Are you looking for specific rules for Survivor The Tribe Has Spoken? | Setup | Playing the Game | Crafting Your Strategy | Card Meanings | Tribal Council | Final Tribal Council |
Setup
- Each player chooses a color. You will take the two Survivor Character Cards that match the color you chose. Place your two Survivor Character Cards face up in front of you. Set aside any remaining cards not taken by a player.
- Find the nine Tribal Council and six Vote cards. Give each player a Vote Card. Set any remaining Vote Cards aside.
- Shuffle the rest of the Action Cards. Deal three face down to each player. Players can look at their own cards, but they should keep them secret from the other players.
- The number of Tribal Council Cards you will use depends on the number of players. Set aside any unused Tribal Council Cards.
| Players | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Single Elimination Tribal Council Cards | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Double Elimination Tribal Council Cards | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
- Split the Action Card deck into a number of smaller piles equal to the number of Tribal Council Cards you are using. The piles should be approximately the same size, but they don’t have to be exact.
- Shuffle the Tribal Council Cards you are using in the game. Place one of the Tribal Council Cards on the table. Then place one of the small piles made in the previous step. Keep alternating between placing a Tribal Council Card and then one of the piles. You will keep doing this until all of the cards are in the pile.
- Take the game box and open it so the Voting Box is visible. Place the box so the voting slots are facing up. Place the box near the deck of cards you assembled in the previous step.
- Choose a player to start the game.
How to Play Survivor The Tribe Has Spoken
Each of your turns in Survivor The Tribe Has Spoken consists of three phases.
First you will begin by choosing another player. You will randomly steal one of their cards without looking at them. This is mandatory.
Next you have the option to play one card from your hand. This is optional as you can choose not to play a card if you don’t want to. When you play a card, you will add it to the Discard Pile. You will then follow the instructions from the card. For details on what each card does, see the corresponding section in the Survivor The Tribe Has Spoken Card Meanings post.
Finally you will end your turn by drawing the top card from the Draw Pile. You will add the card to your hand.
Play then passes to the player on your left/clockwise.
Crafting Your Strategy
Just like the television show Survivor, this game is about making alliances and outwitting the other players. Because of this, there are few rules about what you can’t do with regards to your strategy. You can make promises to other players, break promises with other players, talk secretly with other players, and many other things. There are three rules you must follow though:
- You can’t give a card to another player unless a card makes you.
- You can never show another player one of your cards, unless a card makes you.
- The number of cards you have in your hand must be visible at all times.
Tribal Council Cards
When a player draws a Tribal Council Card, they will immediately place the card face up in front of themselves. This player is the Tribal Council Leader, which could potentially give the player an advantage in the vote.
There are two types of Tribal Council Cards. Single Elimination Tribal Council Cards force the players to vote out one player. Double Elimination Tribal Council Cards force the players to vote out two different players.
During Tribal Council you will follow a specific process.
Pre-Vote Strategy
First all of the players look through their cards to see if they have a Tribal Advantage Card that they want to use. If you have a Tribal Advantage Card that you want to play, you can play it at this time. You can choose to play multiple cards. You can play a Tribal Advantage Card at any time before the players vote.
The players will now discuss the upcoming vote. You can ask other players questions, form alliances, and even talk with other players in private. You can either tell the other players the truth, or you can lie to them.
Voting
After everyone is done discussing the upcoming vote, the players will vote. The Tribal Council Leader chooses when to start the voting. All of the players close their eyes. Players should tap on the table in rhythm. This is to prevent players from hearing how many votes are cast.
Starting with the Tribal Council Leader, each player will place their Vote Card in the box corresponding to the player they are voting for. The player that is voting opens their eyes, while the rest of the players keep their eyes closed.
If you have Extra Vote Cards, you can choose to play them, or hold them for a future Tribal Council. You can use Extra Vote Cards against the same player as your normal vote, or you can use them on other players.
After you finish voting, you will pass the Voting Box to the player on your left. Tap them on the shoulder to tell them it is their turn to vote. Then close your eyes.
The Tribe Has Spoken
Once all of the players have voted, the players open up their eyes. If anyone has an Immunity Idol Card, they have the option of playing it. They can choose to keep it for a future Tribal Council if they don’t want to use it right away. If you choose to play the card, any votes cast against you are not counted.
Count up the number of votes that each player received. You will not count any votes for a player that used an Immunity Idol Card. How you handle the vote depends on whether the Tribal Council Card is Single Elimination or Double Elimination.
- If it is a single elimination, the player that received the most votes is voted out.
