Dohdles!

Dohdles! Rulebook

Table of Contents

Game Concept and Game Objective

Questions like these get you closer to figuring out what your opponents' Dohdles represent. But watch out: Everyone is listening!

If your question is too obvious, you help other players along. Then you have to act fast and be the first player to toss your guess cube into the guess funnel. If your proposed solution is correct, you, and potentially also the creator of the Dohdle, move forward on the scoring track. If your proposed solution was wrong, you must move backward. As soon as a player reaches the final space on the scoring track, he or she wins the game and becomes the true Dohdle Master!

What's a Dohdle?

A Dohdle is a riddle sculpted in modeling dough. To create a Dohdle, sculpt the approximate shape of an object or living thing. You should sculpt the shape in such a way that your opponents do not immediately recognize what your Dohdle is supposed to represent. This means that expert sculpting skills are not required. Even if you're all thumbs when it comes to sculpting, you'll be able to create a Dohdle that has the shape of a sausage, a ball, or a loaf of bread.

Important: When sculpting your Dohdle, make sure that identifying the solution to your Dohdle is neither too easy nor too difficult for your opponents. This is because, as the Dohdle's creator, you can also score points when your opponents guess correctly. On page 2 of these game rules, you can find hints for sculpting Dohdles. Before starting the first game, you should read them aloud to all of the players.

Game Components

1 Game board
6 Suggestion boards with sample questions on one side and a list of Dohdle terms on the other side
1 Guess funnel for sorting guesses (to be assembled before the first game, from five die-cut cardboard pieces)
1 Pad with 200 solution sheets
1 "Dohdle Master" placard
6 Modeling dough bars in 6 colors
6 Playing tokens in 6 colors
6 Guess cubes in 6 colors
18 Clue chips (in 6 colors, 3 of each color)
6 Storage bags for the modeling dough

In addition, each player needs a pen to write down their Dohdle terms.

Assembling the Guess Funnel

Carefully detach all of the parts from the frames and assemble the guess funnel. It consists of five individual pieces. First, read the respective step described in the instructions below. Look at the part in the corresponding illustration and assemble the part accordingly.

Fold the sidewalls of the box together.
Fold the sides of the chute upward.
Slide the chute lengthwise, narrow end first, from above through the opening in the sidewall.
Afterwards, insert the tab located at the wide end of the chute into the slot in the opposite sidewall.
Insert the small, T-shaped piece into the slot in the tab.
Place the cover plate on top of the sidewalls, so that the protruding edges of the side walls fit through the corresponding triangular openings in the cover plate.
Fold the funnel piece so that its ends meet and hold the ends together.
From above, push the funnel piece into the cover plate's opening until it locks in place.

Important: You must align the funnel piece so that the side marked with the black "?!" is above the side where the chute comes out of the box.

Now you have finished assembling the guess funnel. You don't have to take it apart after play; it can be stored in one piece in the box tray.

Preparation

Unfold the game board. Place the guess funnel in the center of the board.
Shuffle the suggestion boards, with the "sample questions" side face up. Each player draws one suggestion board and places it in front of himself or herself, with the "sample questions" side up.
Each player chooses a color and receives his or her modeling dough, a guess cube, two clue chips (or three chips in a three-player game) and his or her playing token, all in the player's chosen color.
In addition, each player receives two solution sheets (or three sheets in a three-player game) from the pad.
Each player places his or her playing token on the starting space (which has a large white arrow on it) and his or her guess cube on his or her suggestion board.
Put the remaining game components back into the box.
In a four-, five-, or six-player game, each player sculpts two Dohdles. In a three-player game, each player sculpts three Dohdles. During the first games, you should choose terms from the list on the back of your suggestion board.

Please note: Each suggestion board contains different terms. Experienced players may come up with more Dohdle terms. You can find more information about this at the end of these game rules (page 4).

Twelve circular Dohdle spaces are arranged around the outer circle of the game board. Each Dohdle space is surrounded by eight smaller circles: a starting space for the clue chip and seven clue spaces.
When a player has finished sculpting their Dohdle, he or she places it on a free Dohdle space and places one of his or her clue chips on the starting space (which shows a drawing of a chip). Then the player writes the secret solution word on the blank side of a solution sheet. The player slides the solution sheet, word-side down, halfway under the game board so that the sheet sticks out from underneath the associated Dohdle space and so that the word is well hidden. The letter spaces, numbered 1 through 5 for the first five letters of the solution word, are visible. The player repeats this step with his or her second (or third) Dohdle, setting it up in a Dohdle space adjacent to the first (or second).

