Head Trip Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Setup
• How to Play
• How to Win
• Helpful Tips
  • Discarding
  • Making the Game Easier or Harder
  • Leaving Early or Joining Late
  • Playing on a Small Table
  • Tracking Lost Chips
  • Keeping Things Casual
  • Component Layout
• House Rules
  • Hipster
  • Effective Altruism
  • One Mind
  • The Ladder To One Mind
  • Chimera Mode
  • Getting To Know You
  • Hardcore Mode
  • Break The Game
  • Drugs
  • Headmaster
  • Head Trip Platinum+ Edition
  • Being John Malkovich

Setup

You're all working as a team to defeat 7 Heads before everyone runs out of chips. To begin, put the Board, the colorful Chip Bag, and the four ABCD Tokens on the table. Draw seven beige Head Cards and arrange them face-down in a row next to the board. Everyone grabs three Chips from the bag. Finally, make a stack of chips equal to the number of players and put it on the fifth Head Card.

How to Play

The player who most recently pooped begins as the first Tripper and reads a black multiple-choice Question Card out loud. Then, they flip over the first Head Card and read it out loud as well.

The Tripper must now "get inside that Head" and secretly decide how that Head would answer the Question. When the Tripper is ready, they lock in an answer by placing one ABCD Token face-down in the center of the board. They should then place the Question Card face-up somewhere everyone can easily read it. The group must not discuss the question until the Tripper is done!

Everyone else now engages in a spirited debate about which answer they think the Tripper chose for this particular Head. Share your thoughts! Make arguments! Throw chairs! But remember: the Tripper may not give any hints.

At any point, a player may vote for A, B, C, or D by placing a chip on the board. Different people can vote for different answers, and players are free to change their votes. After all players have voted, the Tripper dramatically flips over their answer and explains "what the fuck they were thinking."

If at least one player voted right, you've defeated that Head—and your group is now one step closer to winning the game! But first, it's time to see who lost their chips:

• Did you correctly vote for the Tripper's answer? Great job. Take back your chip.
• Did you get it wrong? Womp, womp. Return your chip to the bag.
• Did everyone get it wrong? Shame! The Tripper also loses a chip and returns it to the bag (unless the Tripper is already out of chips).
• Did everyone get it right? Wow! The Tripper wins an extra chip. They can keep it for themself or donate it to another player (including a player who's out of chips).

The player to the Tripper's left now becomes the new Tripper, and play continues. The new Tripper reads a new Question Card out loud. If the last Head was defeated, the new Tripper flips over the next Head Card and reads it out loud as well. Otherwise, they must get inside the same Head as before. Each Head remains in play until it is defeated!

What if someone runs out of chips? They still take their turn as Tripper and participate in debates, but they can't actually place chips. Maybe they'll get a new chip after a successful unanimous vote, or when the group reaches the fifth Head.

What if only one player still has chips? Keep playing, but that player skips their turn as Tripper (since nobody would be able to vote). During a voting round, if this player successfully votes for the Tripper's answer, that counts as "everyone getting it right" and the Tripper wins an extra chip.

What about those chips on the fifth Head? Once you make it to the fifth Head, congratulations! Everybody takes one of the chips stacked on it.

How to Win

Your group wins the game by defeating all 7 Heads before everybody runs out of chips. But beware the Final Head! The seventh Head can only be defeated by all remaining voters unanimously picking the Tripper's answer. That final Head is a real motherfucker. Do you have what it takes?

NOTE: The player with the most chips at the end of the game is the MVP—which means they're better than everyone else. But this is a cooperative game, so they shouldn't be a dick about it.

Helpful Tips

Discarding

Head Trip is more fun with fresh Questions and fresh Heads. So, at the end of each game, put all the Questions and Heads you played in the parts of the box that say "Discard." You'll be able to play Head Trip at least 11 or 12 times before you need to shuffle and replay any of the cards.

Making the Game Easier or Harder

Looking for a lower-pressure experience? Everyone can start the game with 4 chips instead of 3. Or maybe you're looking for a bigger challenge? Start with just 2 chips.

