Imaginarium game. Board game "Imaginarium": rules, description and scoring
There are many games for parties and fun companies in the world, but few of them have gained such popularity as the board game "Imaginarium", a game of imagination and association that will force players to stretch their imagination and unleash the full power of their mind.
" " is a board game in which players try to score as many victory points as possible by making associations to each other based on special cards. To start the game, the first player is selected, who becomes the Leader for one move, then each player is dealt cards from the common deck and the game begins. The GM chooses one of the cards from his hand, places it face down on the table and names any association associated with the image on the card. Then the rest of the players choose from their cards the one that, in their opinion, most closely matches the named association. All cards are secretly shuffled and laid out face up, after which the players secretly vote, trying to determine which of the cards still belongs to the Host. For correct answers, victory points are awarded according to special rules.
The goal of the Host in the board game "" is to make an association that would be understandable to the players, but not to everyone. If everyone or no one guesses his card, he won't get any victory points, so the player must juggle between too obvious and too vague allusions to the image. Sometimes this task is not so difficult, because all the cards of the board game "Imaginarium" boast a magnificent design (they depict drawings created by excellent Russian artists), and anything can be an association, from a melody and a phrase to a single word and sound combinations. And for those who are confused in the labyrinth of their imagination, the Unicorn board games store is ready to give some advice.
Firstly, they rarely sit down to play the board game "" with an unfamiliar company, so the presenter can do a tricky (and perhaps not too sporty) trick and make an association that will be understood only by his acquaintances. In every friendly company, over time, internal jokes and well-known stories appear, so if you wish, you can turn to them.
Another way, a little more honest with the participants in the board game "" is to choose a more specific topic for association. There is a good chance that someone at the table is not very versed in physics, gender theories or literary criticism, so they will not be able to understand what the "glass ceiling", "oberiut society" or "particle-wave dualism" refers to. True, in this case there is a great chance to pass for at least a bore or greatly overestimate the capabilities of the participants.
The third method is the most effective, but it requires composure and attentiveness. Everyone who sits down at the board game "" has his own style of thinking, baggage of knowledge and features of associative chains, and it may be enough to wait 3 or 4 full circles, carefully following the associations of the replaced Leaders to understand the stylistic features of each of them.
One way or another, the board game "" can bring pleasure even to those who are not too lucky with victory points, because the main goal in this game is not victory, but the opportunity to enjoy the flight of your own imagination.
Play with pleasure!
Each player chooses an elephant and a set of voting cards of the same color as the elephant. There are seven voting cards. You will need as many cards as the person is playing. If there are 6 people playing, you do not need a card with number 7.
Definition of the first move
You must determine who will go first. You can use voting cards for this. All participants take their voting cards, shuffle and draw any card at random. The one who draws the card with the highest number starts walking first. Any other mechanic can be used to select the player to start first. For example, we play this right in chess. The game then proceeds clockwise.
Game progress
The elephants of all players are placed on the playing field on cloud 1.
The deck with illustration cards is shuffled and each player is given 6 cards in his hand.
The player makes an association.
Each turn, one of the players becomes the leader. The host makes an association on one of his cards, says this association aloud to the rest of the players and puts the hidden card face down on the table.
Guessing the leader's card
The main task of the players is to guess which of the cards laid out on the table was chosen by the presenter and vote for it. Each player chooses one voting card with the desired number and places it face down. The presenter does not vote and does not comment on the pictures laid out on the table. You can't vote for your own picture. When everyone has made a decision and voted, the voting cards are turned over and the points are calculated.
Scoring
Players move their pieces on the playing field by the number of steps corresponding to the number of points won.
Board game"" - one of the most popular entertainments of the Russian edition on associations, an analogue of the bestseller in the world of board games - « » . The game is filled with colorful illustrations and contains simple rules. She will give a lot of positive emotions to the participants and brighten up any party. Depending on the set of the game, an age limit is introduced: from 6+ to 18+, as some pictures evoke gloomy and contradictory associations. Party occupies 30-40 minutes but sometimes up to an hour.