Please note: All 12 Dohdle spaces are used only when there are six players. With fewer players two, three, or four Dohdle spaces remain unused.

The oldest player begins. He or she receives the "Dohdle Master" placard.

Hints for Sculpting a Dohdle

If you want to create a Dohdle that represents an animal or a thing, you should only sculpt the approximate shape of the object. Don't show too many details. On the other hand, you shouldn't omit every detail to a degree that it becomes impossible to guess what the Dohdle represents.

Flamingo or stork: Too easy! The Dohdle can clearly be recognized as a flamingo or stork. Too difficult! (a plain blob) This could be too many things. Just right! With a little bit of imagination, you can recognize a sleeping flamingo that is standing on one leg.
Insect: Too easy! It's clearly an insect. After the first letter clue, you will probably know whether it is supposed to represent an ant or a bee. Too difficult! This doesn't look like a living being at all. Just right! One can intuit the characteristic feature of an insect body. The legs have been omitted; they would make things too easy.
Eiffel Tower: Too easy! You recognize the Paris landmark immediately. Too difficult! This could be quite a lot of things. Just right! This could also be a tool, but after a few questions you'll be heading in the right direction.

Sequence of Play

Asking for a Clue

When it is your turn, you are the active player and the "Dohdle Master" placard is placed in front of you. Choose one of the opponents' Dohdles and, following the direction of the arrow, move the clue chip of this Dohdle to the next clue space. Depending on the clue space, you then ask the creator of this Dohdle for a clue.

White "??" Clue Space: Ask up to two questions about a Dohdle.

You ask the Dohdle's creator up to two questions. You may not inquire about the solution, for example, "Is 'rabbit' the solution word?" Also, you may neither inquire about a letter, for example, "Is the first letter 'E'?" nor about the solution's total number of letters. The creator of the Dohdle is not allowed to answer prohibited questions. Some examples for allowed questions are shown on the suggestion board.

There are four possible ways a question may be answered: YES, NO, MAYBE, CANNOT BE ANSWERED CLEARLY.

Gray "ABC" Clue Space: Ask for one letter of the solution word.

You ask the creator of the Dohdle for a specific letter out of the first five letters of the solution to the Dohdle, for example, "Tell me the second letter." The creator of the Dohdle first announces the letter and then writes it in the corresponding space on the solution sheet located below this Dohdle. Afterwards, he or she slides the board under the game board again, making sure the board covers only some of the sheet, so that all players can see the letters on the sheet.

Important: To avoid putting any of the players at a disadvantage, before writing the letter down the creator of the Dohdle must first say the letter loudly and clearly.

White-Gray "??\ABC" Clue Space: Ask up to two questions or ask for one letter.

On the seventh, white-gray clue space you have the option of either asking up to two questions or asking for a letter.

Next Player

Once you have gotten your answers, the next player in a clockwise direction takes the "Dohdle Master" placard. Now it is his or her turn to move the clue chip of any of the opponents' Dohdles forward one clue space and ask for a clue.

Solving a Dohdle

After a specific Dohdle's clue chip has been moved away from its starting space, any of the players may announce at any time that he or she wants to propose a solution to that Dohdle. This doesn't have to be the Dohdle about which someone just asked questions or for a letter clue. To announce that you want to propose a solution, shout "Dohdles!" and toss your guess cube into the guess funnel. Afterwards, say your proposed solution aloud.

If your proposal is wrong, you must move your playing token backward. The number of spaces you must go back corresponds to the number of red arrows depicted on the space where your playing token stands.
If your proposal is correct, move your playing token forward. The number of spaces you move forward corresponds to the number of green arrows depicted on the space where your playing token stands.

Important: The proposed word must be identical to the word on the solution sheet. If, for example, the solution is "turnip," the proposal "carrot" is wrong, or if the solution is "moth," the proposal "butterfly" is wrong. The letters you receive on the gray "ABC" clue spaces help you figure out the correct word.

If various players shout "Dohdles!" and toss their guess cubes into the funnel, the order in which the cubes come out of the funnel decides which player is first. The fastest player, i.e., the player whose cube was first to come out of the funnel, starts. If his or her solution is correct, the other players can no longer propose their solutions. If his or her solution is wrong, the other players propose their solutions in the order their guess cubes came out of the funnel. After the solutions have been proposed, the guess cubes are returned to their owners.

