Off Your Rocker
Off Your Rocker Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- 200 Quirk Cards (800 Quirks)
- 40 Point Cards
- Sand Timer (3 minutes)
Game Setup
- Sit in a circle so that all players can see each other.
- Let go of your inhibitions and get ready to have fun!
Game Play
The game is played in rounds. During each round, one player is the Psychiatrist and the rest of the players are Patients who all share a similar Quirk. The Psychiatrist asks questions to try to discover what the Quirk is. Once the Psychiatrist has either guessed the Quirk correctly or the timer expires, points are scored and the round ends. There are 4 phases in each round:
1. Psychiatrist Selection
In the first round, the group collectively chooses one player to be the Psychiatrist. In subsequent rounds, the Psychiatrist is chosen based on the number of votes received during the scoring phase of the previous round.
2. Quirk Selection
The Psychiatrist leaves the room in order to be out of earshot of the Patients. As a group, the Patients then draw a Quirk Card from the card box and decide which of the two Quirks on the front of the card they will all portray. The Psychiatrist is then invited back into the room.
Quirk Cards are colored differently on each side. The color does not affect the type or difficulty of the Quirks it contains. Once all the cards of one color have been used, the cards are rotated in the box and the opposite sides are used.
3. Question and Answer Period
The Psychiatrist begins by choosing a Patient and asking him a question. The Patient answers the question according to the Quirk that was chosen, in the most creative and entertaining way possible. The Psychiatrist then continues on to each of the other Patients, in any order, and may ask the same question or a different one.
After all of the Patients have been given an opportunity to answer one question, the Psychiatrist may attempt to guess the Quirk. If he guesses incorrectly or is still unsure, the timer is set and he may continue to ask follow-up questions to any players he chooses until the timer expires. While the timer is running, the Psychiatrist may choose to cut off a Patient early if the answer is taking too long.
If, at any time, a Patient's answer or behavior contradicts the Quirk he is supposed to portray, all of the Patients say to him, "You're off your rocker!" (regardless of the Quirk) in order to indicate to the Psychiatrist that the answer or behavior should be disregarded.
This phase continues until the Psychiatrist either guesses the Quirk correctly or the timer expires. If the group is in agreement, the Psychiatrist may choose to give up before the timer runs out.
4. Scoring
If the Psychiatrist has correctly guessed the Quirk, he earns a point by drawing a Point Card. If there is any doubt as to whether or not he guessed correctly, the Patients take a vote.
The Patients then vote on who they believe gave the best performance of the Quirk. To vote, players take a moment to think about their choice, then simultaneously point to one of the Patients. If there are 5 or more players and a player currently has 4 or more points, he votes twice by pointing to 2 of the Patients. The Psychiatrist may not vote, nor may the Patients vote for the Psychiatrist or themselves.
Any player receiving at least one vote earns a point by drawing a Point Card. Players who have received multiple votes do not earn multiple points. Players may choose to keep their total scores hidden from other players throughout the game.
The player who received the most votes will be the Psychiatrist during the next round. If there is a tie, the previous Psychiatrist selects one of the players who tied.
Winning the Game
The game continues by playing additional rounds until one or more players have earned at least 6 points or there are no more Point Cards remaining. The player(s) with the most points wins!
Advanced Play
Before leaving the room, the Psychiatrist may optionally request that the Patients portray both Quirks on the card simultaneously. If he correctly guesses both quirks, he earns 2 points; otherwise, he doesn't earn any points.
Question Rules & Suggestions
- Any question asked by the Psychiatrist is valid, except for those that directly relate to a Quirk, such as, "What is your Quirk?" or, "Does your Quirk have to do with food?" In other words, Off Your Rocker is not intended to be a game of 20 Questions, but instead encourages players to demonstrate their Quirks creatively in response to more general questions. Some examples are: Where are you from? / What is your favorite hobby? / What did you do today? / How many years have you lived here? / What is your biggest fear? / Who is your favorite actor? / What did you eat for breakfast? / What is your favorite color? / Where would you most like to live? / Why do you like to play games? / How do you celebrate your birthday? / Where did you buy your shirt? / Will you tell me about your family? / What is your favorite kitchen utensil? / Which profession would you most like to have? / What is your name? / What color is your shirt? / What is your favorite movie? / What is your favorite food?
- When the Psychiatrist guesses a Quirk, the guess can either be a statement or a yes-no question. For example, it is equally valid to ask, "Do you all think you are ducks?" as it is to say, "You all think you are ducks."
Answer Rules & Suggestions
- Answers that contain homophones and other language tricks are valid. For example, if the Quirk is, "Each answer must contain the name of a fruit" and the question is, "What did you do today?" it would be valid to say, "I put on a 'pear' of socks."
- An answer is not required to be truthful in order to be valid, unless otherwise specified by the Quirk.
- An answer is not required to portray a Quirk in order to be valid, as long as it does not contradict it. However, the Quirk should be portrayed by enough players to give the Psychiatrist a reasonable chance of guessing correctly.
- Subtlety and creativity add to the fun of the game and often lead to more votes. Try to portray the Quirk so that it is obvious to the other Patients but unobvious to the Psychiatrist. For example, if the Quirk is, "Players think they are ducks" and the question is, "What is your favorite hobby?" a poor answer would be, "Quack, quack, quack," but a better answer might be, "I like to eat the food that people tend to throw at me."
- Good answers are often more than just words. Actions and behaviors that portray a Quirk also add to the fun of the game and can lead to more votes.
- The funniest moments are often those that are not in direct response to a question. Always be in character, but give other players adequate time to ask and answer questions without interruption.