Game rules

Lingua Ludica

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

Object of the game:

The winner is the first team or player that collects a card from each of the six different colours/categories.

Setting up the game:

The double-sided playing cards are marked with numbers to indicate the language level of the questions: 1 = beginner, 2 = intermediate. The levels can also be distinguished by the two shades: lighter borders indicate level 1 and darker borders indicate level 2. Two, three or four teams of up to four players may be formed or the game can be played one-on-one with two players. The players on each team should have approximately the same linguistic ability. Because the game contains two levels, teams may have different levels yet play at the same time. The language level(s) is/are agreed before the game starts. The game is played clockwise and the team with the youngest player begins by asking a question to the team whose turn it is. If this team answers correctly, it gets a second turn. If it answers incorrectly, the next team takes its turn.

Playing the game:

The first team rolls the die. The team on its right takes a card from the deck that corresponds to the same colour as indicated by the rolled die and asks the question(s) on the card. If the answering team gives a wrong answer, it loses its turn to the next team in the counter-clockwise direction. If the answering team gives the right answer(s), it wins the card and can take a second turn. Teams have a maximum of two turns; after the second turn, play passes to the next team. If a team rolls the colour for a card it already has won, it must continue playing and answer question(s) correctly so as to collect a second card of this colour. Once a team has collected two cards from the same category, however, it no longer has to answer any more questions from that category; instead, it rolls the die until it rolls a colour for which it has only one or no cards. When the die rolls the colour of a Role Play or Definition card, this card must be played with a player from the same team.

The Role Play category:

When a team draws a Role Play card, this must be read out loud so that the other team understands the context. The timer is then started and the team’s player(s) perform(s) the monologue or dialogue for at least one minute. The opposing team(s) decide(s) whether the performance is good enough to win the card.

The Definition category:

When a team draws a Definition card, it should be allowed a few seconds to think over its strategy before the timer is started. For level 2, an opposing team member should make sure that the forbidden words in bold are not used.

Winning the game:

The team that first collects at least one card from each of the six different colours/categories is the winner.

Notes:

To win a card, players only have to give the answer written in bold. Any other information is merely additional information that can be revealed once the question has been answered.

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

The player answering the question(s) may be allowed to see the card in order to understand the question(s) more clearly. In this case, the answer(s) should be hidden. The pictures on the Vocabulary cards should also be covered.

Rules for 2 players:

The rules are identical, except for the Role Play and Definition categories. In this case, the opposing players must help each other to win cards by playing the part of a teammate.

Game variations:

To shorten the game, use fewer categories or allow teams that have already collected a card for a particular category to roll the dice until it rolls the colour of a category for which it has not yet got a card.

Nicolas Ghalayini
Game Creator
Lingua Ludica