Superficial
Superficial Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Set Up
Choose one player to be the "The Asshole." Your group can collectively agree who among you is the Asshole, or you can choose an Asshole with a subjective question that leads to assumptions within your own group!
Here's a small list of subjective questions to get you going:
- Who is most likely to have a condom in their wallet?
- Who do you think cheats on their taxes?
- Who would throw trash out their car window?
- Who would fall for a Nigerian Prince scam?
Once you've determined the Asshole, everyone else automatically becomes a "Questioner." This just means they'll be asking the Asshole questions. Don't worry—we have super cool Question Cards to help you determine what to ask.
The Asshole will shuffle the Character Cards and deal 30 face-down into a pile. The remaining Character Cards can be placed to the side as they won't be used in this round. The Asshole will then pull one random card from the pile of 30 and look at the character on the card without revealing it to the other players. This character is the "Mystery Person" who the other players will be trying to identify. The Mystery Person is then mixed back into the pile of 30 to obscure their identity.
The Asshole will lay out all 30 cards, including the Mystery Person, face-up in a 5 x 6 grid. (If you go 6 x 5 the world will likely end, so BE CAREFUL!)
At this point, only the Asshole knows which Character Card is the Mystery Person. The double-sided Questions Cards should be shuffled and placed in a stack next to the Character grid. The Questions Cards have two sides – red and blue. Choose one color to use for this game. There is no difference between the two colors (see FAQ #4). Now you're all set to get as judgy as a courtroom Karen.
How To Play
With the help of the Question Cards and good old fashion prejudice, the Questioners take turns asking the Asshole questions to figure out who the Mystery Person is. Start by selecting one Questioner to be the "Lead Questioner." All the Questioners will take turns being the Lead Questioner throughout the game, so try not to get too full of yourself, Brenden!
Step 1: The Lead Questioner asks a subjective question
The Lead Questioner draws a question card, and flips it to the appropriate side for this game (red or blue) as decided above. Then, the Lead Questioner selects the most appropriate/inappropriate question to ask the Asshole. The Lead Questioner should choose which question from the card to ask without consulting the other players. Try not to think about it too hard—the answer lies skin deep. Example question: Does this person own a sex doll?
Step 2: The Asshole answers "YES" or "NO"
The Asshole will then answer "yes" or "no" based on their assumptions about the Mystery Person's life. They may not answer anything other than "yes" or "no" including ambiguous answers like "maybe" or "sort of" or "possibly." The Asshole must make their best "yes/no" guess. (Inflection, facial expression, and other nonverbal communication is okay. That's the sort of thing that being an asshole is all about.)
Step 3: Questioners debate and Lead Questioner flips cards
The Lead Questioner will then eliminate characters by flipping over cards based on the Asshole's answer. As Lead Questioner, you have around one-minute to turn all non-matching Character Cards face down. Other Questioners should provide feedback on which characters to turn over, but the Lead Questioner makes the ultimate decision… which will undoubtedly be questioned by all.
Step 4: Reassess (Win, lose, or draw a new card)
At this point one of three things will happen:
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If there is only one card left and the Asshole confirms that it's indeed the Mystery Person—YOU WIN! You ALL win! Congratulations! You and your clique have successfully weeded out the weirdo. Go ahead and pat yourselves on the back, wear the same clothes, and stand in a semi-circle smoking cigarettes in the bathroom.
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If the Lead Questioner flips over the Mystery Person, as indicated by the Asshole, then they're a judgmental douchebag and should be dragged outside and flogged. Because of them, YOU LOSE! You ALL lose! Way to go Lead Questioner. I knew we should've never picked you. Or maybe it was the Asshole's fault. He is an ass, after all. The good news is, now we can undo the damage by starting over and playing again!
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If you haven't won or lost the game yet, there are two options. Choose the appropriate option below and keep going until you win or lose (see conditions 1 and 2, above).
a. If there are more than five face-up cards, pick a new Lead Questioner and go back to step one with the new Lead Questioner drawing a new Question Card.
b. If there are five or fewer face-up cards, see "The Final Put-Down" below.
