Sag's mit Symbolen Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Components
• Game Preparation
• Playing the Game
  • The First Round
  • Remove a Concept Card
  • Attempt a Solution
  • Example of a Round
  • The Next Round
• End of the Game
• Miscellaneous
• Variants
• Short Rules
• Scoring Summary
• Card Translations

Game Components

• 6 player pieces
• 112 concept cards
• 8 number cards
• 7 markers (green)
• 1 board
• 2 grey markers – only for a variant
• 10 extra symbol tiles – only for a variant

Game Preparation

The board is placed in the middle of the table.

Each player receives a piece which he or she places on the start space of the scoring track (space 0).

The 112 concept cards are shuffled. Eight cards are dealt to the spaces numbered 1 through 8 on the board. It doesn't matter which one is placed on each space. The remaining concept cards are placed in a face-down pile next to the board.

Note: if a concept is drawn which no player can explain, it is discarded and a replacement is drawn. Likewise a substitution is made for a card such as "green player" if no player is using the green cylinder.

[Translator's note: the concept cards that may not be obvious to non-German speakers are listed at the end of this document.]

The eight number cards are likewise shuffled and placed in a face-down pile next to the board.

The seven green markers are placed beside the cards.

The two grey markers and the ten extra symbol tiles remain in the box; they are required only for the variants.

The players decide who will be the candidate in the first round. In each subsequent round the role of the candidate moves to the next player clockwise.

Playing the Game

The candidate shuffles the number cards and gives the top card to the other players. They look at the card secretly. The candidate is of course not allowed to look at it.

The number on the card determines which of the eight concepts on display the candidate must guess. After the other players look at it should be placed half under the board.

[Translator's note: the example is not included as it is fairly obvious.]

The First Round

The player to the left of the candidate begins and must give the candidate a hint. To give a hint, the player takes one of the green markers and places it on an empty symbol space of his or her choice.

Very important: The hint must have something to do with the concept in question (also see the "Miscellaneous" section).

After the candidate has received a hint, he or she must decide

• either to remove a concept card from the board which he or she believes is not correct,
• or to attempt a solution by choosing the correct concept.

It is permissible but extremely risky for the candidate to undertake a solution attempt at the beginning of a round. It is more sensible to wait for two or three hints.

Remove a Concept Card

The candidate takes a concept card of his or her choice, removes it from the board, and places it back in the box. Now there are two possibilities:

The removed card was not the concept in question. The player who gave the hint receives a point and moves his or her piece one space forward.

The removed card was the concept in question. In this case the number card under the board is revealed. All players except the candidate and player who gave the hint receive three points and move their pieces three spaces forward. The round ends immediately (see "The Next Round").

After the candidate has removed a card (which was not the solution!), the next player clockwise must give him or her another hint by placing a marker on an available symbol. Afterwards the candidate must again decide whether to attempt a solution or to remove a concept card.

The game proceeds in this way until the candidate decides to attempt a solution.

Note: There can be at most seven hints and at most seven concept cards be removed. Seven hints are extremely rare, but possible. If this occurs there will be only one card left on the board. This card counts as a solution attempt for which only one point is awarded.

Attempt a Solution

If the candidate decides to make a solution attempt after the hint marker was placed on a symbol, he or she says loudly and clearly which of the concepts on the board he or she believes to be the answer. To check this, the number card under the board is revealed.

If the solution was correct, the candidate receives as many points as there are concept cards remaining on the board, including the solution card.

If the solution was wrong, all players except the candidate and the last hint giver each receive three points.

Important: after a solution attempt, whether correct or not, the actual solution card always is placed back in the box. The round is then finished (see "The Next Round").

Example of a Round

Tim is the candidate. The following eight cards are on the board, the concept in question is #4, Italy: Goethe, Love, China, Italy, Vacation, Farmer, Jungle, Grandmother.

• The candidate's left-hand neighbor gives the first hint. Sabine places a green marker on the cell phone symbol. As a result Tim removes the Goethe card from the board, since what has Goethe to do with cell phones or modern communication?
• Because Goethe is not the solution, Sabine gets a point for her hint. Frank gives the next hint and places a green marker on the suitcase symbol. As a result Tim removes the jungle card. Does one need a suitcase in the jungle? Or is one possibly on holiday in the jungle?
• Because jungle is not the solution, Frank gets a point for his hint. Lisa gives the next hint and places a green marker on the sun symbol. Tim connects warmth and nice weather with the sun. This could indicate Italy or vacation. Tim is courageous and ventures a solution: "Italy!"
• Because Italy is the right solution and there are six cards displayed, Tim gets six points. The Italy card is removed from the board and the round is over.

