The game of Scattergories will have you thinkiing quick as you try to come up with a flavor of ice cream, a sport, and something that you would find in an electronics store. But the catch - they all have to start with the same letter. Sounds easy right? Think again. Scattergories will have you searching your brain for words that you wouldn't normally think to use. Now you have 3 minutes or less to make sure your answers don't match anyone else's answers. The objective of Scattergories is to score points by writing down unique words that fit specific categories, all starting with the same randomly selected letter, within a time limit. Good luck.
Scattergories will have you being creative in order to find unique words and gain points. Be the player with the most unique words to win. Scattergories is a classic, fast-thinking game that will have the whole family laughing as they struggle to come up with the right words. Scattergories is a fun and fast-paced word game that challenges players to think quickly and creatively. It's a versatile game that can be adapted for different group sizes and variations. Feel free to adjust the rules as needed to suit your preferences and group dynamics. Try Scattergories today for a fun and fast-thinking game.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
The object of Scattergories is to quickly fill out a category list with answers that begin with the appointed letter. You'll score points if other players haven't thought of the same answers. The player with the most points wins.
Perparation: Each player takes a piece of paper from the score pad. Place the Scattergories game board and alphabet die in the center of the table.
Game Play: Choose a designated "reader" who will roll the alphabet die and read aloud the corresponding letter. Once the letter is revealed, all players have a set amount of time (usually 3 minutes) to come up with words that fit each category on the game board, starting with the chosen letter. Players must try to come up with unique words for each category. If multiple players write down the same word for a category, those words cancel each other out, and no player earns a point for that category.
Players score one point for each unique word that fits the category and starts with the chosen letter. At the end of the round, players take turns reading their answers aloud. Any disputed answers can be voted on by the group. Score one point for each unique and valid word. The reader should keep track of scores for each player on their score sheet. Repeat steps 1-6 for a set number of rounds or until all players have had a turn as the designated reader. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins.
Tips: Be creative and think outside the box to come up with unique words. Keep an eye on the timer and pace yourself to ensure you have enough time to fill in all the categories. Make sure everyone agrees on the validity of words before scoring. Have fun and enjoy the challenge of thinking quickly under pressure!
Please keep in mind that the official Scattergories PDF rules listed below could be different depending on the version you have. They should be an exact copy of what came in your original packaging. Download them to view now or print them for later use.
COMMENTS / QUESTIONSShare with us your comments, funny stories, tips, advice, strategies, creative ways to play, questions about playing, problems with the directions, etc. All submissions will be reviewed within 24 hours.
Tim says:
Hello. When answering a question, such as, "things you can squeeze" and the chosen letter is "M" can the answer be "my hand"?
Let's say we have the letter "d" and the category is color, could someone put down, "Derek's favorite color, black"? I don't think it should be allowed because then they could put names in front of every answer and get away with it
Elizabeth: Not about who is right. Majority rules.👎👍👎👍👎👎 Example: the challenge is Name a place that starts with B. You name Baltimore. Another player says "no such place." A vote is taken and majority rules. There is not even a Scrabble rule: A player can look up a challenged word, and whoever is wrong loses a turn. This happened to me. I got voted down for Northern Pine. Was not allowed to google & sacrifice a turn if wrong. Also, easy to cheat if you lie: Just make up a name for a small park, then claim it's a small town in Wyoming (or wherever). My nephew says he does it all the time. Set some new ground rules for your friends. Maybe a trivia geek for a referee.
Tonight we had a big argument. The question was "Kitchen appliance" and the letter was "t". Two people wrote"Toaster" and one person wrote "Toaster Oven." The argument was that a Toaster oven is different from a toaster and therefore should be allowed and some of us said that the word"Toaster" was the first word and therefore should be eliminated along with the two other people who had just written "Toaster." Who is right?
The letter was G and the question was "titles people have" I put general and someone put Gardner does that count. Does Gardner counts as a title?
CariLynne - you are right you can not use adjectives for the answer the article or clothing or the dress is the answer and it has to start with f.
If the question is "Name a thing you save up to buy" and someone says LeBron James is that allowed? I challenged it because a human is not a thing.
Erin- we are living in a parallel universe. My family played tonight and had ‘A' and category was sweet things. We got in a heated arguement over apple, apple pie, and apple juice! We finally decided that everyone got points because they were three distinct things. but who really knows?!
If the letter is "A", can points be taken for apple pie, apple cider and apple core? We are having huge disagreement!
If one person has "Minnesota Twins" and another person has "Minnesota Wilds", do they both get the point or neither?
I lost the official scattergories game rules that came with the game and was relieved that I could print them out again.
I agree with you. I may be a lot like your friend, as I like to win (or to do well) but my brain checks out under pressure.
In the rules it has a way to determine if an answer is acceptable. All those playing would vote to on it. It's listed in the fifth section of "Rules for Acceptable Answers". If the group accepts it - it counts, if not - then it doesn't. You can read the rules here (or click on the "Game Rules" tab at the top of this section): http://www.hasbro.com/common/instruct/Scattergories_%282003%29.pdf
A friend of mine is convinced that you can use adjectives as the main letter. For example, the category is Articles of Clothing, and you have F as your letter, and he chooses Frumpy Dress. I argued that the article of clothing was the dress, not the frumpy. He says he's right. What's your opinion?
Here are some other games you might like to play at your next get together. Learning how to play new games can feel daunting at first but once you get the hang of it, it can be really fun to try out new games. You can also use our search feature at the top of the page to search for a specific criteria that might interest you. Who knows - you might just find your next favorite game.
Tortuga 1667
Catch Phrase
Chatter Matters
Frank's Zoo
