Channel Surfing Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• 1 or More Players
• Special Card Rules
• Party-Poopers!

1 or More Players

Cable TV and a remote control.

240 Cards, Card Rack, Timer, Score Pad, Instructions.

Switch from channel to channel using your remote control, while looking for objects you need.

Match objects on TV to the cards in your card rack. The team with the highest score after 3 rounds of play wins!

• Position yourselves so that all players can see the TV.
• Place the card rack within eyeshot of all players.
• Take 12 cards from the front of the deck. Each card has a red and blue side. Pick one color to play. When you've finished with one color, start playing the other color.
• Grab your remote control and set your TV to Channel 2 (or the lowest number available).

Divide into 2 teams. Toss a coin to decide which team goes first. The team that wins the toss will be the Surfing team; the other team will be the Verifying team for this turn.

A round of play consists of each team taking a turn surfing and verifying.

1. Designate one player on the Surfing team to be the official Channel Surfer (the player who operates the remote control). Channel Surfers may change with each round.
2. The Surfing team arranges 12 cards in the card rack so all players can see them as shown below. Read them aloud as you put them in the rack.
3. Set the Timer: The Verifying team sets the timer by pressing the STOP side of the timer switch, then turning the timer knob clockwise to the arrow as shown below.
4. When ready, the Surfing team yells "Surf's Up!" The Verifying team presses the START side of the timer switch, and play begins.
5. Look for Matches Fast! The Channel Surfer presses the up (▲) and down (▼) buttons on the remote control while all team members try to find objects matching the cards. For example, if you're looking for a Bat and see a baseball player at home plate, yell out "bat" for a match. Note: You can't make a match from the channel you started on. However, you may leave that channel and immediately return to it if you desire.

Time-saving Tip: If you know where to find a particular object, key in the numbers on your remote control to go directly to that channel. For example, if your team has the Sports Jersey card, you may want to go directly to a sports channel to find it.

When a match is called out, at least one member of the Verifying team must say "OK" or "No way!" to the match.

• If the Verifying team approves the match, the Surfing team takes that card from the rack and places it in front of them.
• If the Verifying team disagrees with the match, see Friendly Feud, below.

6. Scoring: When the timer stops, the Surfers must immediately stop surfing. No more matches can be made.

IMPORTANT! If all 12 cards are matched before the timer runs out, the Surfing team's turn is over.

The Surfing team totals up the number of matched cards they've collected. Each card is worth 1 point. They record their score on the score pad and place matched cards and any cards in the rack out of play. Their turn is over. Now it's the other team's turn.

Friendly Feud

If the Verifying team disagrees with a match, the Surfing team has 2 options:

• Stand your ground and argue your point — hoping the other team will see your point of view. But remember, the timer is ticking!
• Forget it! Move on in hopes of finding another match for that card later on. This option can save you time — and maybe some arguments, too!

Special Card Rules

The cards offer lots of flexibility, so you can have fun and be creative. Here are some helpful guidelines:

Same Word, Different Meanings: Lots of words or phrases have more than one meaning. For example, if your team is looking for Something Hot, you may find a sweaty athlete, something stolen, a really great-looking person or anything else you may think is HOT!

Same Sound: Some words have the same sound but have different spellings and meanings — and yes, they're allowed in this game! For example, if you are looking for a Flower and come across "flour" on TV — great match! You win the card!

Voices and Other Sounds are OK: If you're searching for an Announcer and can't find one, but you hear an announcer's voice (as in a sporting or news event) — you win the card!

Message to the Verifying Team: Give the Surfers a break! It's only a game — right? Remember, you'll be surfing next!

At the end of 3 rounds, each team totals up their points. The team with the most points wins the game!

Party-Poopers!

Can't find a group to play? That's OK! Channel Surfing is lots of fun for 1 or 2 players.

Surfing for Two

In this game, both players surf together trying to make matches. One player uses the remote control for each turn.

The challenge is to see an object before your opponent does! When you find a match, yell out the word and grab the card. It does not have to be verified by the other player. No Cheating Allowed! The player with the most points after 3 rounds wins the game!

Surfing Solo

So, you're the life of the party? Let's see how many matches you can make!

Turn the timer knob clockwise as far as it will go. Start with 12 cards in the card rack and replace one each time a match is made. Keep track of your best scores on the score pad. Try to better it each time you play.