Buzz It!
Buzz It! Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Goal of the Game
The goal of the game is to collect the fewest Buzz It! cards. The player who collects the greatest number of them is declared the loser and has a great moment of solitude, while the other players joyfully mock them, make them do the dishes, or clear the table...
Components
- 160 cards bearing 320 themes in total.
- 1 Buzzer.
- One rulebook (the text you are reading).
- A "pack" of players (between 3 and 12, including you).
Each card carries two themes: a "classic" theme and an "offbeat" theme. The rulebook's illustration on page 2 shows a sample card with the classic theme on one side and the offbeat theme on the other.
The Buzzer
The Buzzer has an answer button (pressed to start play and to validate each correct answer) and an on/off button (labelled "marche-arrêt" on the printed diagram). The on/off button's settings are:
- "Normal" position, 5 seconds. Used for standard play.
- "Beginner" position, 8 seconds. Used for your first game, or when playing with beginners.
The rulebook notes: "The Buzzer doesn't work? You may want to think about batteries!"
Setup
- Shuffle the cards and, without looking at them, draw 3 cards per player. Place these cards face down in the middle of the table to form a face-down draw pile (the stack).
- Choose one player at random, or let the other players unanimously designate the least jovial of them all, to be the first buzz-master.
- The buzz-master takes the Buzzer and switches it on by moving the on/off button one notch up, to the "normal" position.
- For your first game, or if you are playing with beginners, move the on/off button two notches up, to the "beginner" position instead.
Playing the Game
Starting a Round
The buzz-master draws the first card from the stack and reads both themes on it. They choose the theme that is most appropriate for the players present.
Rulebook example: with Auntie Yolande, who lives in Maubeuge, avoid "Ugly town" and prefer "Ski resort". Unless Uncle Raymond died in the mountains... You get the principle.
Each card has a "classic" theme and an "offbeat" theme, whose answers can be somewhat more surprising. The buzz-master uses the classic theme if they think one of the players might find the offbeat theme shocking.
The buzz-master reads the chosen theme aloud, clearly, and starts the round by pressing the answer button on the Buzzer once.
Giving Answers
- The first player who must give an answer is the player seated to the left of the buzz-master.
- If that player gives a correct answer (see below) within the time allowed, the buzz-master presses the answer button again, and the next player clockwise must answer.
- Play continues this way until a player gives no valid answer. The gong then sounds and that player loses the round.
- The buzz-master does not propose any words. They only press the button and validate the other players' answers.
End of a Round
As soon as the gong sounds, the player who was supposed to give an answer takes the card as proof of their failure. The buzz-master then passes the Buzzer to the player on their left. This player becomes the new buzz-master for the next round, and so on for the following rounds.
End of the Game
The game ends when all the cards have been played. The loser is the player who holds the most cards.
Role of the Buzz-Master
This role is not to be taken lightly. The buzz-master does not simply press a button like a madman: they must also validate, as quickly as possible and in good conscience, the other players' proposals. They may also add additional restrictions after reading a card or during the game.
Rulebook example: the theme is "animal with very large droppings". The round begins and one player proposes Guy Carlier. The buzz-master may add: "Right, let's stop with the show business. I don't want to hear any more Carlos or Léon Zitrone."
Sometimes, in the chaos of play, the gong may sound when the buzz-master would have preferred to accept the answer. They may perfectly well do so: point at the next player and press the button again, and play continues!
Variant: P'tit Bac
Each time a theme is chosen, the buzz-master may give a letter of their choice. Every answer from the players must begin with that letter. Be careful not to choose a letter that is too difficult.
Rulebook example: an animal that is often squashed, starting with Z, will not get very far. You will find zebra, zebu, a zorilla for the more cultured, or little Zoé for the most depraved, but the round may stop right there.