Il Gioco dei Telefilm Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• Object of the Game
• Setup (3-7 Players)
• Turn Order
• Phase 1: Choosing the Question Cards
• Phase 2: Choosing the Question to Answer
• Phase 3: Question, Answers and Scoring
  • 1st Case: No Star Placed a Character Token on the Space
  • 2nd Case: Only One Star Placed a Character Token on the Space
  • 3rd Case: Several Stars Placed Character Tokens on the Space
  • Summary Table (3-7 Players)
• Ending the Game (3-7 Players)
• Special Cards
  • Card Powers
• Two-Player or Two-Team Game with the Board
  • Setup
  • Turn Structure
  • Phase 1: Choosing the Question Cards
  • Phase 2: Question, Answer and Scoring
  • End of the Game
• Game with Question Cards Only
  • End of the Game

Contents

• 1 game board
• 7 character figures (plastic base)
• 180 question cards, divided into:
  • 135 Period cards, further divided into:
    • 45 Vintage: questions about series broadcast from the start of the 1960s to the end of the 1990s
    • 45 Modern: questions about series broadcast from the start of the 1990s to the middle of the 2000s
    • 45 New: questions about series broadcast from the middle of the 2000s to today
  • 45 Mix cards: questions about all periods and all genres
• 21 special cards
• 5 bet tokens, values 4, 5, 7, 8 and 9
• 14 character tokens (2 for each character)
• 14 lap tokens (7 marked I-II and 7 marked III-IV)
• 1 rulebook

Object of the Game

Players must both answer questions asked by a "Director" about the various genres of TV series, and strategically exploit the knowledge of the other players, in order to score as many Telefilm points (from now on called "TF") as possible.

The game is for 3 to 7 players. A two-player or two-team variant with the board, and a variant played with the question cards only, are described at the end of this rulebook.

Setup (3-7 Players)

Open the game board and place it in the centre of the table. The board has 12 spaces, which are the crossings of the four genres Comedy, Drama, Crime and Science Fiction (SCI-FI) with the three periods (Vintage, Modern and New). It also has a Mix space and the TF points track.

Every player takes:

• 1 character figure, placed on the "Start" space of the points track;
• 1 token with the same character if playing with 5, 6 or 7 players, or 2 tokens with the same character if playing with 3 or 4 players;
• 3 "special" cards, dealt at random;
• 2 lap tokens (one I-II token and one III-IV token).

Put the rest of the material back in the box.

Question cards are divided into:

• Period question cards (Vintage, Modern and New), each of which is split into the four genres (Comedy, Drama, Crime and Science Fiction). These form the genre/period crossings shown by the 12 spaces on the board.
• Mix question cards, which cover all periods and all genres.

Each question card has 4 questions, numbered 1 to 4. A number from 1 to 3 shows the increasing difficulty of the question. Below each question are the 5 answer options (A, B, C, D, E). At the bottom of the card, written upside down, is the correct answer (for example 3:C or 4:A). At the bottom left is a progressive number (from 1 to 45), which helps to identify missing cards if any are lost.

On each turn the Director takes:

• 3 bet tokens with values 5, 7 and 9 if the game has 3 or 5 players;
• 4 bet tokens with values 4, 5, 8 and 9 if the game has 4, 6 or 7 players.

Number of players	3	4	5	6	7
Character tokens per player	2	2	1	1	1
Bet tokens for the Director	3	4	3	4	4
Question cards for the Director	3	4	3	4	4
Special cards per player	3	3	3	3	3

Finally, take:

• the Mix question cards: shuffle them, make a deck and place it face down beside the board;
• the Period question cards: shuffle them, make a deck and place it face down beside the board.

Note: players may play with all the cards, or remove the cards of a particular period as they wish.

Turn Order

The last person to have watched a TV series is the Director in the first turn. The others are called "Stars", and they answer the questions.

In the second turn, the player to the left of the Director becomes the new Director, and so on for all the following turns.

Each turn takes place in 3 phases:

• choosing the question cards;
• choosing the question to answer;
• question, answer and scoring.

Phase 1: Choosing the Question Cards

In this phase the Director chooses the question cards. He draws 1 Mix question card and 5 Period question cards.

The Director keeps the Mix card and chooses 2 of the 5 Period cards he drew if the game has 3 or 5 players, or 3 of them if the game has 4, 6 or 7 players.

He places one of his bet tokens, of his choice, on the Mix space and on each genre/period crossing space of the Period cards he chose.

The Director cannot use two cards with the same genre/period. If among the cards he drew there are cards with the same genre/period, he must draw a new card from the deck until he finds different cards.

The Director places the chosen cards face down in front of him, and puts the other cards on the discard pile.

Strategy of bet placement: the Director may place the bet tokens with the highest value on question spaces of higher difficulty, or "bluff" by doing exactly the opposite. It will depend on his skill and luck to confuse the Stars.

Phase 2: Choosing the Question to Answer

In this phase the Stars choose which question card to answer.