The Next Round

The player to the left of the previous candidate becomes the new candidate.

New concept cards are drawn and placed on the board until there are eight cards again.

The new candidate shuffles all eight number cards again and gives the top card to the other players, at which they look. Afterwards the new number card is again placed half under the board.

The new round begins with the left-hand neighbor of the candidate giving the first hint.

In this manner as many rounds as necessary are played, until a player's piece reaches the goal space.

End of the Game

If a player's piece is in the goal (space 35), the game is finished immediately, further points are wasted. The player to whom this piece belongs has won. If several pieces reach the goal at the same time, all these players have won.

Important: in a game with 5 or 6 players the goal is reached on space 27.

Miscellaneous

Every hint must invariably have a connection with the concept in question. Of course every player has his or her own associations for the symbols in the game – ambiguous interpretations are definitely part of the game!

The tiger could stand e.g., for danger, wildness, litheness, the animal kingdom, grace, etc.; the factory e.g., for productivity, work, environmental pollution, or modern life.

What exactly the hint giver means by the hint, he or she may not say during the round.

It is only important that completely senseless tips may be given under no circumstances. Don Quixote has nothing to do with a cell phone and Dracula nothing to do with a ballot.

Hints are required to be given only with the symbols. Nevertheless, "Sag's mit Symbolen" is not a silent game. On the contrary, the hints may absolutely be discussed and laughed about after a solution attempt.

Variants

[Translator's note: the German rules imply that there is a single variant, but there is no reason why you cannot use the new symbols and grey markers separately.]

New symbols. In one variant new symbols come into play. The new symbol tiles are simply placed on the board at the beginning of the game so that each new symbol exactly covers an old one, which is not used in the game. How many of the new symbols you would like to use and where you place them, you can decide for yourselves.

Grey markers. In the other variant you can add the grey markers to the game. When a player gives a hint, he or she can place either a green marker (as already explained) or grey marker on a symbol. If a grey marker is placed on a symbol as a hint, this means that the symbol generally speaking has to do nothing with the concept in question.

Note that as in the normal game, a maximum of 7 markers (green and/or grey) may be used in each round.

Short Rules

1. Eight of the 112 concept cards are placed on the board.
2. Everybody takes a piece and puts it on the start space.
3. The players determine who is the first candidate.
4. One of the eight number cards is drawn. (The candidate looks away.) It determines the concept card which the candidate must guess.
5. The player to the left of the candidate puts a marker on a symbol.
6. The candidate removes one of the displayed concept cards which he or she feels is not a possible solution, or states his or her solution.
7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 until the candidate attempts a solution.

[Numbering added for readability; the printed Short Rules are unnumbered, and the final line refers to steps 5 and 6.]

Scoring Summary

What does the candidate do?	Who scores?	What happens next?
The candidate removes a concept card which is not the solution.	A point for the hint giver.	The next hint giver places a marker.
The candidate removes the solution card.	Three points for everyone except the candidate and the hint giver.	The round ends.
The candidate names the right solution.	The candidate gets as many points as concept cards that are still displayed, including the solution card.	The round ends.
The candidate names a wrong solution.	Three points for everyone except the candidate and the hint giver.	The round ends.

Card Translations

[Translator's note: many of the cards should be easily understood by the non-German speaker. Those that are not are listed below. If my normal translation of a term is specific to US English the UK English term is given in parentheses.]

• Apotheke – drugstore (chemist's)
• Arzt – doctor
• Autobahn – highway
• Bauer – farmer
• Bauernhof – farm
• Bermuda-Dreieck – Bermuda Triangle
• Campingplatz – camp site
• Eifersucht – jealousy
• Einkaufscenter – shopping center
• Erfinder – inventor
• Erotik – eroticism or sexiness
• Ferien – vacation (holidays)
• Fete – party
• Frieden – peace
• Fussballprofi – professional soccer (football) player
• Hafen – harbor or port
• Handwerker – craftsman
• Hausmann – house-husband
• Jäger – hunter
• Kirmes – carnival (funfair)
• Kneipe – bar (pub)
• Krieg – war
• Langeweile – boredom
• Lehrer – teacher
• Liebe – love
• Matrose – sailor
• Mutter – mother
• Oma – grandmother
• Papst – pope