Fiesta de los Muertos
Fiesta de los Muertos Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Objective
Fiesta de los Muertos is a cooperative game in which the players must find each deceased character present during the game.
Setup
Each player takes a Skull slate and an erasable marker. Shuffle the Character cards and form them into a face-down draw pile.
Note: for a 3-player game, setup is explained under "3-Player Variant" below.
Components used: Skull slate, erasable marker, Character cards.
Note: the first time you play, after detaching the Skulls, fold them as shown in the diagram. Hold them under pressure so that they stay closed. The Skulls are then ready: if they still open up a little, that's normal — they will end up closing completely.
Playing with Younger Players
For a game with younger players, it is recommended to play with a draw pile made up only of Character cards marked with a yellow flower on the card.
Phase 1: Draw Your Character
Each player draws a Character card, which they look at secretly. They then place it face down in front of them.
Then each player opens their Skull slate, secretly writes the name of their Character inside, and closes their Skull again.
Attention: From this moment, and until Phase 5, "Appease the Dead," the Skull slate must never be opened again!
Remark: if a player does not know the Character they drew, they may discard it and draw another.
Phase 2: Make the Characters Guessed
Write a word, color a tooth, and pass to your neighbor
On the blank space of the Skull's jaw, each player secretly writes a single word (no more!) that makes them think of their Character.
Example: Cyril has the Character "HERCULES." He writes the word "STRENGTH" on his slate.
When a player has written their word, they color in one tooth at the bottom of their Skull. They then pass their Skull to the neighbor on their left.
Attention: when you pass your Skull to your neighbor, pass it face down, so that other players cannot see the word you wrote on it.
Receive a word, erase it, and start again
Each player takes the Skull that was passed to them, reads the word written in the jaw, erases it, and writes a different word in its place. This new word must make them think of the word they just erased.
Example: Marjolaine reads "STRENGTH." She erases this word and writes "ENERGY."
Again, once a player has written their word, they color in one tooth at the bottom of the Skull. They then pass the Skull to the neighbor on their left.
Tip: the point is not to try to guess which Character it is, but simply to write a word that makes you think of the word you just received.
Four times in total
You will receive a Skull again and do the same thing: erase the word, write another word, color in a tooth, and pass the Skull... Repeat this until all four teeth of each Skull have been colored in (so each player will have written four words in total).
When a player colors in the fourth tooth of a Skull, they place that Skull face down at the center of the table (so the last word they wrote on it is not yet visible).
When all players have placed their Skull at the center of the table, move on to Phase 3, "Match Each Skull to Its Character."
Rule for writing a word
It is forbidden to write the name of a Character or a Person.
Example: during the game, a player may not write "Snow White" or "Michael."
Remarks: - It is also forbidden to write a word that already appears on the Character card (for the first word) or a word from the same root as the word you received (for subsequent words). - You may only write a single word, no more, but compound words (joined by a hyphen) are allowed.
Phase 3: Match Each Skull to Its Character
Reveal the Skulls and shuffle the Characters
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Shuffle all the players' Skulls face down, then place them face up in a circle.
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Collect, without looking at it, each player's Character card, and add, face down, as many additional Character cards as there are players. Shuffle these cards together to make a pile, and place this pile next to the Skulls.
Example: if you are 5 players, add 5 Character cards — there will then be a pile of 10 Character cards.
Draw a Character, place it on a Skull, or discard it
Each player draws a Character card from the pile; they then have two choices:
- Either they place this card, face down, on the Skull of their choice, if they believe this Character matches the last word written on that Skull.
- Or they discard this card, face down, at the center of the circle of Skulls, if they believe this Character does not match any word present on a Skull.
Important: - During this phase, there is no turn order. As soon as all players have drawn a Character card, each may place or discard their card whenever they wish. - During this phase, it is forbidden to communicate with the other players.
Example: Marjolaine drew "Bambi's Mother." She thinks this Character matches the word "LEAF," so she places this card face down on that Skull.
Example: Cyril drew "Darth Vader." He thinks this Character does not match any word present on a Skull, so he discards it face down at the center of the circle of Skulls.
Placing a Character on a Skull that already has a Character
It is possible to place a Character card on a Skull that already has one or more Character cards on it; in that case, place it on top of the last card present on that Skull.
Example: Roméo drew Victor Hugo. He thinks this Character matches the word "LEAF" written on one of the Skulls. Since a Character card has already been placed on that Skull, he places this card on top of that one.
