4.

Face-Offs & Winning Piles: When the symbols on two

How To Play players’ cards match, they must Face-Off with one another.
This is the heart of the game. A Face-Off consists of
giving a correct example of the person, place, or thing
on your opponent’s card, before they can do the same for
your card. The player who finishes blurting out a correct
answer first wins the Face-Off. The winner takes the loser’s
top card and places it, face-down, in their separate Winning
Pile. The winner’s top card stays where it is. (See “Face-Off
between players 3 & 4” in Figure 1.)

5.Cascades: The loser’s Play Pile may now reveal a new

top card. Watch out! A new Face-Off may now occur
between the loser and any other player! Drawing must not
™ continue until all possible Face-Offs have been played.
Please note, play is structured so that there can be only
one Face-Off at a time, though there may be many in quick
Players: 3-6 players, ages 17+
succession. This is called a Cascade.
Goal: To win the most cards by facing off with other players.
Game duration: One round lasts about 25 minutes. 6.After a Face-Off/Cascade: Drawing continues with the
Vibe: It can be your turn anytime and anyone can be next player in the clockwise drawing sequence. You may
your opponent! find it helpful to pass a small token around to indicate
whose turn it is. A salt shaker or coin will do nicely.
HOW TO PLAY
ANOMIA™ is simple. The easiest way to learn is by playing. 7.Wild Cards: A Face-Off can also be caused by a Wild
IMPORTANT! Read the following directions out loud AS Card. If you draw a Wild Card, place it face-up between
you begin to play. In other words, read #1 below and then do the Draw Piles. A Wild Card displays two different symbols.
what it says, then read #2 and do what it says, etc...
If those two symbols are in play (i.e. if they appear on the
Playing as you read the directions will greatly simplify the
top of any two player’s Play Piles) then those two players
learning process.
must Face-Off. (See Figure 2, below.)
1.The Draw Piles: Grab a deck and shuffle well, making sure
the (7) Wild Cards are evenly spread throughout. Split the
shuffled cards into two piles, and place within easy reach of Figure 2: Player 1
Here’s what a Wild Card
all players. These are the Draw Piles. match between players Symbols matching
1 and 2 might look like. the Wild Card means
2.Play Begins: The shuffler takes the first turn. He or she a Face-Off between
draws a card from either pile and quickly flips it face-up in front players 1 and 2.
of themselves for all to see. Notice that the card displays some
text and a symbol. (If any Wild Cards are drawn in the next
few steps, set them aside and draw again, we’ll get to Wild
Cards in #7.)

3.Play Piles: One at a time, players continue drawing cards

from either pile, in clockwise order, until the symbols on two Player 4 Player 2
players’ cards match. If you draw a card and there is no match,
the next player draws. Note: You should only have one face-up
card showing at a time. If it’s your turn and you already have a
card in play, flip the new card on top of your existing card.
This pile of cards is your Play Pile. (See “Play Piles” in Player 3
Figure 1, below.)
Player 1
Winning Pile 8.After a Wild Card is drawn: Going forward, all players
Figure 1: must now look out for Face-Offs caused by same-symbol
Here’s what the Play Pile
table for a 4 player matches OR by the Wild Card in play. Only one Wild Card
game might look like. can be in play at a time. It will remain in play until covered
by a new Wild Card. If you draw a Wild Card, you get to
Play Pile Play Pile draw again, but only after all possible Face-Offs have
been played.

Player 4 Player 2 9.The End: When the Draw Piles are depleted, the person
Winning Pile Winning Pile with the most cards in their Winning Pile wins the round.
Play Pile You can play another round with the same deck, or use
Matching symbols another deck in the box to play with a whole new set of
creates a Face-Off
between players Player 3 cards. Each deck is unique.
3 & 4. Winning Pile (Over...)
A few more IMPORTANT things... 2.Use the blanks as an “anything-goes” category where
players are free to give an example of anything at all
Card Flipping: Flip your card quickly! Make sure that all (harder than it sounds!) or some predetermined category.
players can see its face at the same time. You may not peek
at your card, and you must keep your hands out of the way. Two or three-player games: We suggest having each
Failure to do so will result in losing your turn. We suggest player defend two Play Piles. This simulates a four or six
grasping the card from the far edge and quickly flipping it player game, respectively.
back toward yourself.
Combining Decks and Adding Players: Decks may be
Unnoticed Face-Offs: If there is a match on the table, but combined if a longer game is desired. Even with combined
the matching players do not notice it, another player may decks, we don’t recommend playing with more than six
prompt them to look more closely. Urgent murmuring usually players simply because more players mean more frequent
does the trick. Poking can be helpful too. Remember, face-offs, which prevents players from building up their play
drawing cannot proceed until all possible Face-Offs have piles. If you do play with a larger group, expect more drawn
been played. matches and fewer cascades.

Slang: If a Category Card displays “(Slang)” then the player

must give a slang word/phrase as their answer.

Example: Card = Stupid Person (Slang) / Answer: Dumb

Also from Anomia Press!
Ass, Nincompoop, Dingbat, etc…

Repeats: The group may determine whether the ‘no repeat’

rule is in effect for a round. It’s fun to play either way, but it’s
harder when you are not allowed to repeat answers that have
already been used. If you opt for the ‘no repeat’ rule the
following applies: Once an example is uttered, whether in
play or in conversation, it may NOT be used to win a
Face-Off during that round/sitting. The exception to this is
when the same answer is appropriate for a different card.

Example: Card = STD / Answer: Syphillis

Card = Reason Your Life Sucks / Answer: Syphillis

Tie Breakers: If two players tie during a Face-Off, a third

player will draw a card and flip it over for the two tied players.
In this case, the two tied players are attempting to give an
answer for the same card. The winner of the Tie-Breaker gets
the loser’s card from the initial Face-Off. The card(s) used
for the Tie-Breaker get shuffled back into the Draw Piles. If
the card drawn for a Tie-Breaker is a Wild Card, place it back
into one of the Draw Piles and draw again.

Giving Answers: A correct answer is usually common

knowledge, can be real or fictional, current or historical,
and is one that the group generally recognizes to be true.
For example, if you are trying to name a mobster; you could
give an example of a famous mobster (Al Capone), a local
mobster (your Uncle Vinnie), or a commonly known fictional
mobster (Tony Soprano).
Visit www.AnomiaPress.com to be in touch or learn more
Any disagreements about the winner of a Face-Off, or the about what we’re up to. We’d love to hear from you about
correctness of an answer, shall be decided by a group vote your own House Rules, custom Category Cards, or other
called by the loser. If necessary, you may use dictionaries, game variations you’ve come up with! You can also find
magazines, the internet, etc..., to help settle disputes. Anomia Press on Facebook and Twitter.

Blank Cards: There are two blank symbol cards included in

each deck. You can use these in two different ways. © 2017 Anomia Press LLC, All Rights Reserved. ANOMIA® is the
registered trademark of Anomia Press LLC. 647 South Street Boston, MA
02131. Any other marks used are the property of their respective owners.
1.Add your own categories to the deck by writing directly Color and parts may vary. MADE IN CHINA.
onto the card. Use a washable marker or white-out tape if
you want to change the category.