Top It
Top It Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
76 topic cards, 60 pins in 6 different colours, 18 letter tiles, 1 hourglass (60 seconds).
Goal of the Game
Your task in this quick, witty party game is to place your pins on the letter tiles by naming terms that fit the given topics.
You all play at the same time, and you can also place your pins "on top" of other pins, i.e. stack them on top, if you can name another term that starts with the same letter.
For each pin you place, you get 1 point. However, only the top pin of a colour can form a valuable row of 3. The first player to reach 50 points wins the game.
Setup
Each player receives 10 pins of one colour. If more than 6 people want to play, form teams and give each team 10 pins of one colour.
Prepare a sheet for scoring on which you enter your names in columns.
Randomly select 9 of the 18 letter tiles and lay them out in a 3x3 grid, with the side facing up that shows the German flag colours at the edge. Set the other 9 tiles aside for later rounds.
Shuffle the topic cards and place them face down as a stack next to the grid. The cards are bilingual. Use the side that matches your playing language.
Gameplay
One of you draws the top topic card, turns it over and reads the topic aloud. Then another player turns the hourglass over, and the round begins. The topic card stays face up, visible to everyone.
You all play at the same time and try to name terms for the topic that begin with one of the letters on the tiles laid out. When a player names a fitting term, they immediately place their pin on the corresponding letter tile.
Example: The topic is "Sport". A player calls out "Tennis" and places their pin on the "T" tile.
While the hourglass is running, try to find as many fitting terms as possible and place your pins cleverly.
If one or more pins are already on a letter, a player may name a different term with the same starting letter and play "Top It". This means they stack their pin on top.
Example: A player calls out "Turnen" (gymnastics) and places their pin on top of the pin that already stands on "T".
All terms with the same starting letter must differ from each other in this round. If a player repeats a term, they must remove their pin immediately if they are asked to do so.
Note: You must watch out yourselves that no one repeats a term you have already named. If you or the others do not notice it, the pin may stay in place.
If a player names a term that does not clearly fit the topic, the round continues anyway. Only once the hourglass has run out may anyone object. A vote is then held: if the majority finds that the term does not fit, the pin is removed. In case of a tie, the term is valid and the pin stays in place.
You may also stack your pins on your own pins. Once all of a player's pins have been placed, that player can play no more.
Once the time has run out, any player may call "Stop" – the round ends immediately.
Scoring
Each pin on a tile scores 1 point, regardless of whether it is on top, in the middle or at the bottom of the stack.
Example from the sheet: This stack would score 1 point for red, 1 point for yellow and 1 point for green.
If a player can form a row of 3 of their pins "on top" of stacks (horizontal, vertical or diagonal), they receive an additional 5 points.
Tip: Be sure to try to form a row of 3, as this brings the most points!
Points are recorded at the end of each round, either on a simple sheet of paper with columns for each player or with any scoring app on a smartphone.
Next Round
- Place the topic card just played back under the stack.
- Each player takes their pins back.
- If you wish, you can form the 3x3 grid anew by mixing the letter tiles used previously with the ones set aside.
- Draw the next topic card and start the new round.
- Keep the score list going round by round.
End of Game
As soon as at least one player reaches 50 points or more, the game ends. The player with the most points wins the game.
Note (translator): The Goal section states that the first player to reach 50 points wins, while this section states that the game ends once a player reaches 50 and the player with the most points wins. Both statements are reproduced as printed; the sheet does not say more about when the final round is completed.
Answer Guidelines
For topics such as actors, historical figures or artists, use the surname as a rule (e.g. Redford, Blanchett). An exception applies to people who are also generally known by their first name (e.g. Elvis and Elvis Presley, Napoleon and Napoleon Bonaparte) – here either the first or the last name is allowed.
For film titles, ignore the word "Der/Die/Das" (German for "the") at the start. For example, "Der Pate" (The Godfather) counts as a term under "P".
Terms already named may not be part of a new term. If "Tennis" has already been named for sports, "Tischtennis" (table tennis) would not be allowed.
These are only suggestions – you may agree your own house rules at any time.