Trash Talk
Trash Talk Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
How To Play
Trash Talk is a cooperative word association game where raccoons and possums attempt to communicate with one another by pairing eclectic Trash Objects with Word Cards. Work together and progress through increasingly difficult rounds to win the game.
Components
- 100 Double Sided Word Cards
- 2 Sets of 10 Trash Objects
- 1 Raccoon Privacy Screen
- 1 Possum Privacy Screen (for 2 Players and Teams)
Players: 2-8. Ages: 10+. Play time: 25 minutes.
Setup
- The player who most recently took out the trash is the Raccoon (or choose randomly). Give the Raccoon the Raccoon Privacy Screen. All the other players are collectively Possums.
- The Raccoon chooses 3 starting Trash Objects, and gives the matching Trash Objects to the Possums.
- Place 3 random Word Cards in the center of the table where everyone can easily see them.
Gameplay
Each Round
- Behind the Privacy Screen, the Raccoon secretly places their Trash Objects in order so each corresponds with the Word Card they think it pairs with the best.
- Once the Raccoon has finished arranging their Trash Objects, the Possums collectively pair their Trash Objects and Word Cards, attempting to match the Raccoon's secret choices. The Possums should openly discuss and debate their decisions, while the Raccoon must remain silent and not give anything away with facial expressions, gestures, or any other clues.
- When the Possums have finished arranging their Trash Objects, the Raccoon reveals their choices by removing the Privacy Screen and moving each of their Trash Objects next to its corresponding Word Card.
- The Raccoon and the Possums then briefly explain why they made their decisions.
If the Possums correctly guessed every pairing, awesome! Proceed to the Next Round.
If the Possums did not correctly guess every pairing, do the following:
- A. Place the correctly paired Trash Objects on their corresponding Word Cards.
- B. Return all incorrectly paired Trash Objects to their respective players.
- C. Replace the Word Cards that were not correctly matched with new Word Cards.
- D. Play another round with these new Word Cards! However, if the Possums are not able to guess the Raccoon's pairings this time, you've lost! Choose a new Raccoon and start over with 3 new Word Cards and Trash Objects.
Next Round
Use the same Trash Objects from the previous round plus one additional Trash Object of the Raccoon's choice.
Place new Word Cards equal to the number of Trash Objects in that round, and continue playing.
Winning the Game
If the Possums can correctly match all ten Trash Objects with the Raccoon's pairings, everyone wins!
Variants
2 Players
With two players, play the same as normal, but both players get a Privacy Screen and simultaneously pair their Trash Objects with Word Cards.
Teams
Split players into two teams, Possums and Raccoons. Each team gets their respective Privacy Screen. Play the same as normal, but both players simultaneously pair their Trash Objects with Word Cards. Teams may gesture and speak in "code," but be careful not to give away anything to the other team. When both teams are ready, remove your Privacy Screens to reveal your Trash Objects, and proceed as normal.
Alternate Rules
No Discussion
After revealing, don't discuss why you decided on each Trash Object and Word Card pairing.
BYOT (Bring Your Own Trash)
Want to get weirder? Use your own Trash Objects! Raid your junk drawer or garage, but remember, you need 2 of each object to play.
Trash Included (x2)
The rulebook illustrates the second set of Trash Objects included with the game: a diamond, a wooden rattle, a four-leaf clover plant, a beach umbrella, a coin, a rainbow spring, a marble, a bow, and a toy car.
Fun Fact
Possums (of the superfamily phalangeridae) are native to Oceania. Opossums (of the family Didelphidae) are native to the Americas, but are colloquially known as 'possums' in the USA.
We understand that we're scientifically inaccurate... we don't care!