Train of Thought
Train of Thought Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Components
- 200 Station Cards with 6 words each
- 1 Conductor Card
- 1 six-sided die
- 1 two-minute sand timer
How to win
Take turns trying to get each other to guess specific words. Both the player who described the word and the player(s) who guessed it score points. At the end of 2 rounds, whoever has the most points wins!
Set up
- Choose first Conductor. The player who most recently rode on a train becomes the first Conductor. Give them the Conductor card.
- Shuffle Station Cards. Shuffle the Station Cards and place them in a few piles around the table so that everyone can reach one.
- Set timer. Give the Timer to the player to the Conductor's right - he is the Brakeman for this turn. The Brakeman starts the timer each turn and lets everyone know when time runs out.
Game Play
The game is played in rounds where each player gets a turn as the Conductor. We suggest that a full game consist of an optional "warm-up" round with no scoring, followed by 2 rounds of play. The warm-up round gives players a chance to get in the right mindset for Train of Thought and to learn how their fellow players think.
Game Turn - Step 1: Start the Turn
You're the Conductor. Take a Station Card and place it face-up in front of you.
Roll the die and place it on the Conductor Card. The number rolled indicates which word on that Station Card will be your "Start Word". Use this number for the whole turn.
Pick up another Station Card but don't show this one to anyone. The word on this card indicated by the die is the "Destination Word".
When ready, call out "ALL ABOARD!" The Brakeman starts the timer - the turn has begun!
Game Turn - Step 2: Start Giving Clues
Give a clue in the form of a 3-word sentence or phrase. One of the words in your clue must be your Start Word. See "The Fine Print" at the end of the rules for what you can and can't say in your clue.
Once the clue is stated, the other players are each allowed a 1-word guess. Each player only gets one guess per clue - further guesses don't count! You don't have to wait for everyone to answer before continuing.
If none of the guesses are the Destination Word, then give a new 3-word clue, only this time use one of the guesses instead of the Start Word as one of the 3 words. You'll have to listen for the correct answer and also for words that may help you get players closer to guessing the Destination Word!
When one or more players guess the Destination Word, each of these players takes a discarded or face down Station Card and places it in a score pile in front of them. You place the Station Card with the Destination Word on it in front of you where it can be referenced if needed.
Draw another Station Card. The number still shown on the Die indicates the new Destination Word. Continue your turn by giving another 3-word clue using the previous Destination Word in the new clue.
Game Turn - Step 3: Keep going 'til time runs out!
Try to get the players to guess as many Destination Words as possible until the timer runs out and the Brakeman signifies the end of the turn.
At the end of the turn, discard any Station Card in your hand (since the Destination Word was not guessed) and place any Station Cards in front of you into your score pile.
Take the Timer and become the Brakeman. Pass the Die and Conductor Card to the left, that player becomes the new Conductor and starts the next turn!
Game End
After two rounds of play, the game is over. Count the Station Cards in your score pile - the player with the most is the winner!
If two or more players end up with the same score, they share victory. If sharing victory doesn't quench your thirst for competition, have a rematch!
The Fine Print: What is and isn't allowed in Train of Thought
Spirit of the Game
Stating the required word and an unrelated 2-word clue is against the spirit of the game. Otherwise, the way you structure a clue is up to you - it does not have to make grammatical sense. However, there are rules as to what you can and cannot say when phrasing a clue:
You cannot use the Destination Word, or any part of it, in your clue. Exception: if a guess is a form of the Destination Word, but not the exact word, you may repeat that guess in your next clue... so if the Destination Word is "disturbance" and someone guesses "disturbing" you can use "noun for disturbing" as your next clue.
Train of Thought is a WORD game - no gestures or props are allowed!
Close Enough
Homonyms (words that are spelled the same but sound different) and Homophones (words that are spelled differently but sound the same) are acceptable to meet the criteria for a Destination Word. If the Destination Word is "break" and the Conductor gives the clue "stop a car," a guess of "brake" would count. Also, plurals are allowed, both standard and non standard. In this game, "pig" is the same as "pigs," and "goose" is the same as "geese." You can change the tense of a guess in order to give a new clue, but the guess has to match the tense of the Destination word to count as correct.
It's a tie
In Train of Thought, ties are defined like this: If one player starts saying the correct word before another player finishes saying it, both guesses count.
You can't do that!
When you give an illegal clue (a clue that does not include the required word, a clue that uses more than 3 words, or a clue that uses the Destination Word), you must immediately discard the Station Card you were working on and draw a new Station Card while the Timer continues to run. Use the previous Destination Word (on the top Station card in front of you) as the Start word for your next clue. Note: this can really derail a Passenger's train of thought!
It's up to your group to determine how strictly to play this rule. You might let an inadvertent "to" or "the" slide. If a misplay is not noticed until later in a turn (after a Destination Word has been guessed), the Conductor must discard 1 card from his Score Pile. Players who guessed correctly are not penalized. A Conductor can only be penalized for misplays during his turn, once the role of Conductor has been passed on to the next player, no penalties can be assessed!
If there is ever any question whether a penalty applies, wait until the end of the turn and vote... majority wins!
Gameplay Example
The Start word is "cinema" and the Destination word is "giraffe" (pictured in the manual).
- First 3-word clue, using the start word "Cinema": "Animal in Cinema".
- First clue guesses: Lion! Anaconda! Horse! Unicorn!
- Second 3-word clue, using the "Horse" guess: "Long Neck Horse".
- Correctly guessed destination word "giraffe"!