That's Not a Hat: Incognito
That's Not a Hat: Incognito Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Idea and Aim of the Game
At the start of the game, all of the cards are turned face up. Can you still remember what's on them after a few turns, when they're passed on turned face down?
And that is exactly what this game is about: You pass cards to each other while trying to remember who gave what and who has which card in front of them. If you don't know exactly which card you have in front of you, then you'll need to bluff convincingly - otherwise you'll receive penalty points. The player with the least penalty points at the end wins!
Laugh and have fun over your forgetfulness.
Setup
- Shuffle the cards well and deal one card to each player. This should be placed face up in front of them.
- Put the remaining cards face up in the middle of the table as a draw pile.
Tip: Try to remember which card each player has - even if you (maybe) forget straight away.
How to Play
The last person to laugh begins the game.
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To start the game, you need to draw a new card from the draw pile. Take the top card, show it to everyone, then turn it over.
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The arrow on the back now tells you whether you have to pass the card to the left, to the right, or to whoever you wish (arrows pointing in all directions).
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As you pass the card on, identify the card by introducing yourself as a corresponding character: "Hi, I'm _____." You can introduce yourself as any character you think of when you look at the picture on the card. They can be a living person, famous personality, animal, or even someone you know.
Example: for a card showing a painter's palette, you could say "Hello, I'm Frida Kahlo / Vincent van Gogh / Pablo Picasso / Salvador Dali / Handyman Bob, the painter / Mrs. Smith, the art teacher".
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The player offered the card now has two options: They can either accept the card or refuse it. You cannot keep the card for yourself!
Accept a Card
Do you think the character mentioned does feature on the card? Then accept the card!
- Say thank you and take the new card. Place it face down above the card that is already in front of you (your original card).
- You now have two cards in front of you, so must pass your original card on. You can only ever have one card in front of you! Turn over your original card and pass it on according to the direction of the arrow. You also introduce yourself as any character you think of that relates to the picture.
- Whoever is offered the card must now decide whether to accept or refuse it.
Important: Have you accepted a new card and your original card has already been turned over? Then you must introduce yourself as the character on the original card when you pass it on. You can remember what was on it, right?
Also important: You cannot look at cards that have already been turned over! Cards are only turned face up again when someone refuses them.
Refuse a Card
Do you think the character named does not appear on the card? Then refuse the card! Simply say: "You're not XYZ." You don't have to name the right character.
- Turn the card over to see what's on the back.
- Whichever of you was wrong must place the card face up in your personal discard pile as a penalty point.
- If you get a penalty point, draw a new card from the draw pile and show it to everyone. Then turn the card over, pass it on according to the direction of the arrow, and introduce yourself. The game then continues as described above.
Important: New cards from the draw pile must always immediately be passed to a fellow player.
Example 1: Accepting a Card
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Tom has just received the card with the detective. Anna introduced herself as "Sherlock Holmes." Tom places this new card above his original card. He now has two cards, so turns over his original card (featuring a Roman Soldier).
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The arrow on the back indicates that Tom must pass the card to his right neighbor. Tom says: "Hello Anna, I'm Julius Caesar." And offers her the card.
Important: Tom could have also introduced himself as "Emperor Augustus" or "a Roman legionary." Anything that fits with the picture is allowed. But because Tom introduced himself as "Julius Caesar," the card must be passed on as "Julius Caesar" from now on.
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Anna believes him, so accepts the card.
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Now Anna has two cards in front of her and must pass her original card (a beard) on to her right neighbor (as the arrow points to the right). Anna offers the card to Mary and says: "Hello Mary, I'm Santa Claus."
Cards with arrows pointing in all directions:
- Mary turns over her original card. The arrows on the back point in all directions. This means that she can choose whether she wants to pass the card on to Lucas, Tom, or Anna. You can't give the card to yourself!
Example 2: Refusing a Card
- Mary has just received a card and now wants to give Anna her original one, so the card at the bottom. She says: "Hello Anna, I'm Pablo Picasso."
- But Anna doesn't believe her, so says: "You're not Pablo Picasso!" She turns the card over - it's a kangaroo!
- Mary was wrong and must place the card on her personal discard pile as a penalty point.
- Mary now draws a new card from the draw pile at the middle of the table. She must pass this on immediately, so turns it over.
- The arrow on the back indicates that she must give the card (pyramids) to her left neighbor Anna. Mary introduces herself: "Hello, I'm Cleopatra!"
- Anna accepts the card and places it above her original card. She can pass the original card in any direction, as the arrows on the back point in all directions. She gives the card to Lucas and introduces herself.
End of the Game
The game ends as soon as someone has three cards in their personal discard pile. Each card in your pile counts as one penalty point. Whoever has the least penalty points wins the game.
You can also decide before the game to play as many rounds as there are players. Make a note of the points after each round and add them up at the end. The player with the least penalty points wins the game.
Tips from the Authors
- Pro tip: If you forget which card you have in front of you, don't let it show! Just think of anything and bluff skillfully to trick your fellow players into taking the card.
- Special pro tip: If you know for sure what's on the card, pretend you're unsure. You might manage to get your fellow players to turn the card over and collect penalty points.
- Super special pro tip: If you're unsure what's on the card in front of you right now, pretend you're just trying to sound unsure. Confuse your fellow players with this double bluff!
Too Easy?
Want to make the game a little more challenging? Then sort the cards by the color of the arrow on their backs and play with either only the black arrows or white arrows.
Still Too Easy?
If the game is still too easy for you or you want to play with just one other person (only two players), then start the game with two cards in front of you. All of the other rules from the standard game continue to apply.
Remember: Always place your new cards above your existing cards. The cards at the bottom must be passed on.
Extreme Play Variation
Beware! The following play variation will create even more chaos and confusion in many rounds of the game! The rules of play remain unchanged with one exception: Every time a face-down card is passed on, you may introduce yourself as a new character that matches the picture on it. However, you can still keep the character, if you want to.
Example: The first time a card showing the pyramids is passed on, you introduce yourself as "Cleopatra." The next time it is passed on, a fellow player introduces themselves as "Ramses." Then it's the name of a friend who recently holidayed in Egypt and after that, it's "Cleopatra" again - and so on.
Tip: It gets particularly tricky when you choose characters that could fit several pictures. This can lead to heated discussions when cards are refused! Example: If two cards both showing painting-related pictures are in play, you could introduce yourself as "Salvador Dali" for either of them, as it would fit for both cards.
The Extremely Extreme Play Variation
In this variation, every time a face-down card is passed on, you must introduce yourself as a new character that matches the picture on it. You cannot use the same character twice.