Starting with the Star to the left of the Director, each Star places one of their character tokens on one of the spaces where the Director has placed his bet tokens. A Star may place a token on a space even if another Star's token is already there, up to a maximum of 4 tokens on one space. The Stars must stack their tokens so that the time order of placement can be recognised.

In the 3- and 4-player game, the Stars place their second character token only after every Star has placed their first. Two tokens of the same character cannot be placed on the same space.

Strategy of token placement: the Stars place their character tokens according to their own game strategy and their knowledge of the genres and periods.

Phase 3: Question, Answers and Scoring

In this phase the Director asks the question, the Stars answer in turn, and points are awarded (see the summary table below).

After hearing the question and before giving an answer, the Star declares whether they want to answer with a "straight answer" (risposta secca), that is without knowing the answer options, or to have the 5 answer options read out (risposta ad opzioni).

Once a Star has answered, points are awarded by moving their character on the TF points track by as many spaces as the points they have won.

Starting from the space with the highest-value bet token, and then the others, one of three cases may arise for each question space where the Director has placed bet tokens.

1st Case: No Star Placed a Character Token on the Space

The question card for this space is discarded. The Director automatically scores points! He moves his character on the TF points track by the number shown on his bet token plus the difficulty number (1, 2 or 3) of the question on the card.

2nd Case: Only One Star Placed a Character Token on the Space

The Star who placed the character token must answer one of the questions on the card. The Star chooses at random question number 1, 2, 3 or 4. The Director reads the chosen question, and the Star declares whether they give a straight answer or want to hear the 5 options. The Star then answers the question.

If the answer is correct, the Star scores points as follows:

• a) Straight answer: the number on the bet token, plus the difficulty number on the card, plus 5 bonus TF points for answering correctly with a straight answer;
• b) Multiple-choice answer: the number on the bet token, plus the difficulty number on the card.

The Star may add the points of a special card they have played (see the section on special cards).

If the answer is wrong, the Director scores points as follows:

• a) Straight answer: the number on the bet token, minus the difficulty number on the card, plus 5 bonus TF points, because the Star attempted a straight answer;
• b) Multiple-choice answer: the number on the bet token, minus the difficulty number on the card.

3rd Case: Several Stars Placed Character Tokens on the Space

The Star who placed their character token first (that is, the one whose token is underneath all the others) must answer one of the questions on the card. They choose at random question number 1, 2, 3 or 4. The Director reads the chosen question, and the Star declares whether they give a straight answer or want to hear the 5 options. The Star then answers the question.

If the answer is correct, the Star scores points as follows:

• a) Straight answer: the number on the bet token, plus the difficulty number on the card, plus 5 bonus TF points for answering correctly with a straight answer. All the other Stars on that space score only the number shown on the bet token;
• b) Multiple-choice answer: the number on the bet token, plus the difficulty number on the card. All the other Stars on that space score only the number shown on the bet token.

If the answer is wrong, the next Star, according to the order of placement on the space, may answer the same question. That Star may give a straight answer or ask for the options if the previous Star gave a straight answer; they may only ask for the options if the previous Star asked for the options.

N.B.: the Director must never give the correct answer when a Star answers wrongly. He could unintentionally help the next Star!

Points are awarded according to the answer, as described in this third case. If the answer is wrong, the next Star has the right to answer, and so on. Obviously, the more players answer wrongly, the greater the chance that the next Star answers correctly.

Editor's note: the printed rulebook does not state explicitly at which point the Director scores the wrong-answer points in the 3rd case, when several Stars have answered wrongly. The amounts are transcribed as printed (see the summary table); the timing follows the text above.

When points have been awarded, the turn ends, and the player to the left of the former Director becomes the new Director. A new turn begins.

Summary Table (3-7 Players)

Result	Points of the Director	Points of the Star who answers	Points of the Stars that follow
No Star placed a token on the question space	Bet token number + difficulty number of the card	0	0
Straight answer CORRECT	0	Bet token number + difficulty number of the card + 5 bonus points	Bet token number
Multiple-choice answer CORRECT	0	Bet token number + difficulty number of the card	Bet token number
Straight answer WRONG	Bet token number - difficulty number of the card + 5 bonus points	0	0
Multiple-choice answer WRONG	Bet token number - difficulty number of the card	0	0

Ending the Game (3-7 Players)

• In the 3-player game, the game ends when every player has been Director 5 times.
• In the 4- and 5-player game, the game ends when every player has been Director 3 times.
• In the 6- and 7-player game, the game ends when every player has been Director 2 times.

Going around the track: a player who passes 64 TF points continues on the points track with the lap token I placed in front of them. If they pass 64 TF points again, they turn the lap token over to II and place it in front of them. For a further lap they use lap token III, and finally IV.

The player who has the most TF points at the end of the game is the winner and becomes the Telefilm Master.

Special Cards

One special card may be played per turn, and once played it is discarded. The Director may not play special cards.

