Paraphrase: Songs In Other Words
Paraphrase: Songs In Other Words Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Objective
Solve the word puzzles, show off your knowledge of song titles, and maybe even win the respect of your fellow teammates with your amazing singing ability! Points are earned by correctly solving the Paraphrase and naming the Song Title. Extra points are earned by correctly guessing the Artist/Band who made it a hit in that decade and/or suddenly bursting into song. If you need hints, you will lose points. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins!
Components
- 213 Song Cards
- 5 Score Cards
- 2 Reference Cards
- 1 Page of Rules
Card Descriptions
Song Card: At the top of each Song Card is a paraphrased song title (to paraphrase something is to restate it using other words). In the middle of the card, there are two hints in case you get stuck. But, using hints deducts points off your score.
- The 1st Hint contains three words that are synonyms of one word from the Song Title. In some cases, a slang term has been used to express the meaning.
- The 2nd Hint is always the name of the Artist or Band that made the song a hit in that decade.
- At the bottom of the card is the answer (Song Title).
Score Cards: Score Cards are listed as 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. When a Song Card is scored, it is placed under the matching Score Card on the table.
Game Setup
- Divide into two teams and give your team a cool band name.
- Shuffle the Score Cards, then one player from each team draws a card. The team with the highest number goes first.
- Spread out the five Score Cards on the center of the table in numerical order.
- Each team takes a Reference Card.
- Shuffle the Song Cards together into one deck of cards and then place the deck face-down on the table.
- Decide how many total rounds will be played, with each round taking about 5 minutes to play. We suggest playing 3 rounds to start, but you can choose to play more.
How to Play
The game is played over a series of rounds, where each team takes a turn. During each team's turn, one player on their team draws five (5) cards. Then the team's players earn points by solving as many Song Titles as they can within 90 seconds. Teams get extra points if they can name the Artist/Band and/or sing the song! However, if the team needs hints, they will lose points.
An Example Round
One (1) Round:
- Team One's Turn – 90 seconds
- Team Two's Turn – 90 seconds
- End of the Round
Repeat rounds until you complete the number of rounds decided upon at the start of the game.
Example Team Turn
- The guessing team chooses one person on their team to read the cards and then that person draws five (5) cards from the Song Card deck. (Teams can change the reader on other turns.)
- The team's turn begins when the opposing team starts a timer and says "Start" (use a clock or a phone to keep time).
- For each of the five cards drawn, the reader says the card's paraphrase and then the guessing team tries to guess the Song Title. The reader only gives hints as requested but can repeat any correct words guessed.
- When a Song Title is correctly guessed, teams can then earn extra points by naming the Artist/Band and/or singing any part of the song. Teams have 90 seconds to solve all five cards and the cards are scored face-down or discarded face-up.
- i. Scoring – Once the Song Title has been correctly guessed and extra points are earned, the card is immediately scored (See "Scoring a Card" below).
- ii. Skipping a card – If no hints are given, the card reader can skip to the next Song Card in their hand and try the skipped card again later on their turn.
- iii. Once the 1st hint has been given, the card must either be scored or discarded, it cannot be skipped.
- The guessing team's turn is over when the opposing team says "Stop" after 90 seconds or when all five (5) cards have been scored or discarded.
- Repeat for the opposing team and the round completes.
There is no penalty for wrong answers. Sometimes it takes "talking it out" and trying different words to come up with the correct answer.
Scoring a Card
To score a Song Card, count up the points earned for the card, then place the card into the Team's Scoring Area below the matching Score Card. Use the Reference Card to count up your points easily. If a card was not scored, place it face-up in a discard pile.
Important Scoring Rule: You must first correctly guess the Song Title to gain any extra points. For example, if a player bursts into song first, they must correctly give the Song Title before gaining the extra point for singing.
Points are awarded as follows:
- +3 points – Correctly guess the Song Title without any hints.
Extra Points (after correctly guessing the Song Title):
- +1 Point – Correctly guess the Artist or Band who made the song a hit in that decade.
- +1 Point – Correctly sing the melody and lyrics to any part of the song. The opposing team reserves the right to decide whether the tune is close enough to count.
Lose Points:
- -1 Point – If the team needed the 1st Hint. (If a reader skips the 1st Hint because they do not think it is helpful, the team still loses a point.)
- -1 Point – If the team needed the 2nd Hint.
Note: The 2nd hint is always the Artist or Band. If a team needed the 2nd Hint, they cannot get an extra point for guessing the Artist or Band.
End of Game Scoring
At the end of the game, each team adds up the points from scored cards in their Team's Scoring Area.
Winning the Game
The team with the most (cumulative) points at the end of the game wins!
Tiebreaker Rules
If both teams have the same score (tie) at the end of the game, the game moves to a "head-to-head" challenge; a final song tiebreaker!
- Each team selects one player to guess the Song Title with no help from teammates.
- Choose one player from either team who draws and reads one card from the Song Card deck.
- The reading player reads only the Paraphrase on the Song Card. No hints are given for tiebreakers.
- The first player to correctly guess the Song Title gets the win for their team!
- Repeat from Step 1 until there is a winner.
Alternate Play and Scoring
- Teams can choose to play with specific decades instead of the entire deck.
- Players can choose to Score Cards after each team's turn or each round. Keep track of your total (cumulative) points on paper or on your phone. You can discard cards after they are scored.
- Two Players – The other player reads the Song card to the guessing player and scores the card.
- No Skipping – The opposing team is automatically awarded 1 point for each skipped card.
- For an extra challenge, the paraphrase on the Song card is to be read ONCE, and not repeated or skipped.
- The 90-second turn time can be increased or decreased depending on the skill of players.
- Players can cover up the decade on the back of the card for more challenging gameplay.
For more variants and Large Group Play, see ParaphraseGame.com.