Important: After shouting "Dohdles!" and tossing your cube into the guess funnel, you must propose a solution. This also applies if a faster opponent already said the same word you wanted to propose and that word is wrong. In this case, you may say a different word.

Special Right for the Active Player

For each Dohdle, the first time a clue is given the following rule applies: If the player whose turn it is (the active player) has moved the clue chip of a Dohdle to the first clue space and at least one opponent has announced that he or she wants to propose a solution, then the active player receives the special right to be the first to propose his or her solution, regardless of the position his or her guess cube occupies after coming out of the funnel.

Please note: This prevents the opponents from beating the active player to proposing the first solution to a Dohdle before he or she has even asked a question about this Dohdle.

If the active player's solution was wrong, his or her opponents subsequently may propose their respective solutions (one per opponent) in the order their guess cubes came out of the funnel.

Reward for the Creator of a Dohdle

After a Dohdle is solved and the player who successfully solved it has moved his or her playing token forward, the creator of that Dohdle might also have earned the right to move his or her playing token forward. The number next to the clue chip at the time the Dohdle is solved determines how many spaces its creator moves his or her playing token forward: 0, 1, 2, or 3.

End of the Game

The game can end in two ways:

The game ends when a player's playing token reaches or exceeds the final space of the scoring track. In that case, this player immediately wins the game.

The game ends when a player begins his or her turn and all his or her opponents' Dohdles have already been solved. If this happens, the player whose playing token is farthest ahead wins the game. If two or more players' playing tokens are tied for farthest ahead, there are multiple winners.

After the game has ended, the players who still have unsolved Dohdles on the game board announce their solutions and turn the corresponding solution sheets solution side up.

Please note: After the game, store the modeling dough separated by color in the plastic storage bags.

Additional Rules

You must keep your guess cube on your suggestion board. You may only touch your guess cube when you want to announce a proposed solution. Therefore, holding your guess cube in your hand all the time, perhaps only a few inches above the guess funnel, is not allowed.
If a Dohdle is solved, the creator of the Dohdle turns the solution sheet solution side up and places his or her Dohdle on the sheet.
If a Dohdle has not been solved after the seventh clue space, the creator of the Dohdle must remove his or her Dohdle from the game board, turn the solution sheet solution side up, place his or her Dohdle on the sheet, and announce the solution. It can no longer be guessed.
It may happen that a Dohdle whose clue chip was moved forward one space by the active player is guessed right before this player can ask a question or ask for a letter. In that case, the active player may choose another Dohdle, move its clue chip forward, and ask his or her questions about this Dohdle or ask for a letter of its solution word, depending on which type of clue space the clue chip is on.
If you proposed incorrect solutions, and, as a result, your playing token reaches the hindmost space of the scoring track (which has an exclamation point on it), you can no longer move your playing token backward. As long as your playing token stands on this space, you may only announce that you want to propose a solution if it is your turn, i.e., if you are the active player. Later, when you have left this space, you may announce at any time that you want to propose a solution, as usual.
If guess cubes get stuck in the guess funnel, lightly jiggle the funnel back and forth so that the cubes fall through and the order in which the cubes come out can be determined.
If you shout "Dohdles!" and miss the target when tossing your guess cube into the funnel, you may pick up the cube and toss it again. Only if your cube lands in the funnel are you allowed to announce a proposed solution. Good aim is important for a Dohdle Master!

Choosing Your Own Dohdle Terms

After a few games, you are free to ignore the suggested Dohdle terms and come up with your own Dohdle terms. However, you should avoid abstract terms such as love, death, kindness, jealousy, and hate. Likewise, you shouldn't use terms that denote substances and materials such as ice, wine, blood, water, and wood. If you have doubts as to whether or not a term really exists or how it is spelled, look it up in the dictionary.

More Than Six Players?

You can play the game with up to twelve players. If more than six players are participating, you can form teams. Each two players sitting next to each other form a team, using one playing token and one guess cube. At the beginning of the game, each team member sculpts a Dohdle. All of the above-mentioned rules apply. The players may talk to each other in order to reach agreements regarding questions and proposed solutions. In case of an odd number of players, one player plays without a partner.

No More Solution Sheets Left: Now What?

After the pad of solution sheets is depleted, you can visit the Dohdles product page on the Thames & Kosmos website at the link below to download a PDF containing more solution sheets for you to print and cut out: thamesandkosmos.com