How To Play HAPHAZARDS
Watch this video, or read on for instructions below.
Setup
Separate and shuffle the Hazard and Item cards. Then draw a number of Hazard cards, face down, per the table below.
3 or 4 Players > 12 Hazards
5 Players > 10 Hazards
6 Players > 6 Hazards
7 Players > 7 Hazards
8 Players > 8 Hazards
Banish the other Hazards back to the box, they will not be used during this game (unless there is a tie).
Next, place the selected Hazards and all Item cards in two face down piles. Make sure everyone can reach both stacks. Each player draws 7 Items for a starting hand.
Gameplay
The youngest player goes first. They draw a Hazard, place it face up on the table, and loudly declare “Oh No!” while describing the Hazard. All other players secretly plot a rescue plan that uses 3 Items from their hand and place them face down on the table to indicate they are ready.
When everyone is ready, it’s story time! Moving clockwise from the player in peril, each player reveals their Items and briefly describes their rescue plan. The player in peril chooses their favorite rescue plan. That person then keeps the Hazard as 1 “point”.
Players discard their used Items and redraw to a hand of 7 total Items. The person to the left of the player in peril becomes the new player in peril and the next round begins.
The game ends after all Hazards are drawn and resolved. Players count the Hazards they have won and the player with the most points wins!
If there is a tie...
Tied players only play one more round using a random Banished Hazard (those are the hazard cards you set aside at the beginning of the game). The remaining players vote for which rescue plan was best. Majority vote wins. If the vote ties, the tied players share the victory.
Note: In the rare case of an all-way tie, all players play a tie breaker round and vote for the best plan. Players cannot vote for their own rescue plan. If there is a tie vote, all players share the victory.
House Rules / Alternative Game Modes
Hard Mode
No hands are drawn. Instead, when a Hazard card is revealed, everyone but the Player in Peril draws three random item cards and must use them to plan a rescue.
– Suggested by Gaby from Oregon
Release the Pug!
Whenever somebody plays the Pug card, that player must shout “I Release the Pug!” or they lose that round.
Do you have a house rule or game mode suggestion? Contact us and we may post it here!
