Glyphics
Glyphics Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Objective
Earn points by creating and guessing Glyphics — pictures that represent objects or actions!
About the Cards
- Each card contains 6 prompts.
- Standard cards include 4 nouns, 1 verb, and 1 phrase.
- Easy Peasy cards include 5 nouns and 1 verb.
Setup
Spread the game pieces on the table or play area. Each player can individually choose whether to use a Standard card or an Easy Peasy card. Everyone draws a card and looks at the prompts, keeping the card hidden from the other players. This is the only card you will use throughout the game.
How to Play
Choose a player to go first as the builder, everyone else will be the guessers. The builder picks a prompt from their card and announces whether it's a noun, verb, or phrase. When ready, start the 60-second timer. The builder then uses the pieces to quickly create a Glyphic representing the prompt. The turn ends when the prompt is guessed, or time runs out. Play continues clockwise, with each player taking a turn as the builder, completing Round 1.
After 5 rounds, the game ends. Since there are 6 prompts on each card, each player will skip one prompt during the game. Players can build the prompts from their card in any order they choose. If a prompt isn't guessed correctly within the time limit, players can attempt the same word in a later round.
Builder Guidelines
Dos
- Build prompts from the card in any order.
- Move pieces to create animated actions.
- Indicate that a guesser is on the right track by nodding or pointing.
- Change the prompt being created mid-turn.
- Revisit a prompt from an earlier round if it wasn't guessed the first time.
Don'ts
- Talk or make sounds that hint at the prompt.
- Act out the prompt with your body (this isn't charades).
- Use the pieces to spell out the prompt.
Scoring and End of Game
Keep track of scores using a piece of scrap paper or a phone. After 5 rounds, the player with the most points wins.
Builder and Guesser Scores:
- 1 point when a noun or verb is guessed correctly.
- 2 points when a phrase is guessed correctly.
In the event of a tie, the tied players participate in a "sudden death" overtime. A player not involved in the tie creates a Glyphic of a prompt they skipped. There is no time limit, and the first player to guess correctly wins. If all players tie, plan a group trip to Egypt — the first to discover a new hieroglyphic wins!
Note: Any form of a verb (run, running, ran) or noun (shoe, shoes) counts as a correct guess.
Other Ways to Play
- Mystery: To increase the difficulty, builders do not reveal whether the word is a noun, verb, or phrase.
- Timeless: Play without a timer. Build until someone guesses the Glyphic.
- Slow Motion: Clue givers lose 1 point if no one guesses the prompt before time runs out.
- 6 for 6: Instead of skipping a prompt, players build all 6 prompts. The game will last 6 rounds instead of 5 rounds.
- Team Up: Teams must share the pieces. Two builders, one from each team, view the card and agree on a prompt. Teams race against both the timer and each other.
Tips
- Arrow: The arrow piece indicates direction or movement, guiding guessers to focus on a specific part of the Glyphic. For example, the arrow can point to the "brim" of a hat in a Glyphic.
- Action: To show "throw" or "catch," use your finger to move an object between the two stick figures, as shown in the example in the rulebook.
- Stand: The stand allows you to build 3D Glyphics. For example, placing a rectangle in the stand could represent a door, mirror, building, or many other objects. In the example in the rulebook, the stick figure in the stand shows they are on a paddleboard.
- Context: In the example, two squiggly lines represent water, making it easier to guess "paddleboard."