Taggle

01Discover the game

Taggle is an absurd conversation organized with cards. A leader sends a reflection to each other player. Each responds immediately with one of the replicas of his card, trying to make this association fun. The leader then chooses the answer that he likes least and attributes a sanction. The pleasure comes from the mismatch between a sentence and an answer that was not written especially for her.

The overall difficulty is Easy: there are few long-term decisions, but the choice of the replica, tone and listening make progress. This tutorial follows the Longalive Games notice ©2023, with Counter cards, for three to twelve players. The old box with a special dice is not used. The duration, about 25 to 30 minutes, depends mainly on the rhythm of the group. The examples below are invented and do not reproduce the cards.

02Equipment

Notice 2023 announces 336 Reflections, 120 Replicas, 24 Counter cards and one rule. Attention: the first two numbers describe the contents announced by the publisher; they must not be transformed without verification into a number of physical cards. To play, separate the Reflection cards, the Replica cards and the Counter cards of this edition. A Replica card gives four possibilities of answer.

Each participant uses exactly two Overlay Count cards and a Replicate card, except for the leader who does not have to answer during his turn. It takes enough Reflection cards to take a different one for each other player. No de, hourglass, pawn or score sheet is required. The game counters make the sanctions visible without adding any calculation.

03The goal

Avoid accumulating the "Taggle". The leader does not assign an objective note: he judges the answers according to his opinion. So a perfectly logical replica is not necessarily the best, and a strange answer can become funny thanks to the way to say it.

When a meter reaches its last level, the game stops. The person who has received the least sanctions wins according to the principle of the booklet. One can share an equality: no rule of numerical setting is imposed here. The game keeps its character of conversation, without turning every appraisal into a debate.

04Preparing for discussion

Each player sets his or her two counter cards one on the other in order to hide all levels. Check how to shift them to reveal a single additional level. The end threshold is that printed on the material provided: do not copy a number of levels of another draw.

Identify a first leader. He takes as many Reflection cards as there are other players: five players, he takes four. Each other takes a Reply card and secretly reads his four answers. Set up in a stable order; the role of leader will then pass to the left neighbour.

Before the real part, make a trial exchange to check that everyone understands how the meter works. One can explain the vocabulary of a sentence without revealing all the cards. The rule learns with an example; it is not necessary to memorize the answers of others.

05Take a turn and give the replicas

A different reflection for everyone

The leader starts with his neighbour and reads him a reflection. This player responds immediately with the replica of his card which seems to him the most effective. He does not freely compose a new sentence and does not read all his options to ask advice. He chooses from the four answers he still has.

The leader continues with the other participants, reading each time a different reflection. Everyone listens to the exchanges. The answers are not necessarily intended to be realistic: we are looking for an association and interpretation, not a logical demonstration.

Four responses, four uses

The same replica cannot serve twice. After saying it, keep in mind that it is used. You must exhaust the four replicas of your card before taking another one. Do not change the card simply because no remaining answer seems ideal to you: this constraint is part of the game.

The Replica Card is kept between the laps, even when the leader changes. A player who has become leader does not automatically reset his answers to zero. In his next role as a referee, he finds the options that remained.

The verdict and the counter

At the end of his turn, the leader says "Taggle" to the player who, in his opinion, gave the least correct answer. This player drops his meter to one level. He does not lower it by several levels for a single penalty, and the other meters do not move.

The left neighbour then becomes leader and takes new Reflection maps. The others keep their Replica map. The new leader repeats the same cycle: exchanges, verdict and passage of the role. There is no dice Stock or duel of speed to decide who responded first.

Groups of eight to twelve

The notice allows more sanctions when the group is large: up to two to eight players, three to nine, four to ten, five to eleven and six to twelve. The leader can give them during his turn, but must always assign at least one at its end. This possibility should not be confused with an obligation to systematically sanction the maximum.

Keep the answers audible, wait until the person concerned has received his/her reflection and let the leader finish his/her cycle. The principle remains a judgment on the reply, not an authorization to invent an additional penalty because one person spoke too slowly.

06An example tour

On four, Alice is a leader. She tells Bob a thought invented: "I decided to become invisible." Bob chooses from his available answers: "Then, start by tidying up your room." He pronounces this sentence and considers it now used. Chloe and David each receive another reflection and give their own answer.

Alice finds David's answer the least successful. She tells him "Taggle"; David discovers an additional level on his meter. Bob did not receive any sanction, but his replica is still consumed. Winning the exchange does not allow to reuse a sentence later.

Bob becomes leader on the next round. When he becomes a reply again, he will still have three possible replicas on his card. After using the fourth, he will be able to replace this card. If David reaches the last level during a verdict, the end of the game applies immediately; a new series is not revived to allow everyone to become leader so many times.

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07End of game and result

Monitors the meters after each penalty. As soon as a person reaches the last level printed, the game is finished. Compare the number of levels revealed: less sanctions means a better result. No bonuses are granted for still having unused answers.

The notice leaves a voluntary tone light in the ranking. For a table that wants a specific result, simply hold the smallest number of sanctions and share the equities. Advertise this convention before playing. Do not cumulate the sanctions of a previous game if you start a new game with meters initially handed over.

08Frequent errors

• Give everyone the same thought while the leader must read a different one to each person.
• Invent a response instead of using your card.
• Reuse a replica that worked well in the previous round.
• Change your card before you've exhausted your four answers.
• Replace all Replica cards when leader changes.
• Add the old edition to the 2023 meter rules.

09Tips for starting

Read your answers while the leader prepares his thoughts, then really listens to the phrase that is addressed to you. An option that seemed banal can become the best thanks to the context. A little change of tone is often enough; shouting is not necessary.

The leader must give a clear verdict and continue, rather than seek a perfect judgment. Participants gain to accept the subjective aspect of the game. To help a new player, do a demonstration tour without sanctions, then put all the meters back in the start and start the real game.