Whatzit can be played by 3 to 6 players. If there are more than 6 players, form teams. Each team plays with one pawn and works together to solve the Whatzits.

Components

• 1 Gameboard
• 1 Gard Box
• 576 Gards
• 6 Pawns
• 1 Timer
• 1 White Die
• 1 Black Die
• Instructions

Object of the Game

Solve Whatzits and race to the Winner's Circle space on the gameboard. Once on the Winner's Circle, solve a Whatzit to win the game.

Setup

Choose a pawn and place it on the Starting Square of the gameboard. All players do the same. Place the timer and dice within reach of all players.

The Cards

Open the box of cards. Each card is two-sided. One side of a card shows a code, the other side shows its solution.

During the game, players will try to guess a card's solution by studying its code side. Study the code. Did you guess the solution is "More harm than good"?

The Two Decks: There are two decks of cards in the game: a large deck of Regular Whatzit cards and a smaller deck of Wicked Whatzit cards. The Wicked Whatzits are tougher to solve than Regular Whatzits.

The Card Box: The code side of all cards must face the front of the box so the solution side can- not be seen when a card is drawn. There is a divider between the Regular Whatzit deck and the Wicked Whatzit deck.

Game Play

Each player rolls the white die High roller goes first. Play continues to the left after each player's turn.

On your turn, you are the Solver. You will roll both dice, move your pawn and try to solve a Regular Whatzit or a Wicked Whatzit card.

The player on your right will be your Moderator. The Moderator draws the card you must solve, looks at the solution, times you, and judges your answers.

Other players may try to solve the card by competing with you. The black die indicates if you play alone, with one other player or with all other players.

On your turn, roll both dice and do the following:

The White Die Roll

Move your pawn ahead on the game path the number of spaces shown on the white die. Count occupied spaces as you pass them. More than one pawn can occupy the same space at the same time.

Depending on where your pawn lands, your Moderator will draw a Regular Whatzit or Wicked Whatzit card from the box.

• If you land on a white ? space, the Moderator draws a Regular Whatzit card from the box, but does not look at it.

• If you land on a yellow ? space, the Moderator draws a Wicked Whatzit card from the box, but does not look at it.

The Black Die Roll

Look at the symbol you rolled on the black die and continue playing as outlined below.

• 

  Solo

  If you roll "1" on the black die, you alone guess the solution to the card.

  What The Moderator Does:

  The Moderator secretly looks at the solution to the Moderator Does: Whatzit card and places the card code-side-up on the table. The Moderator flips the timer over and the countdown begins.

  What Do You Do:

  What You Do: Guess aloud, making as many guesses as time on the timer allows. The Moderator judges your answers and announces when time has run out.

  Result:

  • If you guess correctly, move your pawn ahead on the path the number of spaces still showing on your white die. Your turn is then over.

  • If you don't guess correctly, each player to your left, in turn, can make ONE quick guess. (The Moderator does not guess). The first player to guess correctly moves his or her pawn ahead on the path the number of spaces still showing on the white die. Your turn is then over.

  • If no player guesses correctly, all pawns remain where they are. The Moderator reads the solution out loud and your turn is then over.

  
  

  Guessed Whatzit Cards:

  Return guessed Whatzits to the box. Place each card with its proper deck, behind the last card in the deck.

• 

  All Play

  If you roll "ALL", you and all other players (except the Moderator) try to guess the solution simultaneously.

  What The Moderator Does:

  The Moderator secretly looks at the solution to the Whatzit card and places the card code-side-up on the table. The Moderator flips the timer over and the countdown begins.

  What Do You And All Other Players Do:

  All players simultaneously guess aloud, making as many guesses as time on the timer allows. The Moderator judges your answers and announces when time has fun out.

  Result:

  • The first player to guess correctly moves ahead on the game path the number of spaces still show- ing on the white die. Your turn is then over.

  • If no player guesses correctly, all pawns remain where they are. The Moderator reads the solution out loud and your turn is then over.

• 

  Challenge

  If you roll a "1:1", challenge any one of the other players to guess the Whatzit (even the player designated to be your Moderator).

  
  

  Note: If you challenge the player on your right (your designated Moderator), one of the other players performs the Moderator duties.

  What The Moderator Does:

  The Moderator secretly looks at the solution to the Whatzit card and places the card code-side-up on the table. The Moderator flips the timer over and the countdown begins.

  What Do You And The Challenged Player Do:

  You and the challenged player simultaneously guess aloud, making as many guesses as time on the timer allows. The Moderator judges your answers and announces when time has run out.

  Result

  If you are the first player to guess correctly, do ONE of two things:

  • Either move ahead on the path the number of spaces still showing on the white die.

  • OR trade places with the other player involved in the challenge by switching the positions of your pawn and your opponent's pawn on the path.

Your turn is then over.

If neither player guesses correctly, all pawns remain where they are. The Moderator reads the solution out loud and your turn is then over.

The Wicked Whatzit Bonus

ANYTIME you solve a Wicked Whatzit while your pawn is ON a yellow ? space, you can follow the arrows up the shortcut ladder to the white ? space on the next higher row on the gamepath.

You are not allowed to take the shortcut bonus if your pawn lands on or is switched to a yellow ? space AFTER you solve a Wicked Whatzit.

The Moderator as Judge

The Moderator listens to the players' guesses and judges if a player has solved the card.

• Part of a solution may be called out by one player and completed by another. It's up to the Moderator to decide who first solved the Whatzit correctly.

• If a Whatzit is correctly guessed by two or more players at EXACTLY the same time, neither player is considered the correct guesser. The Moderator draws another card to be guessed to break the tie.

• Sometimes a guess is close to the actual solution but not exactly the same. When this happens, the Moderator may decide the guess is close enough to be correct. See samples at left.

Sample A's solution is "Good looking!' Would you accept "Looking good"? Sample B's solution is "Rub the wrong way!' Would you accept "Back rub"?

The Winner 's Circle

When you reach the last space on the gameboard, (you don't have to land there by exact count) you are on the Winner's Circle and can try to win the game. Here's how:

• On your turn, when you land on the Winner's Circle by white die roll, you can immediately try to solve a Wicked Whatzit card to win the game. Your Moderator picks a Wicked Whatzit card and you follow the same procedure as explained above.

• If you land on the Winner's Circle by moving there after solving a Whatzit, you must wait until your next turn to try to solve a Wicked Whatzit and win the game.

• If you land on the Winner's Circle by switching pawns with another player, you must wait until your next turn to try to solve a Wicked Whatzit and win the game.

• On another player's turn, if you are on the Winner's Circle and solve either a Regular or Wicked Whatzit, you'll win the game. This could happen as the result of a 1:1 CHALLENGE, an ALL PLAY, or a quick guess after an opponent's SOLO PLAY.

Rolling the dice when you are on the Winners' Circle

If you are on the Winner's Circle at the start of your turn, you must still roll both dice.

Your pawn NEVER moves off the Winner's Circle (unless it is switched with a challenged player's pawn), but you use the dice to interact with other players as explained previously. Since your pawn is on a yellow ? space, your Moderator draws a Wicked Whatzit card. Solve it to win the game.

End of the Game

The first player to solve a Whatzit while on the Winner's Circle wins the game.

Continue Reading