Um, Actually…
Um, Actually… Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- 1 card holder
- 8 whiteboards & score indicators
- 8 dry erase markers
- 270 Statement Cards
- 50 Shiny Cards
- 25 Real Life Skills Cards
Setting Up
-
Give each player a whiteboard, a score indicator, and a dry erase marker. Slide the score indicator onto the top of each whiteboard and set it to 0.
-
Statement Cards come in a variety of categories. Have the players take turns drawing a Statement Card from the category of their choice and adding it (without peeking!) to a pile until you have nine cards.
-
Shiny Cards and Real Life Skills Cards are special cards that appear every four rounds. Shiny cards have gold borders, and Real Life Skills cards have red borders. Add a Shiny Card after the third and sixth Statement Cards, then put a Real Life Skills Card on the bottom of the deck.
-
Place this deck of cards into the card holder so that the Real Life Skills Card is at the back, then pass the card holder to the player who will be the first host.
How to Play
This game features statements about the topics you know and love... but each statement has a mistake hidden in it!
Earn points by being the first to shout "Um, actually..." and point out the error. Have the most points by the end to win!
The host is in charge of reading the card and judging who gets the point for the round. If you're the host, begin by drawing the front card from the card holder, then follow the steps below.
Statement Cards
The first three cards in every game are Statement Cards.
A Statement Card is labeled with a topic, a category, the statement & highlight, an error, and a correction.
1. Read the statement out loud
Announce the category (e.g. Games) and the topic (e.g. Stardew Valley.) Then read the entire statement out loud, including the highlighted part.
Don't read out anything in green. The green text indicates the error and correction players have to guess!
If everyone is stumped, give them a hint by re-reading the yellow highlighted part. This will narrow down the statement to help the contestants.
2. Contestants guess the error
As soon as a contestant knows what's wrong with the statement, they should say "Um, actually..." then explain the error in the statement. If they know the correction, they should state that too.
Contestants can interrupt the host as soon as they have a guess to make.
3. Decide who scores a point
If a contestant correctly identifies both the error and the correction, award them a point!
If they identify the error, but not the correction, give the other contestants a chance to steal the point by providing the correction. If nobody can steal, the original contestant gets the point.
Um, actually, Endor isn't a planet.
Yep! Can you be more specific?
Hmm... It's a ship?
Nope! But I'll give you the point unless someone else can tell me exactly what it is.
As the host, you decide whether an answer is close enough to earn the point.
Once a contestant makes a guess, they may not try again until at least one other player has guessed. However, if no other player wants to try, the host can give the original contestant another chance.
Shiny & Real Life Skills
The fourth and eighth cards in every game are Shiny Cards, and the last card is a Real Life Skills Card.
Shiny questions are like shiny Pokémon: worth the same amount of points, just a little different and a little more rare.
Most of these use the whiteboard, and the contestants answer at the same time, rather than taking turns making guesses.
However, some Real Life Skills cards are in the same format as Statement Cards. Treat these like normal Statement Cards. Otherwise, follow the steps below.
A Shiny/Real Life Skills Card is labeled with a topic, a question type, the question, SHH text, and answers.
1. Read the question out loud
Announce the topic (e.g. Acronyms... of Eeeevil!) and the question type (e.g. Acronym Bee). Then read out all of the black text.
Don't read out any of the SHH text or the answers just yet.
2. Contestants write the answers
The contestants use their whiteboards to write or draw whatever the card calls for. When they are done, ask them to reveal their answers one at a time.
3. Decide who scores a point
Whiteboard questions have multiple elements the contestants are supposed to provide.
For example, contestants might be asked to name four movies, draw a character with several important features, or match two lists together.
As contestants reveal their answers, tell them which are correct, and keep a tally of how many correct elements they had.
The contestant with the highest tally scores a point. If multiple contestants are tied for highest, give points to all of them!
4. Share the SHH text
The gray text marked SHH is there to provide context or explanation, but is not required for a correct answer.
Feel free to share this text with the contestants as they reveal their answers!
Did you find a mistake on a card? If you have a correction to suggest, let us know at oops.umactuallygame.com. You'll also be able to see corrections already submitted by other players.
Types of Shiny and Real Life Skills Cards
Shiny and Real Life Skills cards often ask contestants to provide multiple answers, but they are always worth one point. However, more than one contestant can earn a point if they're tied for the most correct answers. Here are the different types you may encounter:
Name 'Em, Acronym Bee, Once More Without Feeling, Two of a Kind, What's My Line?
For all of these, you'll read several descriptions (or acronyms, lyrics, etc.) and ask the contestants to name something related to them. Whoever has the most correct items earns a point.
Categorical
You'll provide a category, and the contestants need to name as many items from that category as they can. Whoever has the biggest list of correct items earns a point. Incorrect items don't count against a contestant's tally.
Match 'Em All
You'll provide two lists and the contestants need to match them up. Whoever has the most correct matches earns a point.
Sp'elling B'i
You'll ask the contestants to spell a word, name, or phrase and whoever spells it most correctly earns the point. Yes, we know it's vague! You'll just have to make a call on who is most correct.
Fictionary, Sketch Artist
These types require the contestants to draw something. In each case, you'll have a reference image or a secret list of elements you're looking for, and the drawing that is most correct earns the point. The quality of the drawing doesn't matter, as long as the important features are visible.
Minefield
You'll read out a description and a list of items. Some of the items fit the description, but there are also some—the landmines—that don't. The contestant who lists the most correct items without including any landmines gets the point.
Checks Mix
You'll read out a description and a list of items. Contestants must mark each item with a check mark if it fits the description, or an X if it doesn't. Whoever has the most correct marks gets the point.
Just Say Venn
You'll provide two categories and a list of items. The contestants must indicate whether each item belongs to the first category, the second category, or both! Whoever has the most correctly placed items gets the point.
Real Life Myths
These work exactly the same as regular Statement Cards... so tell the contestants to put down their whiteboards and get ready to shout "Um, Actually!" when they hear the error!
Choosing the Next Host
Once you've awarded points for the round, slide the card behind all the others in the card holder. Then it's time to choose a new host!
The next host will usually be the player who scored the point on the card you just played.
If more than one player scored a point, the next host is whichever of those players is closest to your left, going around the table.
If nobody scored a point, the next host is the player directly to your left.
Pass the card holder to the new host, and get ready to play the next card!
Winning the Game
Once all twelve cards have been played, the player with the highest score wins! Ties are allowed.
Tidying Up
While the winner basks in the admiration and praise from the other players, take a moment to put away all of the cards you used this game.
Return each card to the back of the appropriate category slot in the game box. Be sure to flip each card as you do this, to make sure that you use the question on the back of the card the next time it comes up!
Feeling inspired? Create your own custom cards using the Um, Actually Card Builder! (cards.umactuallygame.com)