Trophies
Trophies Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 70 trophy cards, each two-sided:
- One side shows a single large letter.
- The other side shows a stack of five topics, and at the bottom, a unique trophy illustration and caption (the "trophy" a winning player is actually collecting).
- 1 teeny-tiny metal trophy, for the overall winner to hoist at the end.
Object of the Game
Be the first player to shout a word that matches both the topic being read and the letter shown, and win the card. The player with the most trophy cards at the end wins the game.
Setup
Pick one player to be the judge for the round and give them the deck. No other setup is needed — the game is designed to be taught and started in seconds.
How to Play
The judge holds the deck facing outward, toward the other players, so everyone can see the letter on the front of the top card. The judge alone can see the back of the card, which lists five topics.
The judge reads one of the five topics on the back of the card aloud (for example, "Something Scary") while continuing to hold up the letter side for everyone to see (for example, "M").
All other players race to be the first to shout out a word that fits both the topic and the letter (for example, "Monster!"). The judge decides who shouted a valid, matching word first.
The first player to call out a correct match wins that trophy card and keeps it face down in front of them. The judge then passes the deck to the winner, who becomes the new judge for the next round, reads one of the remaining topics on a new top card, and play continues.
If a topic on a card has already been used, the judge moves on to one of the other topics still available on that card, or moves to the next card once all five topics on a card have been played.
Judging
The judge has final say on whether a shouted word is a valid match for the topic and starts with (or contains) the required letter, as they see fit. Players may become aggressive when a trophy is on the line — the judge's ruling settles any dispute.
If nobody manages a match, or the judge feels a player earnestly tried their best without winning, that player can be given a participation trophy card instead.
Winning
Keep playing rounds, passing the judge role to each new round's winner, until the group is ready to stop (the game plays in roughly 5 to 15 minutes). Count up each player's trophy cards. The player with the most trophies wins the game and gets to hoist the tiny metal trophy high above their head in triumph.
Card Notes
This section is drawn from Facade Games' official description of the components, not a separate printed rulebook — Trophies is packaged as a tin of cards with the full rules printed on the tin itself; no additional rulebook document was published.
Each of the 70 trophy cards carries its own unique illustrated trophy and a short comedic caption on the topic side, underneath the five topics — for example, a card might depict a battered "Beater Car Reigning Champion" trophy, or a "Soccer Dad of the Year" trophy. These illustrations and captions have no effect on play; they're simply what a player is "winning" when they take that card, and they're revealed once the card is won and turned over.