
- There are no Word Cards on the table.
- There is only one Word Card on the table.
Buffalo Cards
Whenever a Buffalo Card is in play, the first player to make a match with two or more cards takes all the face-up cards (including the Buffalo Card and any unmatched cards). It's a "winner take all" card!
Ending the Game
When either game decks runs out, or the players run out of time, the player with the most cards earned from matches is the winner!
Ties
If two players shout out a name at the same time, the player who names a real-life person wins. If both players name a fictional character, or if both name a real-life person, they split the cards.
Optional Challenge
When a Buffalo Card is on the table and there are four or more total cards, a player may match parts of the set and take those cards. However, to get the Buffalo Card, a player must match all of the Word Cards on the table.
Contents
- 189 Blue Word Cards
- 11 Blue Buffalo Cards
- 189 Orange Word Cards
- 11 Orange Buffalo Cards
- Instructions