Crazy Alias
Crazy Alias Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
The game contains: a double-sided game board, an hourglass, 6 team pawns, and 200 cards.
Differences from Classic Alias
If you know the rules of the popular game Alias (Скажи иначе), you only need to read the rules in this section. The rules of Alias Crazy Version are the same as the rules of traditional Alias, with the following exceptions:
- The cards describe 200 different, wildly entertaining ways of explaining words.
- Before the timer starts, the explaining player takes the top card of the deck and reads aloud the method by which the words should be explained.
- After this, the player must choose whether to explain the words using the method on the card or according to the traditional rules of Alias.
- If the explainer chooses the traditional method, the team moves back 6 steps. This is a sensible choice when you realize you will not be able to explain anything using the method on the card.
- The card's instructions apply for the whole time until the turn passes to the next team. The card describing the method is placed on the table so that all players can see it.
- If explaining a word requires the participation of another team, that team must not delay the task. If the delay is made deliberately, the word is counted as guessed automatically.
- When the time is up, players of the other teams shout "Time!" If the word has not been guessed and the explanation continues, a member of any team may name the correct answer. If a word is guessed by a player of another team, it does not count for anyone. The team that guessed the word in this way does not score points, but it may slow the movement of the other team on the game board.
Object of the Game
The main goal of the game is to laugh as never before! Alias is a word-explaining game in which teams of at least two players take part. In Alias (Скажи иначе) you must explain in other words the word being guessed. The goal for each team is to guess as many words from the cards as possible within a set time, using explanations, synonyms, antonyms, hints, and so on, and to be the first to reach the finish on the game board.
The number of moves equals the number of correctly guessed words.
Game Turn Sequence
- Shuffle the cards and place them on the table.
- Each team chooses a pawn and places it at the start of the game board.
- The team that makes the first move chooses an explaining player. The other team members guess the words. The explainer takes 5-10 cards from the deck. The cells of the game board are numbered, and the location of the pawn indicates the sequence number of the word on the card to be explained; for example, 1. The hourglass is turned over, and the explaining player begins to explain the words numbered 1 on the cards (see RULES FOR EXPLAINING WORDS). When a word is guessed, the explainer sets the card aside and begins explaining word number 1 from the next card.
- The number of correctly guessed words equals the number of moves the team may make on the game board. For example, 7 correctly guessed words means 7 moves of the pawn. (See also MISTAKES AND SKIPS.)
- When the turn passes, the guessed cards are placed face down at the bottom of the deck. Unused cards are passed to the player making the next move, who, if necessary, takes new cards from the top of the deck.
- The players of a team explain words in turn, each time taking turns.
- The team that first reaches the finish wins.
[The Russian sheet prints the reference "см. рис." (see figure) beside step 3. The figure itself is not reproduced here.]
Rules for Explaining Words
When explaining, you may not use words of the same root as the word being explained.
Words must be guessed in the form in which they are given on the card. For example, if the word being guessed is «Смеяться» (to laugh), the word «Смех» (laughter) cannot be counted as a correct answer.
If the concept to be explained consists of several words, or is a compound word, the team usually guesses one of the words, or part of the word, first. In this case, the part that has been guessed may be used in the further explanation.
When explaining, you may use antonyms, that is, words opposite in meaning.
When explaining, you may not use foreign languages, unless the players have agreed on this in advance.
Mistakes and Skips
If a player makes a mistake while explaining a word, the word does not count. The correctness of the explanation is monitored by the players of the other teams.
For example: a team guessed 6 words, but two of them were explained with mistakes. The pawn may be moved forward by 4 steps.
If a word is difficult to explain, the explaining player may skip it. The word does not count in this case. In some cases, skipping words is advantageous, so as not to lose time!
Rules in Brief
- Teams make their moves in turn. The explainer changes within the team every round.
- The explainer reads out the method by which the words should be explained, and either agrees to it or rejects it before the hourglass is turned over.
- If the explanation is made in the ordinary way, the team moves back 6 moves.
- The number of correctly guessed words equals the number of moves on the game board.
- Mistakes in explanation and skipped words do not count.
- The cell on which a team's pawn stands indicates the number of the word on the card to be guessed.
- The team that reaches the finish first wins.
Genius and Crazy Versions
From genius to crazy is one step! If you have Alias «Сумасшедшая версия» (Crazy Version) and Alias «Гениальная версия» (Genius Version), you can combine the turned-over game boards to play Crazy-Genius Alias (Сумасшедше гениальный Alias) or Genius-Crazy Alias (Гениально сумасшедший Alias). In that case, the color under a team's pawn shows which game's rules apply on that move. Hold on to your hats: you will not find a wilder situation anywhere else.