- In double eliminations, the two players that received the most votes are voted out.
When a player(s) is voted out, they will turn over one of their Survivor Character Cards to the “Voted Out” side.
If a player turns over their second Survivor Character Card, they are eliminated from the game. They are out of the game until the final vote. Eliminated players should put all of their cards face up in the Discard Pile.
After the voting is completed, each player still in the game takes one Vote Card. Discard any extra Vote Cards. Discard all other cards used during Tribal Council (including the Tribal Council Card) face up on the Discard Pile.
The game then continues with the player to the left of the Tribal Council Leader.
Ties
It is possible that there will be a tie during a vote. The Tribal Council Leader gets to break any ties.
If it is a Single Elimination Tribal Council, the leader picks one of the tied players to vote out. The player they chose loses one of their Character Cards.
In Double Elimination Tribal Councils, there are a few different ways that there can be a tie.
Three or more players are tied for the most votes: The Tribal Council Leader chooses two of the tied players to vote out.
Two players tied for the most votes: Both players are voted out.
One player has the most votes, two or more players are tied for the second most votes: The player with the most votes is voted out first. The Tribal Council Leader then chooses one of the tied players to vote out.
There are only three players left and two players would be eliminated at the same time: The Tribal Council Leader chooses one of the two players to eliminate. The other two players move onto the Final Tribal Council.
There may be situations where it is unclear who is voted out. In these situations the Tribal Council Leader should follow these steps:
- Choose one of the players that received the most votes. If everyone received the same number of votes or no votes, pick one of the players that received a vote (that didn’t play an Immunity Idol).
- If there is no one to vote out using the above criteria, choose one of the players that didn’t receive any votes but didn’t play an Immunity Idol.
- Finally if you can’t find a player to vote out using the above criteria, pick one of the players who played an Immunity Idol.
Final Tribal Council
When there are only two players left, the Final Tribal Council starts. It does not matter how many Survivor Characters Cards each remaining player has left. For example one player has two Character Cards left while the other player has one left. The Final Tribal Council will still start because there are only two players left.
The Jury is made up of the players that were voted out of the game. The two remaining players must persuade the Jury to vote for them to win the game. You can use whatever arguments you want to try and convince the other players to vote for you. The last player to be eliminated from the game is a Jury member and is also the Final Tribal Council Leader.
The Tribal Council Leader should ask the final two players the following three questions.
- What was your strategy coming into the game?
- What was your best move in the game?
- How did you outplay your opponent?
The two remaining players can take as much time as they want to answer these questions. You cannot play any cards from your hand at this time. You can reveal your hand to the other players though to show that you kept a card such as an Immunity Idol Card in order to try and persuade the other players to vote for you.
The remaining players can respond to the other player’s statements. Each Jury member can ask as many questions as they want. They can also try to persuade the other Jury members to vote for a specific player.
When a Jury member is ready to vote, they will raise their finger. Once all of the Jury members have raised their finger, the final Tribal Council ends. The Final Tribal Council Leader starts a countdown “The winner of Survivor is …3…2…1”. All of the players of the Jury then point at the player they think should win.
The player that receives the most votes, wins the game. If there is a tie, the Final Tribal Council Leader chooses who wins. They don’t have to pick the player they originally voted for.
Components
- 53 Action Cards
- 3 Camp Raid
- 7 Extra Vote
- 1 Idol Nullifier (hidden in the box)
- 4 Immunity Idol
- 6 Inheritance
- 3 Knowledge Is Power
- 4 Let’s Form An Alliance
- 3 Reward Challenge Do Or Die
- 3 Reward Challenge Power Pair
- 3 Reward Challenge It’s A Numbers Game
- 7 Sorry For You
- 3 Spy Shack
- 2 Tribal Advantage Control the Vote
- 3 Tribal Advantage Goodwill Gamble
- 1 Tribal Advantage I’m The Leader Now
- 9 Tribal Council Cards
- 4 Single Elimination
- 5 Double Elimination
- 6 Vote Cards
- 12 Survivor Character Cards
- Instructions
- Survival Guide
Year: 2025 | Publisher: Exploding Kittens | Designer: Ian Clayman, Elan Lee, Jeff Probst
Genres: Card, Deduction, Family, Party
Ages: 8+ | Number of Players: 3-6 | Length of Game: 30-60 minutes
Difficulty: Light | Strategy: Light-Moderate | Luck: Moderate
For more board and card game rules/how to plays, check out our complete alphabetical list of card and board game rules posts.