Are you looking for specific Family Faceoff rules? | Setup | Playing the Game | Scoring | Categories | Faceoff | Winning the Game | Variant Rules |
Setup
- The players should divide into two teams. Each team should have at least two players.
- Sort the cards by their backs. Place each deck of cards facedown on the table where everyone can reach them.
- The youngest player starts the game. Their team becomes team one. The other team becomes team two.
How to Play Family Faceoff
To begin the first round the youngest player spins the spinner. What category the spinner lands on determines what category of cards the player will use during the round.
Should a player spin Faceoff on the spinner, they will play a unique round. See the Faceoff section below for more details.
The current player draws a card from the corresponding category. There are two options on each card. You will pick one of the options that you will try to get your teammate to guess. When the current player is ready, one of the players flip over the timer.
Each category requires players to use a different method of giving clues to their teammates. They are trying to get their teammates to guess the word/phrase on the card. For details on how each category works, check the corresponding section below.
When one of the current player’s teammates correctly guess what is on the card, they should place the card on the table in front of them. The current player then draws another card from the same category. They can keep drawing cards and trying to get their teammates to guess words until the timer runs out.
The rules are not clear on whether you can pass on a card that you are unable to get your teammates to guess. The only time the rules reference skipping cards is in a house rule. How it is written though, you can imply that you are able to skip cards that your teammates aren’t able to guess.
When time runs out, the current team’s turn ends. The other team then gets a turn using cards from the same category. After both teams have had a turn, the players will score the cards they correctly guessed during the round.
Scoring
Once both teams have had a chance to play the current round, each team will tally the points they scored in the round.
Each card has a number printed in the top right corner. For each card your team guessed correctly, you will score points equal to the number in the corner of the card.
After you have totaled the points you scored, write down your score. Then place the cards you completed in a face down pile next to the draw pile of the same category.
After both players have tallied their scores, the current round ends. The next round begins with a player on the other team spinning the spinner and playing the corresponding round. For example if team one started the previous round, team two will start the next round.
Card Categories
There are three different types of card categories. The goal of each card is to get your teammates to guess what is printed on the side of the card you decided to play.
Guess It
In this category you are trying to get your teammates to correctly fill in the blanks in the lyrics of a song. The card will have some lyrics from a song on them with one or more of the words being replaced with “BLOB”. The current player is trying to get their teammates to successfully guess what words were replaced with the BLOBs. The current player can sing the lyrics to help their teammates figure out the replaced words.
To complete the card your teammates have to guess all of the words that were replaced with BLOBs. If there are two replaced words, they need to get both words in order complete the card.
For example say the card says “BLOB the Snowman”. Your teammates need to figure out the replaced word is Frosty.
Act It
Act It is played like Charades. The current player reads the word/phrase and tries to act it out for their teammates. The rules don’t specifically say that you can’t talk. The game compares the category to Charades and you can’t talk in Charades, so it probably isn’t allowed in this category either.
Find It
The current player reads off the chosen clue to their teammates. The teammates then need to search the surrounding area for something that matches the clue. If the players can touch the object, they need to touch it and say what it is. If you can’t touch the object, you need to point at it and say what it is. Once a player finds a matching item, the players can move onto a new card.
Faceoff
When a player spins Faceoff on the spinner, a special round will be played. They can choose to either compete against the chosen player in a mental or physical challenge. Unlike the other cards, you will only complete one Faceoff in the round. After the Faceoff is completed the other team starts a new round.
For mental faceoffs, all of the players compete in the challenge. The current player reads off the category from the card. They will then list something that matches the category from the card. The two teams take turns listing off new things that match the category.
Should you ever take too long to give an answer or you repeat an answer, you are eliminated from the round. The last remaining player wins the round for their team. They score three points for their team.
If the current player chooses the physical faceoff, they will choose a player from the other team to compete against. The current player then reads off the challenge and the two players try to complete the challenge. Whoever wins the challenge scores three points for their team.
Winning Family Faceoff
The first team to score 20 points wins the game.
If you want a shorter or longer game, you can change the number of points needed to win the game. For a longer game you will need to score more points.
Variant Rules
If there is a card or category that the players can’t do, you can choose not to use that card/category during the game.
Normally players will only do one of the two options on each card. You can choose to play the game where a player tries to complete both options before drawing a new card. This can be useful to save time by not having to draw a new card. When you score points at the end of the round though, you score points for each option you correctly complete.
Components
- 200 Cards (50 of each category)
- Spinner
- 60 Second Sand Timer
- Instructions
Year: 2022 | Publisher: Skyler Imagination | Designer: Kim Holderness, Penn Holderness
Genres: Family, Party
Ages: 8+ | Number of Players: 4+ | Length of Game: 15-30 minutes
Difficulty: Light | Strategy: Light | Luck: High
For more board and card game rules/how to plays, check out our complete alphabetical list of card and board game rules posts.