Subtext
Subtext Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Overview and Goal of the Game – What Is It About?
Each round you draw a hint for a secret word. Fortunately you don't need to draw well, just be clever to win. The Dealer and a random, unknown other player draw hints for the same word. Can you read between the lines and figure out who has the same word as the Dealer? Guess correctly to receive points. The player with the most points in the end wins the game.
Components – What Is in the Box?
- 1 game board
- 56 guessing tokens (7 per color)
- 8 point tokens (1 per color)
- 8 pencils
- 115 word cards
- 8 player figures
- 8 plastic standees
- 5 number cards
- 1 block of paper
Component quantities and appearance may vary from those shown here.
Set-up – How Are We Starting?
Before the first game, put the player figures in the plastic standees.
Place the game board in the center of the table. Shuffle the word cards and create a face down deck next to the game board.
Choose a number card. Place the chosen number card on its marked place at the top of the game board. Use the number card in your first game.
Note: Finding hints for the words on the highest-numbered card is especially difficult. Gather some experience with the other words before trying out that number.
Each player takes a few sheets of paper from the block, a pencil, and the player figure of their favorite color.
The number of guessing tokens needed is dependent on the number of players. Take a number of guessing tokens of your color equal to the player count minus 1. In a 4-player game, take three guessing tokens — A, B, & C. For each additional player, take the guessing tokens following an alphabetical order.
Example: Nina, Leo, Betty, Chris, Judy, and Clarke play Subtext. As they are six players, they use the guessing tokens A to E.
The point tokens in each player's chosen color are placed close to the game board.
Return the remaining unused components back into the box. Select a player who is going to be the Dealer in the first round.
Game Flow – How Does It Work?
The game continues for a set number of rounds. In each round, another player will be the Dealer. For small player counts, each player is the Dealer twice, whereas in larger player counts each player is the Dealer once.
- In the 4-player game, play 8 rounds.
- In the 5-player game, play 10 rounds.
- In the 6-player game, play 6 rounds.
- In the 7-player game, play 7 rounds.
- In the 8-player game, play 8 rounds.
Note: Of course, you can change the number of rounds played as you wish after the first game.
Each round consists of two distinct phases: the Drawing Phase and the Guessing Phase.
The Drawing Phase
During Set-up, you chose a number card. Only use the words under the chosen number during that game. The number card stays at the top of the game board as a reminder.
When you are the Dealer, take a word card. Look at the word underneath the chosen number and memorize it. Take player count minus 2 additional word cards without looking at them. Shuffle all the word cards, including yours, thoroughly and give one to each other player. All the word cards are now dealt, and one random player has the same word which you memorized. From now on we call that player the Partner.
Example: Clarke is the Dealer this round. He looks at the word in line and memorizes PLANE. Because they are playing a 6-player game, he draws 4 additional word cards, shuffling them with his word card. Then he gives each of the other 5 players a word card.
After everyone receives a word card, all players, including the Dealer, draw a hint for their word. Do not use numbers or letters in the drawing.
Note: Optimally, only the person who had the same word will understand your hint.
Once all players have finished their drawings, you as a Dealer place your drawing on the left side of the game board. Then you place the drawings of the other players on the right side of the game board. Start at the top of the game board next to the space marked with A and continue to the bottom.
The Guessing Phase
Place your guessing tokens face down with the broken pencil side showing up in front of you. Look at the drawings on the right side of the game board and compare them to the drawing of the Dealer. Guess which drawing hints at the same word at which the Dealer's drawing is hinting. When you are ready, place the guessing token with the corresponding letter closer to the center of the table, without revealing the letter to the other players. Because the Dealer does not know the identity of the Partner, they place a guessing token as well.
When all players have placed their guessing tokens, turn them all face up. The Dealer declares his word and the Partner points at his drawing. All guessing tokens that show a different letter than the Partner's drawing are wrong. Turn all wrong guesses face down again on the pencil side.
You receive points only when you guessed correctly.
The Dealer or the Partner only receive points if both guessed correctly. The Dealer and the Partner receive 1 point per wrong guess.
Note: If only the Dealer or only the Partner guessed correctly, neither of them receives any points. Those players that are not the Dealer nor the Partner receive 1 point per wrong guess + 1 additional point.
Example: Clarke, Nina, and Betty guessed correctly. Nina was Clarke's Partner. Nina and Clarke receive 3 points each. Betty had another word and found the correct drawing, nonetheless. She receives 3 points + 1 additional point.
Example (not shown): Next round only Judy and Leo guess correctly. Judy was the Dealer, but her Partner Chris guessed wrong. Judy and Chris unfortunately receive no points. Leo receives 5 points (4 wrong guesses + 1 additional point).
Therefore: If all players guess correctly, the Dealer and the Partner receive no points (0 wrong guesses). All other players receive 1 point (0 points for wrong guesses + 1 additional point).
Therefore: If the Dealer and/or the Partner guess wrong and all the other players also guess wrong, nobody receives any points.
Track your points by moving your player figure on the game board. If you have more than 12 or 24 points, take your point token and place it with the corresponding side in front of you. Start at the bottom of the game board to continue tracking your points.
Once the Guessing Phase is finished, the next player in clockwise order becomes the Dealer and a new round starts. Continue in this manner until the Game End.
Game End – Who Won?
The game ends after the set number of rounds. The player with the most points wins! If there is a tie, the tied players share their victory.
Credits
Designer: Wolfgang Warsch
Illustrations: Muti – Folio Art
Graphic Design: atelier198
Realization: Julian Steindorfer, Roman Rybiczka
Translation: Roman Rybiczka, T.R. Knight
© 2019 Edition Spielwiese, All Rights Reserved. Simon-Dach-Str. 21, D-10245 Berlin. www.edition-spielwiese.de
© 2019 Stronghold Games, All Rights Reserved. 7964 Emerald Winds Circle, Boynton Beach, FL 33473 USA. Email: [email protected]. Visit our website at: StrongholdGames.com. Under license from Edition Spielwiese.
Reproduction or publication of the manual, the playing material, or the illustrations is permitted only with prior permission.