Networds Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Goal
• Setup
• Gameplay
  • Guessing the Term
  • Continuing the Example
  • Special Rule for Two Players
• New Round
• End of the Game
• Scoring

Components

• 112 cards, of which:
  • 87 term cards
  • 25 double-sided attribute cards
• 1 net diagram
• 5 markers
• 1 rules sheet

Goal

Score as many points as possible by identifying, in each round, the secret term that is described by means of attributes on the net diagram. Sort out incorrect terms one after another, because you score a point for every correctly sorted-out term!

Setup

1. Place the net diagram in the middle of the table and set the 5 markers beside it.
2. Shuffle the attribute cards and place them beside the net diagram.
3. Shuffle the term cards and place them as a face-down deck beside the net diagram.
4. Before the game, decide whether you want to play with the red terms or the blue terms. The two colours are only for variety; there is no difference in difficulty.
5. Draw 5 attribute cards from the deck and slide one of them under each of the 5 corners of the net diagram, so that only 1 attribute is visible on each corner.

Gameplay

Determine who starts. Play proceeds clockwise.

On your turn, draw the top term card from the deck without the other players seeing its face, and read the term. Then place the card face-down aside and take the 5 markers. Now rate on the net diagram how strongly each of the five visible attributes applies to the term. To do this, place 1 marker per attribute on one of the 8 points of the line that runs from the centre of the diagram to the respective corner. The closer you place the marker towards the corner, the more strongly the attribute applies to the sought term. Conversely, the closer you place the marker to the centre, the less the attribute fits the sought term.

Example: Florian has drawn the term TEDDYBÄR (TEDDY BEAR). He places the 5 markers on the net diagram so that the five attributes describe the term TEDDYBÄR as well as possible.

Florian's assessment would read as follows in this case: WEICH (soft) (8) and FLEXIBEL (flexible) (6) apply strongly, while CLEVER (clever) (2), FLINK (quick) (2) and LAUT (loud) (1) rather do not apply.

Once you have placed the markers, draw 4 more term cards face-down from the deck and shuffle your term card face-down in with them. Then lay out the 5 term cards face-up in the middle of the table as the display.

Note: Only terms of the colour you chose before the game count!

Guessing the Term

Once you have set up the net diagram, you may no longer contribute in any way to guessing the term. It is now up to the others to recognise the wrong terms and sort them out step by step, by working out which terms the attribute values do not fit.

The player to your left may first sort out a term from the display and set that card aside. You must now say whether the sought term is still among the remaining cards in the display!

• If the term is no longer in the display, because it was sorted out, the round ends without points, and play continues at the section "New Round".
• If the term is still in the display, the next player clockwise has two options: Keep guessing or Stop.

Keep guessing: A player who dares to sort out another term chooses the corresponding card and sets it aside as well. You then say again whether the card with the sought term is still in the display.

Stop: A player who does not dare to sort out another term ends the round.

You may keep guessing in turn until either only the card with the sought term is left in the display, someone has guessed wrongly, or someone has voluntarily stopped.

As a team, you receive as many points as the wrong terms you have sorted out.

Continuing the Example

Continuation of the example: Florian draws 4 term cards face-down from the deck and shuffles his term card TEDDYBÄR (TEDDY BEAR) face-down in with them. He lays all 5 cards face-up in the middle of the table as the display: ZAUBERSTAB (MAGIC WAND), VULKAN (VOLCANO), TEDDYBÄR (TEDDY BEAR), LIEBE (LOVE) and BOXKAMPF (BOXING MATCH).

1. Corinna sits to the left of Florian and sorts out the term ZAUBERSTAB (MAGIC WAND), because in her opinion it does not fit the attribute values that have been set at all. Florian confirms that ZAUBERSTAB is not the sought term, and Corinna sets the card aside as a point.
2. Next clockwise, Thomas is up and sorts out VULKAN (VOLCANO), because it is very loud. Florian confirms again, and Thomas sets the card aside as a point.
3. Tina decides to sort out the term BOXKAMPF (BOXING MATCH), because things there are very quick and clever. With Florian's agreement she sets the corresponding card aside as a point.
4. Finally, Lorenz is up. After a short think, he finds it too risky to sort out another term. So he stops and secures 3 points for the team for the 3 sorted-out terms.

A maximum of 4 points can be earned per round, if all 4 wrong terms are sorted out.

Special Rule for Two Players

When playing with two, the guessing player sorts out as many terms as they dare.

New Round

The player to the left of the player who drew the last term must now remove 2 of the attribute cards displayed on the net diagram and return them to the box. You no longer need them for this game. Then they draw 2 new attribute cards from the deck and slide one of them, in any orientation, under each of the two free corner points of the net diagram.

Afterwards, they draw the top term card and begin a new round.

End of the Game

The game ends after the fifth round. Now it is time to check how well you have done!

Scoring

Points	Result
< 7 points	Catastrophe! You can certainly do better, try again right away!
7-10 points	Room for improvement. No glamour, no drama. At least you followed the rules!
11-13 points	Average. Time for a team-building exercise! How about another game of NETWORDS?
14-16 points	Clever! There was already a strategy visible, and it even worked!
17-19 points	Bravo! You are a well-rehearsed and clever group. Can you do it again?
20 points	Legendary! You did not play the game, you dominated it!