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Taboo


Overview

The game Taboo was invented by Brain Hersch owner of Hersch Games. The game was originally published by Parker Brothers in 1989 and purchased and published Hasbro

Great fun at parties, this word guessing game, challenges players to come up with creative, carefully worded clues to get your team mate to guess the word and fast.


Players

4 to 10 players. Divide players into two equal teams.

Resources

  • Deck of Taboo cards
  • Timer

Goal/Objective

Be the team that collects the most cards.

Setup

Place the stack of Taboo cards face down in the center of the teams.

Game Mechanics

  1. Choose which team will go first. A. One player on the active team will be selected as the "card giver." B. The "card giver" will describe the word or phrase on the card without using any of the "taboo" (forbidden) words listed on the card. C. The remaining players on the team must try to guess the word. D. If the team correctly guesses the word, they score that card.
  2. The team has 2 minutes to guess as many words as possible.
  3. If the "card giver" accidentally says one of the taboo words or time runs out, it becomes the next team's turn.
  4. Play continues with each team until every player has had a turn as the "card giver."

Outcome

Once all players have taken a turn as the "card giver," or after a predetermined time limit agreed upon by the teams, count the cards each team has collected. The team with the most cards wins.