Difficulty level: FROMmiddle
Number of players: 2-6
Develops skills: inmindfulness, mindfulness
What is in the box?
Opening the heavy box with the Imaginarium game for the first time, one sees something colorful and imaginary. Inside are the following components:
- The playing field required for scoring. It is designed in the form of a starry sky, through which clouds float, and the numbers corresponding to the player's victory points are placed in them.
- cards with associations that do not repeat among themselves - 98 pcs.;
- tokens for voting in the form of small rectangles with numbers - 49 pieces;
- chips - flying elephants - 7 pcs.;
- rules brochure.
The playing field is built into the box, and under it there are cells for additional sets.
Imaginarium - a game for the company!
As expected, the exciting game "Imaginarium" received a competitive format, a quick-witted, resourceful and attentive player will win the game. It will come in handy to learn how to fight the imagination of true friends and just acquaintances.
Everything is very simple
In the original "Imaginarium" and in its additions, all manipulations are simple and do not require concentration and concentration when explaining the rules. Party members lay out cards with illustrations, after which the players need to guess which of the laid out cards caused the Leader's association, passing farther and farther across the playing field.
Learn all about your friends!
The same picture causes different associations for each player. So, for example, on a map with Crocodile Gena and Cheburashka“animal”, “childhood”, “friendship” and more are guessed. It is the associations that will show an old friend or acquaintance from a new side, this will help to get closer by looking at what is really going on in the player’s head.
Imaginarium cards
The most interesting thing that awaits the participants in the set with the game "Imaginarium" - cards in the amount 98 pieces custom-sized with original, funny and provocative illustrations. They are required in order to spur the imagination of the players. After a dozen games of exciting entertainment, the basic set of cards will gradually become boring, because all possible associations are visible at a glance. Additional sets with cards will help such players, total published 5 new decks 98 cards.
By the way, about the artists
The game "Imaginarium" is made by Russian illustrators, and it is popular all over the world. And in the additional set “Imaginarium. Odyssey" and in the anniversary set "Imaginarium", the names of the artists are finally revealed, they are written on a card with brief information about the illustrators.
A difficult mission is expected from the Leader. While he is looking at the illustration on the card, he should not invent a transparent and detached association. After all, if it is not original and obvious, the players will easily vote for the Leader's card from the laid out pictures. This will cause the Host to lose 3 points, and the rest will remain at the same " little cloud» fields.
A similar situation will occur if the Leader makes an association that is too distant from the objects on the map, which will not be clear to the rest of the participants. Then there is a high probability that his card will remain without votes, and again he will take two steps back.
For those who love complexity
The complexity of the game "Imaginariui" is given by the presence of fields with special signs. The facilitator will come up with associations based on the tasks assigned to each sign: present the association in the form of a question or using strictly four words, etc. In this way, the players will definitely develop their imagination and associative thinking skills.
Board game "Imaginarium" - game rules
In the Imaginarium, the rules of the game are allowed to be adjusted as soon as you want. The creators even prepared variations to diversify the games that end the same way:
- End the game when one of the player's flying elephants reaches cloud number 39.
- Do not limit yourself to the game when the deck and cards in hand are completed, but shuffle the discard pile and thereby form a new deck with illustrations. So the game goes on forever.
- Make association restrictions permanent. This implies that each association will be guessed based only on the tasks of special fields.
- If there is only one set available and there are more than 7 participants, it is a good idea to pair up and play a game with two instead of one.
On the fields of the Imaginarium, in addition to cloud cells, there are special fields marked with special signs.
- a cell with a question mark requires the Host to make an association, respectively, in a question form;
- a cell with "4" suggests an association expression in four words;
- the cell with "abibas" says that the association should be associated with a popular brand. It is not required to mention the brand exactly, it is enough to be based on the slogan, advertising and the like;
- "TV" requires to connect the association on the basis of a famous film, popular TV show, series;
- a cell with a book implies not just a word or a combination of several words, but a full-fledged story.
