Hitster: Guilty Pleasures
Hitster: Guilty Pleasures Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Object of the Game
Be the first player (or team) to collect 10 music cards, correctly placed in chronological order on your timeline. You don't need to know the exact release year of a song — only whether it came out before, after, or in between the songs already on your timeline. The further you get in building your timeline, the more challenging it becomes. Your chances of winning increase if you can also name the artists and song titles.
Contents
- 300 music cards, each with a QR code on one side and the artist, song title and release year on the other
- 37 HITSTER tokens
- Game rules
You also need the free HITSTER app (available for iOS and Android) and a Spotify connection to play the songs.
Preparation
- Decide if you're playing in teams or individually.
- Each player (or team) receives one music card, placed face up (the side without the QR code, showing the song title, artist and release year) in front of them. This is the start of their timeline.
- The player with the oldest song on their timeline starts, and the game continues clockwise.
- You can play without tokens for a simpler game. For a more strategic game, add the HITSTER tokens: each player (or team) takes 2 HITSTER tokens.
- Shuffle the remaining cards into a deck, QR-code side up, within reach of the group.
- A random player scans the card at the top of the deck to act as DJ. Whoever scans can still play along — stick with the same player for scanning each turn, or take turns; it's up to you.
Important: Players acting as DJ should not use smartwatches (e.g. an Apple Watch) while playing, since they may display information about the song on the screen.
Music Setup
Spotify Free: You've got two ways to start the music (choose in the app's rules & settings menu):
- Gyrosensor — the track starts playing after you physically turn your phone face down.
- Countdown — the track starts playing after a short 3-second countdown; make sure your phone is facing down before the countdown ends.
Spotify Premium: You've got two ways to play:
- Full Tracks — listen to the whole song from the start. Perfect for the full experience.
- 30s Previews — quick mode! First flip your phone to start the music, then enjoy a 30-second teaser. Start options are the same as Free: Gyro Sensor or 3-second Countdown.
How to Play
Scan
A player scans a card using the HITSTER app and a song starts playing.
Place
The player to the left places the card, face down, in the spot on their timeline where they think it belongs chronologically — before, after or in between the cards already there. Do not peek at the underside of the card.
Flip
Flip the card to check if it's in the correct position.
- If it is correct, the player keeps it.
- If it is not, discard it — unless another player has correctly placed a HITSTER token to steal it (see HITSTER Tokens below).
- If the year matches an existing card on the timeline, it can be placed just before or just after that card, and it will still count as correct.
Now the DJ plays a new song and it's the next player's turn. Play continues to the left until someone wins.
Winning the Game
The first player (or team) to correctly position 10 cards on their timeline wins the game and earns the title of HITSTER.
HITSTER Tokens
For a more strategic game, add the HITSTER tokens. There are three ways to use them:
- On your turn — skip a song: Spend 1 token to skip the current song and draw a new card.
- On an opponent's turn — steal a card: Shout "HITSTER!" and place 1 of your tokens on their timeline where you think the card belongs. If you're correct, steal the card for your own timeline.
- Anytime — buy a card: Trade 3 tokens for the top music card from the deck, placing it directly on your timeline without having to guess its release date.
Earning Tokens
On your turn, name the song title and artist correctly to earn 1 token — even if you misplaced the card. No player can hold more than 5 tokens at any given time.
Advanced Gameplay
If you want to increase the difficulty, each player can choose their own level. In every mode, the goal is still to collect 10 correctly placed cards.
- Original: Place the card in the correct chronological position on your timeline. You don't need to know the exact year — only whether it comes before, after or in between your other songs.
- Pro: Follow the original rules, but you must name the artist and song title to win or steal cards. Each Pro player starts with 5 tokens, and no new tokens can be earned.
- Expert: Follow the original rules, but you must name the artist, the song title and the exact release year. Each Expert player starts with 3 tokens, and no new tokens can be earned.
- Cooperative: Play together as one team. Start with 5 tokens and 1 music card to begin your shared timeline. Work together to place new cards in the right spot — if you're wrong, lose a token instead of discarding the card. Collect 10 cards on your timeline before you run out of tokens to win.
Token Usage Rules
Exchanging 3 HITSTER tokens. If a player wants to exchange 3 HITSTER tokens to place a card directly on their timeline, they must do so before listening to the song — they cannot listen to the song and then decide to exchange the tokens. Once a player exchanges 3 tokens to place a card, they must skip their next turn, and the game proceeds to the next player.
Token betting on correct placement. If a player places a token on another player's timeline, betting that the card has been placed incorrectly, and the card turns out to be correct (even if the two cards share the same year), the player who originally placed the card keeps it. The player who bet the token loses their token, since the original player was correct. If multiple players bet tokens on the same card, only the player who placed the card gets to keep it if they were right — all bet tokens are lost.
Note: The first player to shout "HITSTER!" gets to place their token first. If the next player to shout "HITSTER!" also thinks the placement is incorrect, they can choose a different spot on the opponent's timeline to try to steal the card. No two tokens can be placed on the same spot on the opponent's timeline.