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Curses
So many
people have asked about this game that I decided
it deserved its own page.
Curses
is a funny party game I designed. It won a Mensa
award even though it's not brainy. A few of my
best laughs ever have come from this game.
You can
often find it at one of these sites:
Fair Play Games
The Game
Preserve
Amazon.com
Retailers
If you are a retailer
looking to carry it in your store, you can
contact
WorldWise Imports.
Rules
People also sometimes ask
for the rules. Here they are:
Overview:
Curses! is a card game of wacky rules
that people give each other. Anyone who makes
enough slip-ups is out of the game and the last
one remaining is the winner.
Number of
Players:
3 to 6
Game Components:
60 Curse Cards.
60 Challenge Cards.
1 bell.
1 rules sheet (which you are reading.)
Object of the
Game:
The goal is to be the last one remaining when
all your opponents have each broken three of
their curses.
Setting Up:
Shuffle the two card stacks separately, the
Curse Cards in one pile, the Challenge Cards in
another. Put them where everyone can reach them.
The player with the closest upcoming birthday
goes first. The order of turns goes clockwise
around the circle.
Taking Turns:
1. At the beginning of your turn:
Draw a card from the Challenge pile.
Read it aloud.
Follow the directions on the card.
Put it in a Discard pile.
2. At the end of
your turn:
Draw a card from the Curse pile.
You get to pick another player that will receive
this Curse.
Put it face-up in front of that player.
They read it aloud.
Your turn is over.
A typical Curse might read "You are a chicken.
Each time you speak, say 'bock bock!' like a
chicken clucking." They are now stuck with that
Curse for the whole game unless someone catches
them breaking it.
Breaking Curses:
Any time a player fails to do what a Curse says,
he has broken that Curse. Whenever a player
breaks a Curse (by forgetting to say "bock bock"
for example) any of the other players can catch
him by ringing the bell and saying
"Curse-Breaker" or some such. When this happens
and everyone else generally agrees the Curse was
broken, the player turns the broken Curse Card
face down in front of him. When a player gets
three of these face-down Curses he is out of the
game.
Leaving the Game:
When a player is out of the game, his remaining
Curses stay behind. It's up to him to distribute
them amongst the other players as he leaves.
There is no limit to the number of Curses a
player can have.
People who are
knocked out of the game still count as players
in terms of standing up, touching people, and so
forth (this will make more sense after you've
played.)
Frequently Asked
Questions:
What if it's impossible to do two Curses at
once?
You are out of luck. For example, if you get
stuck with "Keep your wrists touching your chest
at all times." and "You can't bend your elbows."
you will just have to break one of them. If you
can successfully pull off an Irish and French
accent at the same time, though, go for it.
What if someone
fails a Challenge Card?
As long as they tried, they get credit. If they
can't think of a nursery rhyme for example, they
can make one up.
At what point do
I have to start doing what a Curse says?
If someone insists on getting technical, the
Curse goes into effect at the end of the current
player's turn. But anyone who gets technical
with this kind of game is taking it a little too
seriously.
Can there be
"time-outs?"
Purists don't allow any exceptions during the
game to answer the phone, get a drink, and so
forth. Players should agree beforehand whether
they will allow time-outs or whether they will
have to answer the phone with "Hewwo, Fudd
wesidence, bock bock!" If you didn't agree on
anything ahead of time, then time-outs are ok.
Game design by
Brian Tinsman with many thanks to Michael Stern,
Alex Tinsman, Dmitri Sears, and Draco for eating
the first draft, which was terrible.
Copyright 2002
Play All Day Games |
