TV Show
TV Show Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Goal of the Game
TV Show is a memory game where the players create together a five-episode TV series. Each episode is made up of three cards: a character, a location and an event. In turn, the players add a card to the current episode and tell its story by giving three precise details. Twice during the game, the game is interrupted for a quiz session. Each player asks a question about the details of the series. The players score points if they answer correctly. The player who scores the largest number of points wins the game.
Components
- 30 character cards
- 30 location cards
- 30 event cards
- 10 theme cards
- 30 1-point tokens
- 10 3-point tokens
- 3 detail tokens
- 1 pen token
Setup
- Form three decks, one per category: character, location and event. Place the cards face down.
- Shuffle the theme cards and draw two of them. These two cards indicate the subject of the series. Put the remaining theme cards back in the game box.
- Take the first two character cards from the character deck. Invent a name and a story for each character. Then find a title for the series and quickly summarize its plot.
Example: The themes are "super-heroes" and "fantastic": the players will create a fantastic series with... super-heroes. The characters are:
- Henry Wilson, an international pianist and a vampire.
- Héléna Wilson, a vampire huntress with the power to become invisible.
Here is the summary of the series: Héléna is a vampire huntress with superpowers. She is unaware that her husband is a vampire. The title of the series is: "Ma femme veut ma peau" ("My Wife Wants My Skin").
Playing the Game
The game is played over five episodes. Each episode is made of three cards, one from each category (character, location and event).
The youngest player starts the first episode. He takes the pen token. The player holding this token is the screenwriter. It is the screenwriter who tells the story.
The screenwriter chooses one of the three categories (character, location or event) and takes the first card of the corresponding deck. He places it on the table, face up. Then he describes it to the other players to tell the story of his choice. The most important thing is to give three precise details about this card.
Example: The screenwriter chooses to draw an event card. He tells the other players: "It is the wedding of Héléna and Henry. It was celebrated on 23 April 2017, in Miami. It was pouring cords that day."
To make sure he does not forget any details, the screenwriter may take the three detail tokens in hand. He places one in front of him each time he gives a detail.
Then the screenwriter passes the pen token to the next player in clockwise order. The new screenwriter draws a card from one of the two remaining categories (character or location in our example). He places it next to the first card of the episode, face up. He describes it to the other players, giving three details in his turn.
Example: The screenwriter chooses to draw a character card: "It is Henry's aunt. Her name is Annie Johnson. She is also a vampire. During the meal, Héléna catches Annie drinking the blood of a waiter, and kills her with a bread knife."
The screenwriter passes the pen token to the next player in clockwise order. The new screenwriter must draw a card from the last category still available (location in our example). He places it next to the other two cards of the episode, face up. He describes it to the other players, also giving three details.
Example: The screenwriter must draw a location: "The wedding takes place in Saint Benoît church, which dates from the 14th century. In the crypt there is a black and red coffin."
The episode now has three cards, one of each category (character, location and event): it is finished. Set aside the three cards that make up the episode, face up. The screenwriter passes the pen token to the next player in clockwise order. The new screenwriter begins the second episode. The game continues in this way until the end of the third episode.
The Quiz After Episode 3
After the third episode, the series is interrupted by a quiz: the players ask each other questions about all the details of the series.
First quiz (after episode 3)
The third episode is over. The screenwriter starts the quiz. In turn, clockwise, the players ask a question about what has happened since the start of the series to their left-hand neighbour.
- If the neighbour gives the correct answer, he scores points. The player who asked the question scores the same number of points.
- If the neighbour does not know the answer or gives a wrong one, the player to his left must answer the same question, and so on.
- The number of points scored corresponds to the number of players questioned. One point if the answering player is the first one questioned, two points if he is the second, etc.
- If nobody answers the question, nobody scores a point.
As soon as the correct answer has been given, or if all the players have answered incorrectly, the game moves on to the next question.
Example: Gwen has finished the third episode. So it is her turn to start the quiz. She asks a question to Ben. Ben gets it wrong. It is Piero's turn to answer. He gives the correct answer and scores two points. Gwen also scores two points. It is then Ben's turn to ask a question to Piero, and so on... When all the players have asked a question, the quiz is over and the game resumes.
Once every player has asked a question, the screenwriter passes the pen token to the next player in clockwise order. The new screenwriter begins the fourth episode. The game continues until the end of the fifth episode.
Examples of questions you can ask about the episode above:
- "What weapon was Annie killed with?"
- "On what day was the wedding celebrated?"
- "What is the colour of the coffin?"
- "From what period does the church date?"
End of Season (after episode 5)
At the end of the fifth episode, the screenwriter begins the second quiz. This time, each player takes his turn in counter-clockwise order, and asks a question about what has happened since the start of the series to the player on his right. The other rules of the quiz do not change. When all the players have asked their question, the game is over.
Rules for 3 Players
In a 3-player game, each player asks two questions instead of one.
End of the Game
The player who scores the most points wins the game. He is named the best screenwriter! In case of a tie, the victory is shared.
Tips for Your First Games
- Do not hesitate to keep it simple: it is not a problem if the series does not really tell a story.
- TV Show is above all a memory game: the most important thing is to give precise details and to remember them.
- The pictures are only a pretext. Do not hesitate to take liberties and add details.
- If you are not inspired by a card, just tell the three details you see on the card.
- To help you, adopt the following habits:
- always name a character or a location that you add;
- always give a date, a time and a location to an event;
- do not hesitate to add objects and describe them (colour, weight, shape, etc.);
- simply tell what you see on the card.
- In case of disagreement over an answer during the quizzes, go with the majority opinion of the players.