Preparing for the game
- Each player selects a chip for the party - a flying elephant, which will move around the "clouds" of the field, as well as small voting tokens of the same shade. The number of tokens corresponds to the number of participants.
- The chips of each participant are sent to the initial cell of the field "1".
- Cards with illustrations are carefully shuffled, distributed to participants in 6 pieces. A deck with non-repeating pictures is formed based on the number of players. For four players from the picture pile, 96 cards are needed, for five - 75, for six - 72, for seven - 98.
- Choose a player who will become the Leader on the first turn and start the game.
Definition of the first move
Nominating a player to go first is very simple. It is allowed to choose the usual way to determine. The creators of the game "Imaginarium" offer an option: take a stack of tokens face down, mix thoroughly on the surface and let the players draw one card at a time. The participant with the highest number on the token will start the game, the rest will be distributed clockwise.
Game progress
The turn phase in the game consists of several steps that are easy to remember. It's safe to say that after 1-2 moves, all the actions of the players will reach automatism.
Overview of extensions and varieties of the board game "Imaginarium"
Those who are not familiar with the wonderful board game in the Imaginarium association are invited to read this fun, created in the image and likeness of the legendary Dixit board game, which has earned recognition all over the world.
"Imaginarium. Childhood"
The original Imaginarium game set was created exclusively for an adult audience. Therefore, the game did not fall into the category of family games. But the developers quickly realized that they were losing an entire segment of the market, and hurried to correct their mistake by creating the Imaginarium. Childhood". This board differs from its "adult" predecessor in artistic design and simplified rules.
In the set you will find 98 cards with kind, light and colorful designs, suitable even for playing with the smallest members of the family. 49 voting tokens and seven plastic elephants remained unchanged. The instruction is written in a simple and intelligible language so that children, if they wish, can understand the rules themselves.
The field for scoring has changed somewhat - feathered elephants no longer flutter through the night clouds of the starry sky, but jump on "digital" stones. There are also new pictures for special fields. For example, a cat in boots settled on some stones. If the storyteller's chip is on such a field, then the association must be connected in one way or another with a fairy-tale character. The lifebuoy (it is not clear what he is doing in the middle of the sandbox, but this is on the conscience of the developers) will save the player from stepping back if everyone guessed his association or, on the contrary, none of the party members could decipher it. If the leader's elephant is on a stone with a book of fairy tales, then his story should begin with the words "a long time ago."
As for the rules, I personally like them much more than in the original version of the game. The scoring mechanism - the most frustrating part of the gameplay - has been greatly simplified. Here everything is looped on one digit to avoid confusion. If the leader's association was not guessed, then his bishop retreats two fields, the same happens if all players have found the storyteller's card. Participants who voted for the correct drawing receive two points each. One additional point goes to all players, including the host, for each vote cast in favor of their cards. The game is opened by the youngest participant, the right to voice the association passes clockwise. Chips of "little ones" who have not reached the age of six do not retreat back on the playing field.
Although the illustrations on the cards differ significantly from those in the first set of the game, this version of the Imaginarium is great for adults. Having acquired a set of the game “Imaginarium. Childhood”, you can always spend an exciting game evening with your family or friends, and children with friends will not be bored. If, after prolonged use, the cards become too familiar, and the associations become more and more predictable, then it does not hurt to get a set of game expansions, which you can read about below.
"Imaginarium. Soyuzmultfilm"
This version of the usual fun in guessing associations will not leave indifferent neither children nor adults. As you may have guessed, on the cards of the Imaginarium. Soyuzmultfilm" you will meet the characters of the good old Soviet cartoons loved by everyone. Another distinguishing feature of the game is that the illustrations are not abstract, although the "cartoons" are depicted in situations that are often difficult to interpret unambiguously.
In this version of the Imaginarium, the scoring field has been transformed into a real kingdom of the Waterman - a pond with water lilies, on the leaves of which our flying elephants jump (strange, isn't it?). By the way, I would like to tell you more about the latter. This time, the feathered pets are made of transparent plastic, the same as the meeples from the expansion of the popular medieval board game Carcassonne. Phantom". They look much more attractive than chips from the usual Imaginarium set.