The Final Put-Down
(Don't Forget to Read This!)
When the Questioners get down to 5 or fewer face-up cards, it's time to spice things up. Let's face it, at this point you've likely judged, ridiculed, and disparaged your way down to a select group of similar people. Like a clique of schoolgirls, it can be hard to tell some of these people apart, especially when you're just using the generic questions on the Question Cards. So now it's up to the Lead Questioner to come up with their own yes/no subjective questions.
Keep in mind, the questions MUST be subjective and NOT related to the character's physical appearance. So no asking about color of hair, piercings, clothes, race, gender, etc. This isn't kindergarten. Let's all judge each other, like adults. Get creative and really let these illustrated misfits have it! Keep on belittling the characters and be as superficial as you want, until you win or lose; and then, like a drunk on a stoop, start all over again.
That's it.
Game Modes
If the game is too easy or the players are too stupid, you can level the playing field. Use one of these variations of the game that can make it more or less difficult, as needed.
Normal Mode
Whether you have a room temperature IQ or the attention span of a gnat, sometimes it's better to just keep it simple. Normal mode is especially great for newbies and those who like to win. And who doesn't like to win?
In normal mode, you can play the game as described above, and we advise you to just take it easy. No need to get all agro about things. You don't have to go around flipping over cards like some cranked-up street magician. Treat it like blackjack, or better yet, flapjacks. One at a time, and only when you're ready. If there's nobody that fits the bill, don't flip anyone. If you get too judgy, you might flip over the Mystery Person. So if you're not too sure... just leave the card be. Normal mode is all about playing it safe.
Hard Mode
Does easy mode make you feel like you're a valedictorian in kindergarten? Or a person of average intelligence in Congress? Hard mode has the same rules as above, only you must reveal the Mystery Person in 10 questions or less. The number of cards used should help you keep count, but for those in politics, or otherwise mentally impaired, you can use your phone, or go old school with pen and paper.
Once you reach 10 questions, if the Mystery Person has yet to be revealed, the Lead Questioner will take a guess based on who is left.
Get it right, you all win. Get it wrong, well, nobody will be surprised… Losers lose. You should be used to it by now.
FAQ
Q: How many cards should we flip over after each question?
A: What am I, your mother? Do whatever you want. There is no correct number of cards to flip. Just know that the more judgy you get, the more likely you are to lose quickly. You can choose to flip zero cards if you don't feel like any fit, or if you're feeling like Margo, the gossip queen next door, you can start flipping cards like a Tarot reader on speed. Trust your gut, that's the fun of the game.
Q: Where is the line in creating my own question once we get down to five cards or less?
A: We're not here to police you. That's the woke mob's job. Ask whatever you want, but don't hold us responsible. Just make sure the yes or no question requires an assumption that cannot be determined by what is visible on the card. WRONG: "Does this person have a tattoo on their neck?" RIGHT: "Does this person have a tramp stamp?"
Q: Is there a time limit?
A: This game is intended to be irreverent and fun. The recommendation is one minute per question, but you'll notice we didn't include a chintzy hourglass timer. If you want to impose strict time limits, that's on you. It's not like every one of you doesn't already have a timer on your phone right now. I know you're itching to look at your notifications anyway. 30 seconds, one minute… make it your own. House rules are encouraged!
Q: When the Asshole's answer to a question is "no," I have a hard time flipping over the right people. Any suggestions?
A: Double negatives are hard to understand (and a grammar no-no). Before flipping over Character Cards, create a positive statement which indicates which cards you will be flipping over. If the question was, "Would this person fall for a Nigerian Prince scam?" and the answer was "No," make a positive statement out loud such as: "We are going to flip over all the people dumb enough to fall for a Nigerian Prince scam."
Q: Is there a difference between the blue cards and the red cards?