Do it again a second time
Once all players have placed a Character card, each draws a new card from the pile and places it in the same way, face down.
When all the Character cards from the pile have been placed or discarded, move on to Phase 4, "The Choice of the Dead."
Important: it is possible for a Skull to have no Character card placed on it at all, but that is not a very good sign...
Phase 4: The Choice of the Dead
Start with the Skulls that have several Characters
Choose a Skull that has several Character cards on it, and reveal only the last card (the one placed on top).
Remark: if there is no Skull with several Character cards placed on it, move directly to Phase 5, "Appease the Dead."
Vote
The players then vote to decide whether the revealed Character is validated or discarded. Each player places their closed fist in front of them, thumb held horizontally. Then, count to three and point your thumb up or down.
Point your thumb down if you think this Character does not match the Skull.
Point your thumb up if you think this Character matches the Skull.
If the majority of players pointed their thumb down, this Character card is discarded:
- If there are still several Character cards on this Skull, reveal the next one and vote again for this Character card.
- If there is only one Character card left on this Skull, reveal it — it is automatically validated for this Skull.
If the majority of players pointed their thumb up, this Character card is validated for this Skull. Discard face down the other Character card(s) placed on this Skull.
Do this for every Skull that has several Character cards, then move on to Phase 5, "Appease the Dead."
Important: in the event of a tie in a vote, it is the player who wrote the last word on the Skull in question who decides whether the Character card is validated or discarded.
Phase 5: Appease the Dead
Open and compare
Open each Skull slate and compare the name of the Character written inside with the Character card placed on that Skull:
If it is the same Character, the dead is appeased.
If it is not the same Character, the dead is not appeased.
Once all the Skulls have been checked, every appeased dead may head off to the Fiesta de los Muertos!
Remark: if a Skull has no Character card placed on it, then the dead is not appeased.
Scoring
All the dead are appeased: Congratulations! What a magnificent Fiesta de los Muertos!!!
1 dead is not appeased: A lovely party! There's singing and dancing among the dead!!
2 dead are not appeased: A rather pleasant party — sweet songs brighten the evening.
3 dead are not appeased: The mood at the party is a bit subdued; the absent are missed.
4 dead or more are not appeased: Ouch, ouch, ouch! Tonight, the dead are not happy!
3-Player Variant
With two Skulls each, over three rounds
With three players, the game is played as explained in the base rules, with a few differences.
Setup: Each player takes two Skull slates and draws two Character cards; they write the name of the first Character in one Skull, and the name of the second in the other Skull.
Each player writes a word on each Skull. They then pass both Skulls to the neighbor on their left, and so on... As soon as the third tooth of each Skull is colored in, place the Skulls in a circle at the center of the table, add 6 Character cards to your own, and shuffle them together to form the pile.
Then, each player draws a Character card from the pile, which they place face down on a Skull or discard face down at the center of the Skulls. They perform this action a total of four times. The rest of the game proceeds identically to the base rules.
Next Levels
A constraint for every word
In Fiesta de los Muertos, several difficulty levels are available. So if your games feel too easy, move up to the next level. You'll see — the dead have plenty of surprises in store!
Setup: Proceed with the same setup as for a normal game, then take the Constraint cards, shuffle them, and form them into a face-down draw pile.
Level 1: Reveal 1 Constraint card at the start of the game. The first word each player writes must respect this Constraint. The following words are free.
Level 2: Reveal 2 Constraint cards at the start of the game. The first word each player writes must respect the first Constraint; the second word must respect the second Constraint. The following words are free.
Level 3: Reveal 3 Constraint cards at the start of the game. The first word each player writes must respect the first Constraint; the second word must respect the second Constraint; the third word must respect the third Constraint. The next word is free.
Types of Constraints
Thematic: the word each player writes must belong to the imposed theme. Example: if the constraint is "Place," a player could write: Paris, Forest, Restroom...
Form: the word each player writes must respect the imposed form. Example: if the constraint is "Rhymes with I," a player could write: Night, Pretty, Illness...
First Letter: the word each player writes must begin with the indicated letter. Example: if the constraint is "S," a player could write: Salad, Silence, Soup...
Credits
Author: Antonin Boccara Illustrations: Margo Renard, Michel Verdu Art direction and graphic design: Jules Messaud Layout and graphic adjustments for the new edition: Emma Perruchon OldChap Team: Paul-Adrien Tournier, Jean-Baptiste Fremaux, Thomas Luzurier, Emma Perruchon, Antonin Boccara
The author would like to thank his family and friends for their invaluable help.