Object of the Game

To score the most points by collecting cards in 3 separate rounds.

A game is played using a set of randomly selected cards. Cards are selected from a pool of cards chosen by the players. Each team gets 30 seconds (or 60 - setting per game is chosen during game creation) to guess as many cards as possible, with one player giving clues to his teammates. Players can always use sound effects and pantomime, but speech becomes more restricted as the game progresses:

• In Round 1 - Cluegivers can say anything.
• In Round 2 - Cluegivers can say only one word.
• In Round 3 - Cluegivers can't say anything.

Each round ends when all names in the Deck of Fame have been guessed. All names are put back into the Deck for the next round. High score after the third round wins.

Game Play

Round 1

Almost anything goes with cluegiving but passing is not allowed. On each team's turn, one member of the team is the Cluegiver and the rest are the Guessers. (On successive turns, the Cluegiver will be a different member of the team).

The Cluegiver begins giving clues to his teammate(s). The Cluegiver can say or do almost anything: he can sing, hum, point, charade, give full descriptions of the person, etc.

The only restrictions are:

• No part or variant of the name can be used in the clue. Ex: You can't use "Willy" or "Bill" to get the Guesser to say WILLIAM.
• "Rhymes with" clues are acceptable, provided the Cluegiver doesn't actually say the rhyming word. Ex: "Sounds like the animal that oinks" would be OK for the card "Wig", but not "Sounds like pig".
• No spelling of the name is allowed, nor is any clue designed to give away specific letters of the name (the only exception is for names using initials, such as H.G. WELLS, although for such names the cluegiver is still forbidden to say the initials outright).

The Guessers try to guess the name on the Cluegiver's card. The Guessers can make as many guesses as they wish; there is no penalty for a wrong answer. Guessers must say the full text as printed on the card, although words in parentheses are optional.

For example, "Nixon" would not be sufficient for RICHARD NIXON, but "Renoir" would be enough for (PIERRE AUGUSTE) RENOIR. If the Guessers call out the correct name, the Cluegiver sets the card aside, draws a new card from the Deck, and begins giving clues for the name on that card.

The Cluegiver cannot pass and move on to a new name until the Guessers call out the correct name. If the Cluegiver doesn't recognize the name he draws, he'll have to be more resourceful with his clues.

If the Cluegiver gives an illegal clue, his turn ends immediately and the card he goofed on is returned to the Deck.

Important: If time runs out before a name is guessed, players may NOT discuss the name with each other. The cluegiver can't reveal who he was trying to convey, and players on other teams who think they figured it out can't tell their guesses to each other. A card may come up multiple times before it is guessed correctly.

Round 2

No more than 1 word can be used in each clue, 1 guess only, passing allowed. Round 2 plays just like Round 1, with the following changes: The Cluegiver may not use more than one word per card to describe each name.

The same word may be repeated as often as desired, but once a word is said only non-verbal clues may be added. If the Cluegiver accidentally uses more than one word he must skip that card and and a new one will be drawn from the Deck and continue with the new card.

Each team may make only 1 guess per card. If the guess is incorrect, the Cluegiver must skip that card. A new card is then drawn and play continues with the new card.

The Cluegiver may pass during this round. To do so, simply click "Skip".

At the end of the turn, any cards skipped due to passes, clue goofs, or incorrect guesses are shuffled back into the Deck. There is no penalty for such cards.

If a Cluegiver finishes the deck during their turn, their turn is over. They are not allowed to revisit cards that they set aside due to incorrect guesses, passes, etc.

Round 3

Only Pantomime And Sounds, 1 Guess Only, Passing Allowed.

Round 3 plays just like Round 2, with the following change: The Cluegiver may not use any words at all. Only sounds and pantomime.

End of the Game

The team with the highest score after all three rounds is the winner!

TIPS:

If you don't recognize a card you draw, break it into parts. Possible approaches include: Does someone else have the same first or last name? Ex: "He's got the same first name as the first President of the United States".

Use 'sounds like' clues; just be sure not to actually say the word the name sounds like! Ex: For ROGER MOORE, "His last name is the opposite of 'less'".

Give clues for each syllable of a word.

In rounds 2 and 3 if you draw a card that you don't know how to convey, pass quickly rather than waste time trying to figure something out. Then think about how to do it while you wait for your next turn. That way you'll be prepared if you draw it again.

Round 3 is the most fun, but it can also be the most difficult. Hard names can be made much easier if gestures are incorporated into 1st and 2nd round clues. If you hold your hands like a telescope when giving a clue for CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS in the early rounds, for example, that gesture will become a shorthand for Columbus in the final round.