Lingua Ludica
Lingua Ludica

Game rules

Lingua Ludica

  • For 2 to 16 players / Ages 9 and above
  • Playing time: 30 to 45 minutes

Contents:

  • 540 cards in 6 categories and 3 levels
  • 1 game board
  • 1 sand timer
  • 1 die
  • 4 playing counters

Object of the game:

To win at least 6 different cards, one from each category.

Setting up the game:

Form up to 4 teams of 2 to 4 players, so that each team is of roughly the same ability. With fewer players, play with just 2 teams - you can even play one on one.
Choose the level you would like to play: 1 for beginners, 2 for intermediate or 3 for advanced and place all of the counters on one of the squares marked "Joker". Each team rolls the die and the one with the highest number goes first.

Playing the game:

The first team rolls the die and moves their counter clockwise around the board. The team on their right picks up the top card from the corresponding pile and asks them the questions on the card. If the first team do not answer all of the questions correctly then it is the end of their turn. If they do answer all of the questions correctly, they keep the card and have another go. However, it is only possible to win 2 cards in each turn. At the end of a turn, play moves to the next team on the left. If you land on a category that you already have, you still have to answer all of the questions and win the card to continue playing. Once you have two cards from a category, you no longer need to answer questions from that category - roll the die until you land on a category from which you don't yet have two cards. The Role Play and Definition cards are to be picked up and read by one of the members of the team itself.

The Role Play category:

When you pick up a Role Play card, read it out loud so that the other players can understand the context. Start the timer and perform a monologue or dialogue that is at least 1 minute long. The opposing team then decides whether your performance was good enough to win the card.

The Definition category:

When you pick up a Definition card, read it to yourself for a few seconds and then start the timer. For levels 2 and 3, a member of the opposing team should make sure that the forbidden words in bold are not being used.

The Joker square:

If you land on a Joker square, you can choose a card from any category - answer the questions correctly to win the card.

Winning the game:

The team or person who has won at least one card from each category is the winner.

Notes:

To win a card you only have to give the answer that is written in bold. Anything written in brackets is only additional information, which can be revealed once the question has been answered.

On some cards, words that are considered difficult are written in italics. These must also be read out loud in order to help the players before they give their answer.

The team or person answering the questions may also ask to see the card themselves in order to understand the questions more clearly. In this case, the team asking the questions should hide the answers. With Vocabulary cards, the pictures must be covered up as well.

Rules for 2 players:

The rules are exactly the same for 2 players, except for the Definition and Role Play categories. Here opposing players must help each other to win the cards by playing the part of a team-mate.

Game variations:

To shorten the game, try using fewer categories or reduce the number of cards that can be won to one per category.

Nicolas Ghalayini
Inventor of the game
Lingua Ludica