Cranium Hoopla Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Setup
• On Your Turn...
• Somebody Got It
• No One's Getting It
• Winning
• Activities
  • Cloodle
  • Soundstage
  • Tongue-Tied
  • Tweener
  • Wild Hoopla

Setup

1. Deal the cards. Remove either deck from the box and deal each player four cards. You can look at your cards, but don't show them around!
2. Make a playpile. Pile eight cards from the deck within easy reach. This is the playpile, and it's for everyone to use—so no peeking!
3. Set out the die, pad, and pencil.
4. Set the timer. Twist the timer to 15 minutes. During the game, you'll press the big red button to start the timer at the beginning of each turn, and to stop it at the end of each turn.
5. Make room for the Hoopla Hall of Fame. Display successfully guessed cards here.
6. Set the deck aside. During the game, you'll use the deck only when you trade a card, as explained later.

Now you're ready to play Cranium Hoopla! The person whose birthday is coming up next goes first.

On Your Turn...

1. Roll the die to see which activity you will do (see the Activities section for activity descriptions).
2. Start the timer. Hint: Until you get comfortable playing Hoopla, you might want to give yourselves a few seconds before starting the timer.
3. Choose the card you think you can get the other players to guess using the activity you rolled.
4. Place the card face down and tell the other players whether it's a Who, What, or Where.
5. Start giving clues. If someone guesses correctly, go to "Somebody Got It." If no one can guess, go to "No One's Getting It."

Somebody Got It

Nice work. You're on your way to victory.

• Stop the timer.
• Add your card to the Hoopla Hall of Fame.

AND

• Draw a new card from the playpile. (If the playpile is empty, you won't take a card.)

Now your turn is over. The player to your left goes next.

No One's Getting It

You can trade that card for another, but you must also add a penalty card to the playpile.

• Stop the timer.
• Take a new card from the top of the deck. Put your old card on the bottom.

AND

• Draw another card from the top of the deck and add it to the playpile. This is the penalty card. (If the playpile is empty, this card starts a new pile.)

Now your turn is over. The player to your left goes next.

Winning

If all players are out of cards and the playpile is empty before time runs out, congratulations—you've won Hoopla! Looking to raise the stakes? Try adding more cards to the playpile or setting the timer for less than 15 minutes.

Activities

During the game, you'll use one of these four activities to get the other players to guess what's on your card.

Cloodle

Grab the pad and pencil—it's time to draw! Try to get the other players to guess what you're drawing without talking or using letters or numbers.

Soundstage

Act out what's on your card using gestures and outrageous sound effects, but don't use any words!

Tongue-Tied

Guide the other players to the answer by saying single words that all start with the same letter. You can pick whichever letter you want, but don't say any of the words on the card.

Example:

• Clue: major musician Memphis
• Answer: Elvis

Tweener

Craft one clever clue in this format: "It's bigger than _____ but smaller than _____." Make sure you don't say any of the words on the card!

Examples:

• Bigger than a rock, but smaller than Superman. Answer: kryptonite
• Bigger than a bracelet, but smaller than jail. Answer: handcuffs

Wild Hoopla

Choose any one of the four Hoopla activities.