Leaving Early or Joining Late

If you leave the game early, put all your chips back in the bag. If you join the game late, take as many chips as the player with the fewest chips (but at least one). If that doesn't feel right, take however many chips feels right—but beware that it might make beating all 7 Heads too easy.

Playing on a Small Table

If you're playing on a tiny surface, such as a prison food tray, keep the board in the box and instead place your chips right next to the answer you're voting for on the Question Card.

Tracking Lost Chips

Want to keep a record of which Heads were the hardest? Instead of putting chips from wrong votes back in the bag, stack them up on the Head Card you lost them on. At the end of the game, you may collectively boo the Heads that were "the biggest assholes."

Keeping Things Casual

Head Trip is a party game—the point is to have fun, not to strictly follow rules. So, if you draw a Question or Head Card and everybody hates it, just draw a new one. It's no big deal. If all your group wants is a low-key party activity, you can even ignore the rules and win conditions and play in Casual Mode: One person reads a random Question and Head and picks a secret answer, and then everyone else talks about it and votes. You win if you have a good time with your friends.

Component Layout

The printed diagram labels the parts of a round as follows:

1. Board with Chips
2. Current Tripper's Secret Answer (the ABCD Token placed in the center of the board)
3. Question
4. Current Head
5. Chips Stacked on Head #5

House Rules

Hipster

If only one player was cool enough to vote for the correct answer, they are "The Hipster," and they win an extra chip. This only applies if there are at least two other, uncool voting players.

Effective Altruism

At any point, a player may "give what they can" by donating chips to another player with fewer chips. Just don't invest your chips in crypto, okay?

One Mind

All Heads may only be defeated by a unanimous vote. Everyone starts the game with 5 chips.

The Ladder To One Mind

Looking to make the game more challenging and strategic, especially for large groups? Try this: Play the first and second Heads normally. On Heads 3 and 4, the group may only vote for at most three different options out of A, B, C, and D. On Heads 5 and 6, the group may only vote for two different options. Any player who wants to vote for a blocked option must convince other players to change their votes. The Final Head still requires unanimity.

Chimera Mode

Don't lay out Head Cards. Instead, play with 7 piles of three face-down Cards Against Humanity white cards. When the Tripper flips a pile over, they read all three cards, pick the best one, and present it as "You are __________________."

Getting To Know You

Don't lay out Head Cards. Instead, the current Tripper always answers as themself. Your goal is to defeat 7 Trippers: the first six need one correct answer to defeat, and the final needs a unanimous vote. If nobody gets it right during a round, the same Tripper reads a new Question. Everyone still gets a bonus chip once you reach the fifth Tripper. WARNING: This means you'll have to publicly answer questions like "Which Disney villain would you like to tie you to the bed and fuck your brains out?" and then listen silently while your friends break down how they think you answered.

Hardcore Mode

Play Head Trip on the rim of an active volcano. If you run out of chips, you must leap into the fiery depths. Sorry.

Break The Game

Before the game begins, everyone must agree to always pick B.

Drugs

Drugs make everything more fun, including Head Trip. Give drugs a try!

Headmaster

Whoever has the most chips (or is tied for it) is "The Headmaster." Before the Tripper locks in their answer, the Headmaster may spend one of their chips to discard the current Head and replace it with a new one.

Head Trip Platinum+ Edition

Instead of chips, play Head Trip with $100 bills. When the game is over, please mail the chips everyone lost to: Cards Against Humanity LLC, PO Box 316620, Chicago, IL 60631.

Being John Malkovich

Players must get inside the head of John Cusack getting inside the head of John Malkovich before getting inside the head of the Tripper getting inside the Head Card.

The Wright Stuff

If the actor Jeffrey Wright is in attendance, he reads every Question and Head Card every round, because his voice reminds you of that gloomy autumn day—crackling thunder in the distance, the smell of wet leaves and rotting wood—and Abigail tracing the raindrops on the windowsill with her finger, gazing at a world that was no longer hers.