Instructions

OFFICIAL RULES

SETTING UP THE GAME

Shuffle category cards.
Place the top of the game box in the center of the gameplay area. The game box top will serve as the “community box,” where players will place their responses.
Distribute a notepad to each player.
Determine who will serve as the first round Judge by having each player roll a lettered die. The player who rolls the letter that comes first in the alphabet will be the Judge in round one.
Determine how many rounds a player must win to be crowned AFH VIP. Suggested is 5 rounds for 4-5 players, 4 rounds for 6-7 players, and 3 rounds for 8+ players.

PLAYING THE GAME

The first round begins when the Judge rolls the dice and three letters are decided by fate.

The acronym for each round is determined by the color order of the die (red, white, and then blue). The Judge announces the letters in this order to all players, who will then write down the letters on their individual notepad.

Next, the Judge draws a card from the shuffled deck of category cards and chooses a subcategory listed. If a WILD card is drawn, the Judge gets to make up their own category. The Judge then announces the category and subcategory to all players.

After the acronym is set and category is chosen, each player makes their best attempt at creating an acronym and then places it in the community box. (The acronym can be either fictional or non-fictional.).

Once all acronyms are submitted, players pass the community box around and each player randomly retrieves one of the submitted acronyms from the community box. Any player who pulls their own acronym from the community box continues with play without disclosing that information.

Beginning with the person seated clockwise from the Judge, each player reads aloud the acronym they drew from the community box.

When all acronyms have been read, it is time for the Judge to make their decision. Some players will create acronyms with the most ludicrous answer they can think of; others will do their best to create a logical and believable acronym. Players must remember to “play” to the Judge – are they a stick in the mud? Or will the ridiculous win their favor? Ultimately it is up to the Judge to determine how they will select the round’s victor. Once the Judge announces the winning acronym, the player who created the acronym reveals themselves and is presented with the round’s category card to show they’ve won the round.

After the round’s winner is determined, the Judgeship moves to the next player (clockwise from the current Judge) and gameplay continues with each player using the slip of paper currently held (the one they’ve just read an acronym from) for the next round.

The first player to win the pre-established number of rounds is the AFH VIP!

ADDITIONAL OPTIONS

Before the first round starts, other guidelines can be set to enhance the game. For instance:

A timer may be set to limit the amount of time players have to create and submit their acronym.

The Judge can select the letters from the rolled die in any order rather than red, white, then blue.

Any other house rules that you can think of to make your experience playing the game hilarious!

Gameplay note: The most important part of Acronyms for Hilarity is to remember to have fun! Don’t get sidetracked trying to create the perfect acronym for the category selected – if you’re stumped, string three random words together. Even if it’s not a real word or makes absolutely no sense, it’s more fun than submitting a blank slip of paper, and it’s sure to get a laugh. No one will know it was you . . . unless you win the round!