Inklings Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• Object of the Game
• Set Up
• Game Play
• Scoring
• Acceptable Clues
• Acceptable Answers
• Important Care Instructions

Contents

1 display, 6 wipe-off slates, 1 box of subject cards, 1 display base, 1 sand timer, 1 score card, 6 wipe-off pens.

Object of the Game

To write seven short clues that will help your teammates guess the seven answers on your subject card. The shorter the clues, the more points you score.

Set Up

1. Form 2 teams. Each team should have at least two players.
2. Distribute the goods. Each player gets one subject card, one answer slate and one marker. If there are more than 6 players, the extra players can either double up or wait to use a slate and marker.
3. Assemble the display. Slide display base onto display as shown in figure A.

Game Play

1. All players take a few minutes to review their subject cards and write one clue for each of the seven answers on their slate (B). When writing your clues remember, "the shorter the clue, the more you score." You want to be sure that your teammates are able to guess your answers correctly, so be creative but not too tricky. You may continue to revise your clues as long as there are other players still writing. If you are momentarily "stumped" while writing a clue, go on to the next one and then come back to any that gave you trouble. Every player has one chance per game to return a particularly difficult subject card to the deck and select another.

   Example: If your subject is Things That Are Yellow and the answer is Lemon, a possible clue could be Sour.

2. Now someone must volunteer to give their clues to their team. That player slides their slate into the display with the answers facing forward (C). Be sure that all the display windows are closed. The slot on the back of the display can be used to hold the subject card that is being played (D). Announce what the subject is, turn over the timer and reveal the first clue by flipping open the top window on the display.

3. Your team may make as many guesses as they want for each clue. Since there are only 45 seconds to guess all seven clues, it is permitted to "pass" and then come back to any clues if time allows. If a team guesses the answer to a clue correctly, leave that window open. If a team passes on a clue close that window. When finished with one clue go on to the next window until either all the clues have been guessed or until time runs out. You can go back to clues you pass until time runs out.

4. When time runs out, the opposing team gets the chance to "steal" any clue that was not guessed correctly. However, they may make only one guess for each clue. If the opposing team guesses the answer, slide the red flag out next to that clue on the display (F) and these points will be added to the opposing team's score. Tally both team's scores after each subject has been played.

   (Figure F caption: When the opposing team "steals" an answer, slide the red flag out next to that clue. The points for that clue will be added to the opposing team's score.)

Scoring

On each slate is a scoring grid for the seven clues a player writes. The fewer characters a player uses in a clue, the more points that clue is worth if answered correctly. In the example below (G), the clue "ON/CEREAL" would be worth 2 points, while "SOUR" would be worth 4 points. The highest score for any clue is 5 points: if it uses 1 or 2 characters. Use the wipe-off tablet provided to keep score. After all players have given their clues, the team with the most points wins!

The scoring grid on the slates will tell you how many points your clues are worth. Remember, the shorter the clue, the more points you score.

(Figure G shows a slate grid with rows worth 1 to 5 points, with example clues written in the rows, including "ON/CEREAL", "TWEET", "SOUR" and "49".)

Acceptable Clues

• Any character that is found on a normal typewriter or computer keyboard is acceptable. In most cases, only letters and numbers will be used to create clues. Each character used counts as one space.
• To separate words, a slash ("/") may be used for free. Simply place it between boxes as shown (H).
• Clues may be abbreviations or initials as long as they are not a form of the answer itself. For example, "N.Y." would not be an acceptable clue for the answer "New York," but it would be acceptable if the answer were "Empire State Building."
• Be creative in keeping your clues short. But remember, any character used must be found on a regular typewriter or computer keyboard. The use of "X" in front of a word can mean "not" or a "—" in front of a word can mean "fill in the blank." In the examples shown (H), "XWHITE" stands for "BLACK" and "—ILOCKS" stands for "GOLDILOCKS."

Acceptable Answers

A correct answer can be any form of the answer itself. For instance, if the answer on a card is "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and a player says, "Close Encounters", count it as a correct answer. It is also correct if the answer is in the plural form and a player gives the answer in the singular, or vice versa. For example, "cactus" would count for "cacti."

Before storing remember to wipe off the score board and all slates completely.

Important Care Instructions

• Be sure to cap the Inklings markers tightly when not writing. This helps keep them from drying out. If the ink settles inside a marker during storage, simply hold the capped marker at the end and shake it to make the ink flow to the tip.
• Be sure to clean the Inklings slates properly: place on a flat surface, use a soft facial tissue, wipe firmly; do not smear. With use, a light residue of ink will naturally accumulate on the slates.
• If you use markers other than those supplied with your Inklings game, be sure they are dry erase markers. Before using, do a small test on a portion of the slate to make sure they wipe off properly.