Ransom Notes
Ransom Notes Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
1. Setup
First, give everyone a black metal submission card. Next, all grab three pinches of word magnets, about 75 tiles. (Precision is not important, but you can count them out if that floats your boat.)
Flip all the word magnets face up and facing you. Setup takes a minute, but we promise it's worth it (and you only have to do it once!)
Place the deck of Prompt Cards in the middle of the table, and dump the remaining word magnets into the bottom of the box. Place that in the middle too.
2. The Round Begins
Someone flips over a Prompt Card (doesn't matter who). Read it aloud, and the round has begun! Everyone scrambles to use only their own word cloud to create the best response, placing magnets on the "flat" side of their metal card. Creating your submission should take 60-90 seconds (use a timer on your phone if you want to be precise).
Remember, the more creative, absurd, and horrible the response, the better! When done, place your submission face down in front of you.
3. Present Your Creation
The Judge of the round hasn't been picked (sit tight, that's coming — we've specifically designed this game so no one sits out while they're the Judge!) Instead, each player reads their own horrendous sentence creation aloud, starting with the person that finished last.
Example submission: "him never mean listen" / "his doormat was nasty poop"
4. Pick the Judge and Winner
Look at the box bottom you've placed in the center — one of the ends has the word "Judge" on it! Give the box a twirl, spin-the-bottle style, and whoever the "Judge" end of the box most closely points to becomes this round's judge.
The Judge now selects their favorite sentence creation. (They may pick their own submission, but it better be AWESOME and self-selection can be overruled by the other players by unanimous vote.) Give the winner the Prompt Card as a token of their victory.
Sweep all word magnets off the Submission Cards and into the box top, and everyone may grab a few more tiles to replenish their word cloud.
Play until someone wins five category cards. Or until you're out of beer. We don't care, we're not cops.
Alternate Game Modes
Want to spice it up? Try these gameplay styles:
The Party Gamer — Pick a new Judge for each round (they don't create a response) and pass your submissions to them facedown. They pick the winner, and the person to their left judges next.
Shrink City — Same main rules, but one catch — you can never replenish your word cloud! Whoever has the most rounds won when someone can't make a sentence anymore is the winner.
FAQ
Do responses need a minimum number of words? Nope. But, we find one word submissions have to be perfect to win.
What do Prompt Cards that mention "most recent Judge" mean? For the Prompt Card "What's the most depraved Google search the most recent Judge has ever made?", everyone's creating a response specifically about the player who judged the previous round. These cards are a great opportunity to roast your friends!
Why are the metal cards shaped like trays? To protect your tables and dainty little fingers, manufacturing safety guidelines require these edges! We recommend playing on the "flat" side for easily sweeping off magnets.
Can I add my own word magnet tiles? Sure. We already have your money, do whatever you want.