There are new areas on the scoring board that encourage the storyteller to voice associations in one way or another, making the gameplay even more fun. This time, Pike, Golden Fish, as well as the parrot Kesha and the donkey Eeyore, beloved by more than one generation of Russians, settled on the leaves of water lilies. If the storyteller's elephant got on the field with the latter, then he should voice the association in a sad voice, Kesha, in turn, requires the leader to repeat each word twice. If the player’s chip is on a water lily with a Golden Fish, then he sets his riddle in the form of a desire, starting the phrase with the words “I want ...”. The Russian Pike - in a sense, she also performs the work of the Golden Fish (those readers who remember the good old fairy tales will agree with me), so the association should begin with the fabulous "By the command of the pike ...".
The creators of the desktops themselves claim that this the best option"Imaginarium" for playing in a circle of new acquaintances or with people who have encountered such board fun for the first time - it is easier to select associations for pictures with cartoons, due to this, the waiting time is reduced until the narrator matures this or that riddle, and the very specifics of the game creates a pleasant friendly atmosphere.
The only drawback is that the cards with cartoon characters are only available with the full-fledged game Imaginarium. Soyuzmultfilm. It is also known that the developers do not plan to release a set of cards as an expansion yet, despite numerous requests from fans to arrange images with cartoons in the form of an independent (and cheaper) deck.
"Imaginarium 3D"
Traditionally, the set comes with a deck of 98 large format cards with completely new designs. But the distinguishing feature of this version of the game is that all images are stereoscopic. They acquire volume and “pop out” from the plane of the cards as soon as you put on special 3D glasses. Moreover, it often happens that without them you simply cannot understand the association made by the leader. The caring creators of the game have provided seven pairs of cardboard points, which corresponds to the maximum number of players.
Unfortunately, this version of the game also has a couple of flaws. First and foremost, stereoscopic glasses are not for everyone. For some people, after long gaming sessions, their eyes and head may ache, but this already depends on the individual characteristics of the organism. So before buying Imaginarium 3D, it would be very wise to rent the game and try it out once or twice with friends. The second “minus in karma” the tabletop receives for the fact that the colors of the chips are indistinguishable in 3D glasses. But these are trifles, because few people will sit in them all the playing time.
"Road Repair Kit"
In a compact box, you will find a field that is assembled from small elements like a regular puzzle, so there will certainly be a place for it even in a small bag (hence the “travel” part of the name). The kit also includes the familiar seven plastic elephant chips and 49 voting tokens. So this set will be useful for those who have lost or worn out game elements in order to “fix” their favorite board game and avoid buying a new full-fledged and much more expensive version of the game. As a nice addition, the developers have added three new maps. Keep in mind that "Imaginarium. Road Repair Kit is not a full game as there is no deck of cards included!
So, on this we have completed the description of the varieties of our favorite board game. Now it's time to move on to its extensions. In each of them you will find 98 cards. The card backs of add-ons and all versions of the Imaginarium are the same, so you can easily not only mix expansions, but also play using decks from different versions of your favorite board at the same time.
"Ariadne"
An additional set of cards called "Ariadne" is a gallery of bright joyful illustrations, which we strongly recommend to dilute the rather gloomy pictures of the main set of "Imaginarium", making the game more positive. In addition, this expansion is ideally combined with the children's version of the game, which we described above.
"Pandora"
Only one thing can be said about this expansion - it is made in the spirit of the original Imaginarium set. Along with sad and gloomy pictures, there are bright illustrations in the set of drawings. All images are highly abstract, so players will definitely not get bored!
"Chimera"
This is an addition to the game is on marked "18+", and for good reason. The gloomy illustrations of the Chimera expansion will not appeal to every adult, and it is better for children not to show them at all. In the plots of the drawings, outright cruelty and even vulgarity are often read, many will find them truly disgusting.
Nevertheless, fans of hardcore and horror films may like this highly unusual set of images. We must pay tribute to the fact that in the right environment - in the evening with subdued lights - the gameplay causes mixed impressions, similar to the fear that arose in children's camps during night stories scary stories. Or, on the contrary, you can make it a rule to think of only positive associations for expansion cards, and then you are guaranteed a fun evening!
