1. Place the playing pieces at START
on the game board.
2. Place the red and blue chips along the edge of the game board.
3. Open the 20 Questions® card deck and place a stack of cards in the center
of the game board.
To correctly identify well-known
people, places and things through a series of clues. The first player to reach
FINISH wins the game.
People: Entries in this category may be living or dead, male or female, real
or fictional. Animals with personalities such as Rin-Tin-Tin, and cartoon characters
like Bugs Bunny, are in the People Category. This category includes groups of
people, such as The Beatles and The St. Louis Cardinals. Occupations, such as
fireman and plumber, also appear in People.
Places: Geographic locations such as seas, countries, rivers, and cities are
in the Places category. Man-made and natural places are included in this category.
Things: Objects that are not alive, items that do not belong in the other
categories, and concepts (e.g., gravity and The Equator) are Things. This
category also includes animals, holidays and literature.
1. The youngest player goes first,
by selecting a card and saying, "I am a ______ (Person, Place or Thing)"
as shown at the top of the card. This player becomes that Person, Place or Thing
for this round, and is known as the Reader. Readers should not show their cards
to any other player.
2. Each card has clues numbered 1 through 20-there is one Person, Place or Thing
on each card.
3. The player on the Reader's left announces a number between 1 and 20, then
covers that number on the board with a red chip.
4. The Reader reads the clue with the same number that the player on the Reader's
left chose.
5. After listening to the clue, the player has 10 seconds to guess the Reader's
identity. Players may only guess on their own turn and must choose a clue before
guessing. If the player guesses correctly, the player and the Reader determine
their score (see Scoring, below), and move their playing pieces. The player
on the Reader's right becomes the new Reader. If the player guesses incorrectly,
play continues in a clockwise direction-the next player on the left chooses
a number, covers it on the board with a red chip, listens to a clue, and guesses.
Continue until a player correctly guesses the Reader's identity. There is no
penalty for incorrect guesses.
6. At any time, players may request that the Reader read all the clues already
chosen.
Each 20 Questions® card has a
value of 20 points. All 20 points are
divided between the Reader and the player who correctly guesses the Reader's
identity. The Reader receives 1 point (moves ahead one space) for every number
that is covered with a red chip. The Guesser receives 1 point
for each unused red chip.
EXAMPLE: If the Guesser correctly guesses the Reader's identity on the 3rd clue,
the Guesser moves ahead 17 spaces, and the Reader moves ahead 3 spaces.
EXAMPLE: If the Guesser correctly guesses the Reader's identity after 16 clues,
the Guesser moves ahead 4 spaces. The Reader moves ahead 16 spaces.
1. When the Reader reads "Take
a One Free Guess Chip," the player guesses immediately, then takes a blue
chip. Players with Free Guess chips play them before the start of another player's
turn, then guess before the Reader reads another clue. Free Guessers who guess
correctly move in the same way that other correct guessers move. Players who
use a Free Guess chip before their own turn still play their upcoming turn.
More than one Free Guess chip may be played on a turn. After playing a Free
Guess chip, players return it to the board.
2. "Lose your turn" means that play passes immediately to the next
player-the current player may not guess.
3. Players move their pieces after hearing "Go ahead" and "Go
back" clues, then guess. No player may be moved back from Start.
Any time that players end in a move
on a Bonus Space they play a Bonus Round. To play a Bonus Round, the Reader
chooses a card from the deck, and identifies it as a Person, Place or Thing.
The Bonus Player announces 5 numbers, one at a time, which the Reader reads
as they are chosen. The Bonus Player may guess after hearing any of the 5 clues,
but may only guess once during the Bonus Round.
If the Bonus Player correctly guesses the Reader's identity after just one clue,
the Bonus Player moves ahead 10 spaces. If the Bonus Player needs more clues,
scoring is as follows:
2 clues . . . . . . 8 spaces 4 clues . . . . . .4 spaces
3 clues . . . . . . 6 spaces 5 clues . . . . . .2 spaces
When players land on a Bonus Space during the middle of a turn, the Reader continues
with the card in play until a player guesses correctly, then starts the Bonus
Round. The Bonus Round ends if the Bonus Player chooses the "Lose your
turn" clue. The Bonus Player moves on "Go ahead" and "Go
back" clues, then the Bonus Round continues. The Readers do not move during
Bonus Rounds.
The first player to reach Finish wins the game. Players need not land exactly on Finish to win.
Copyright ©1997 University Games