A: No. Look, not everything is political. The blue cards are just as likely to storm the Capitol as the red cards are to allocate your tax dollars. The colors are as meaningless as a promise from a congressman. We just wanted to spice things up and those colors seemed like the most likely to rile up Grandpa. Try to just enjoy the game, but if you want to go off on a tirade about your beliefs, take it out on one of the more punchable characters… just, you know, in the form of a subjective yes or no question.
Q: How do you play with two players?
A: With two players, game play is exactly as described above except there is just one Questioner: the Lead Questioner.
Example #1
(The board diagrams for this example are illustrations and are not transcribed; the text of the example follows.)
In Example #1 we have six cards, which for all the math whizzes out there is only a partial game board; but it should be enough to give you the general gist of the game.
In this case, let's say Jasper is the Mystery Person, known only to the Asshole. Here's how the round would play out:
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The Lead Questioner asks a subjective question. The Lead Questioner draws a Question Card and chooses the best question. Let's say in this case they ask, "Does this person attend religious services weekly?"
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The Asshole answers "YES" or "NO". The Asshole will then determine whether or not they think Jasper's Christ-Lookin' ass goes to church regularly or if he just lays on his couch every Sunday smoking weed while dust busting potato chips out of his bellybutton. Let's say in this case the Asshole determines Jasper is more likely to trip shrooms than take a trip to the chapel, so they will say, "No."
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Questioners debate and Lead Questioner flips cards. Now the questioners need to figure out which of the numbskulls on the cards attend church regularly and flip those characters over. Everyone can share their opinion, but ultimately it's up to the Lead Questioner to make the final decision and flip the cards.
Outcome #1: Let's say the Lead Questioner decides that Evelyn, Karen, and Elijah are likely to attend religious services. Those Character Cards will be flipped over, leaving Jasper, Tyler and Helen. Since Jasper is the Mystery Person, the game is still in play and questioning will continue.
Outcome #2: Let's say that the Lead Questioner decides that Karen, Jasper, and Elijah attend church and flip those characters over. Since Jasper is the Mystery Person, and he was flipped over, the game is over and everyone loses. Choose a new "Asshole" and let the next game begin! See if you can do better next time.
Hint: If you are unsure, it's better to flip over fewer characters and eliminate less people.
Example #2
(The board diagrams for this example are illustrations and are not transcribed; the text of the example follows.)
Once again, in Example #2, we have a sample size of six cards… There will be 30 in play when you actually play. I'm not gonna tell you again!
This time, let's say Stacy is the Mystery Person that is known only to the Asshole. Here's how the round would play out:
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The Lead Questioner asks a subjective question. The Lead Questioner draws a Question Card, chooses a question, and asks the Asshole the question. For this one we'll say they ask, "Was this person in a fraternity or sorority in college?"
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The Asshole answers "YES" or "NO". Now the Asshole must determine if Ol' Stacy Goldilocks was in Kappa Tappa Kegga or if higher education was a bit too much for a blonde. In this case, we'll say the Asshole takes note of her carefully-coifed, well-educated hair and answers "Yes."
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Questioners debate and Lead Questioner flips cards. Now the Questioners need to figure out which of these dipshit dorks were not in a fraternity or sorority and flip them over. Remember, the other Questioners should give the Lead Questioner their input but it's ultimately up to the Lead Questioner which cards to flip.
Outcome #1: Let's say the Lead Questioner decides that Peter and Marge were not in a fraternity or sorority. Those Character Cards will be flipped over, leaving Stacy, Bryce, Kiara and Joshua. Since Stacy is the Mystery Person, the game is still in play and questioning will continue.
Outcome #2: Let's say that the Lead Questioner decides that Stacy doesn't look like the college-attending type. So, they flip over Stacy along with Marge and Joshua. Since Stacy is the Mystery Person, and she was flipped over, the game is over and everyone loses. Choose a new "Asshole" and let the next game begin! And try not to botch it this time...
Remember
Superficial is a cooperative party game.
Everyone wins or loses together!
The Asshole and the Questioners should work together to figure out who the Mystery Person is.