Card Powers

• COMEDY: if you play this card and answer correctly any question on Comedy, add 5 TF points. Play it only before the question is asked. (2 cards)
• DRAMA: if you play this card and answer correctly any question on Drama, add 5 TF points. Play it only before the question is asked. (2 cards)
• CRIME: if you play this card and answer correctly any question on Crime, add 5 TF points. Play it only before the question is asked. (2 cards)
• SCIENCE FICTION: if you play this card and answer correctly any question on Sci-Fi, add 5 TF points. Play it only before the question is asked. (2 cards)
• DOUBLE: if you play this card, you double the points you have scored by answering the question correctly. Play it only before the question is asked. (3 cards)
• TWO: if you play this card, you may ask the Director to read 2 questions and choose which one to answer. Play it when it is your turn to answer. (2 cards)
• 50%: if you play this card, the Director, when reading you the options, must read only two of them (one correct and one wrong). Play it after the Director has read the question and you have chosen the multiple-choice answer. (2 cards)
• CALL: if you play this card, you may telephone anyone you wish, for a maximum of 30 seconds, to ask for help. Play it after the Director has read the question. (2 cards)
• WEB: if you play this card, you may access the internet for 30 seconds from any device. Play it after the Director has read the question. (2 cards)
• POWER: if you play this card and answer correctly, you move the player in first place on the points track back by 10 TF points. Play it before the question is asked. (2 cards)

Two-Player or Two-Team Game with the Board

Setup

Open the game board and place it in the centre of the table. Each player or team chooses a character and receives:

• 1 character token, to be placed on the "Start" space of the points track;
• 5 special cards;
• 2 lap tokens (one I-II token and one III-IV token).

Take the Period and Mix question cards, shuffle them together into a single deck, and place it face down beside the board.

Note: players may decide to compose the question deck as they wish, choosing which periods to use.

Take the bet tokens with values 4, 5, 8 and 9 and place them beside the board. Set the 7 token aside in the box.

Turn Structure

A turn takes place in 2 phases:

• choosing the question cards;
• question, answer and scoring.

Phase 1: Choosing the Question Cards

The Director takes the 4 bet tokens with values 4, 5, 8 and 9. He draws 6 question cards and chooses 2 of them. The two chosen cards cannot both be Mix cards; if he draws another Mix card, he draws again.

He places 2 tokens on each space corresponding to the chosen cards.

If playing in teams, the team chooses a spokesperson who will be the only one to answer.

Phase 2: Question, Answer and Scoring

The Star or the spokesperson chooses at random one of the 4 questions on the card. The Director reads the question. The Star or spokesperson declares whether they give a straight answer or want the multiple-choice answer.

If the answer is correct, the Star or the team answering through its spokesperson scores TF points equal to the sum of the two tokens on that question space, plus the difficulty number on the card. If they gave a straight answer, add 5 bonus TF points.

Add any points of the special card played, which is then discarded. Only one special card may be played per turn, and the Director may not play special cards.

If the answer is wrong, the Director scores TF points equal to the sum of the bet tokens on the space, minus the difficulty number of the question on the card. If the Star gave a straight answer, the Director adds 5 bonus TF points.

The turn ends, and the roles are swapped.

End of the Game

Passing 64 TF points works as in the 3-7 player game: a player who passes 64 TF points continues with lap token I placed in front of them. If they pass 64 TF points again, they turn it to II and place it in front of them. For a further lap they use lap token III, and finally IV.

The player or team with the most TF points at the end of the game is the winner and becomes the Telefilm Master.

Note: the printed rulebook does not state a fixed number of turns or another trigger for the end of this two-player board variant; no end condition beyond the points track and the winner's determination is printed.

Game with Question Cards Only

In this variant only the question cards are used. Make a single deck with all of these cards, shuffle them and place them face down.

The question cards are used both to ask the questions and to score. The score is given by the sum of the difficulty numbers of the question cards that players have won.

If playing in teams, choose a spokesperson.

Each player or team, in alternating turns, becomes the Director. The Director draws 3 question cards and tells the Star the genre/period of the cards drawn (but not their difficulty). The Star chooses the card they want to answer. The Director chooses one of the 4 questions on the card. Once the question has been read, the Star may choose a straight answer or have the options read out.

If the answer is correct, the Star wins:

• Straight answer: the card from which the question was asked, plus the first card on top of the question deck as a bonus for the straight answer;
• Multiple-choice answer: the card from which the question was asked.

If the answer is wrong, the Director wins:

• Straight answer: the card from which the question was asked;
• Multiple-choice answer: nothing.

Won cards are kept for the calculation of the final TF points, and can no longer be used as question cards.

N.B.: in this variant too, the players may decide which type of deck to play with.

End of the Game

The game ends when every player has been Director 10 times (or a number of times decided at the start). The players count their scores. The score is the sum of the difficulty numbers of all the question cards they have won.

The player or team with the most TF points at the end of the game is the winner and becomes the Telefilm Master.