How long scattergories

Insert one answer sheet into the slot in your or your team's folder. Each column has spaces for 12 answers. Older editions of the game came with pencils, but newer ones do not. You should make sure that everybody who wants to play has something to write with.

Set out a die-rolling surface. The sided die that comes with the Scattergories game is large and heavy. It might damage surfaces made from glass or soft wood. If you are worried about damaging your playing surface, put out a piece of cardboard to roll the die on. Part 2. Give each player or team one copy of the same category card. This is the category card that everybody will use during the first round of the game.

Each category card shows 12 different categories. Roll the die to select a letter. Scattergories comes with a sided die that shows every letter of the alphabet except for Q, U, V, X, Y, and Z, as it can be challenging to think of a wide enough variety of words that start with these letters. To select the letter that you will use in the first round, roll the die and announce the letter that comes up to the other players.

Start the timer. Scattergories includes an hourglass that takes around three minutes to run out. Once the letter has been announced, make sure all the players are ready.

Then turn over the hourglass to start the first round. Instead of using the hourglass, set the timer on your phone or watch to the desired amount of time.

Older editions of Scattergories may come with a mechanical timer instead of an hourglass. To operate the mechanical timer, you will need to insert two new AAA batteries into the battery compartment. One difference in using the mechanical timer instead of the hourglass is that the mechanical timer can be set for periods of less than three minutes, while the hourglass cannot.

Write down one word for each of the 12 categories in that round. You'll have three minutes to write one answer in the first column of the answer sheet for each of the 12 categories shown on the category cars.

All answers must start with the letter rolled on the die at the start of the round. A person's name counts if either their first name or their last name starts with the selected letter. If you are playing as part of a team, be sure to write down any answers you want to suggest instead of saying them out loud.

You don't want your opponents to steal your answers! To keep your opponents from seeing the answers you write down, hold up the upper flap of your folder so they won't be able to see your answer sheet. Give yourself or your team one point for every unique answer. Each player or team gets one point for every answer they have that no one else has. Player 2 writes "Peter" as their answer. You and Player 2 both get one point, as you both had unique answers.

Since Player 3 and Player 4 both had the same answer, neither of them get any points for that category. If an answer consists of more than one word, you get one point for each word that starts with the selected letter. Challenge other players' answers if you think they don't fit the category. Since everybody is trying to make sure that their answers are unique, they might come up with creative answers that don't quite fit within a specific category.

When this happens, you can challenge another player's answer and put it to a vote. If the majority of players believe that an answer doesn't fit the category, then the player who wrote it doesn't get points for that answer. If the votes are tied, then the challenged player's vote doesn't count. Then turn the timer rightside-up again. Press the top of the timer to start it ticking.

To reset the timer at any time press it to stop, then press it again to start. Now the round begins! All players quickly fill in the first column of their answer sheets. Answers must fit the category, and must begin with the key letter. See Rules for Acceptable Answers. These rules also appear inside each folder. Figure 2 shows an example of a filled- in answer sheet. Players are using List 1 and the letter P was rolled. Scoring the round: Players, in turn, read their answers aloud.

Players mark their own answer sheets by circling acceptable answers that do not match any other player's answers. Continue reading answers until all 12 categories have been marked. Then score 1 point for each of your circled answers. Record your score at the top of the column on your answer sheet, as shown in Figure 3. Roll a new letter, start the timer, and continue playing, using the same category list you did in the previous round.

Players attempt to create an answer that begins with the letter on the die for each of the categories on their list. Answers must begin with the letter on the Scattergories die. Instead, the word following the article will be the letter that counts. Players cannot use the same answer twice in the same round, even if it would otherwise be acceptable.

You can be flexible with you answers. Players score one point for each answer not crossed out. Creative answers are allowed, but any player has the option of challenging an answer. If an answer is challenged, all players, including the player whose answer is being challenged, vote on the acceptability. Majority rules. In the event of a tie, the vote of the challenged player does not count. The player with the highest score wins the game.

In the event of a tie, the tied players play a tie-breaker round.