"Odyssey"
Everything is simple here - the pictures for the expansion are borrowed from the Imaginarium 3D game. Only this time, the images are in the familiar 2D format, so you can now pair them with decks from other sets and forget about stereoscopic glasses.
This is where our story ends, we wish you a pleasant pastime with friends or family playing Imaginarium!
What to do when all the topics have been discussed, all the food has been eaten and the drinks have been drunk, or when the children are bored and do not know what to do with themselves? Board games can come to the rescue, where the rules are explained in a few minutes, and the gameplay can stretch for several exciting hours, enlivening the atmosphere and brightening up leisure. One of these games is the Imaginarium.
General information about the game
"Imaginarium" is a completely Russian analogue of the French game "Dixit" (Dixit), which has never been released in Russia. Cosmodrom Games is in charge of publishing, and the price ranges from 1,500 to 2,500 rubles in various stores (such as Mosigra). The cost also depends on the versions of the game, and the gaming experience is completely independent of the purchased version. In any of its versions, the game is able to give players vivid emotions and impressions, and more than a dozen sessions will pass before the moment when the available equipment can become boring.
What's Included
It is worth considering what is included in the box with the game. This set may vary slightly from version to version, but mostly it's about design. By the way, all the graphic design of the game was created from scratch by domestic artists. So, the original version includes:
- 98 cards with atmospheric drawings.
- Playing field.
- Voting card form.
- 7 figures of players in the form of multi-colored elephants.
- Game rules in Russian.
After the box has been opened and all the elements in it have been carefully considered, it's time to finally figure out how to play Imaginarium. The rules are simple and easy to understand for a player of any age.
Gameplay and rules
In one sentence, the essence of the game can be described as follows: the player selects associations for his images and seeks to guess the cards of other players by their associations. It sounds simple, but it is worth considering the gameplay and all its nuances in more detail.
Before playing, you need to prepare a game deck. From 4 to 7 players take part in the game, and for each number of participants the number of cards in the deck is different:
- 4 players - 96.
- 5 players - 75.
- 6 players - 72.
- 7 players - 98.
Then each participant chooses a color for himself, to which the tokens and figure correspond. After that, you need to put all the figures on the starting cloud, and each participant is dealt 6 cards. Each turn, one of the participants takes on the role of leader. The host chooses one of his 6 cards, puts it face down (without showing the picture to the others) and makes an association with it.
An association can be anything - a word, a sentence, a verse, a quote, or even a sound. Other players choose one of their pictures, which best matches the leader's association, and put it in a common pile. Then the facilitator shuffles it and lays out the cards in order, image up. Now each of the participants needs to guess the choice of the leader.
That's what voting tokens are for. The cards on the table are numbered from left to right. Participants choose the image that, in their opinion, the presenter made up, and put the corresponding token on the table, number down. The host does not vote, and the rest cannot vote for their version. When everyone has voted, the presenter announces the number of his card.
Points are calculated based on the votes. If everyone guessed the presenter's picture, then his figure steps back three steps. If no one guessed right - two steps back. In any other case, the figures of the leader and those who guessed his card move three steps forward. Each participant, including the leader, receives one point for each token on his card.
Now the played cards are discarded, and each player chooses one card. The round ends and the next player in clockwise order now becomes the leader. Special fields with tasks help to diversify the process.
The session ends when the deck and cards run out, or you can end the game if someone's elephant gets to the last cloud.
Versions and additions
The board game exists in several variations. They differ in a different set of cards, design and changed rules. The list of versions is as follows:
- "Imaginarium Soyuzmultfilm". This is a collector's edition with slightly changed rules and design in the style of a famous film studio.
- "Imaginarium Childhood". In the children's version, the rules are specially simplified, and the graphics are made with an emphasis on topics that may be more interesting for children.
- "Imaginarium 3D". Includes special glasses and stereoscopic images.
Additional card sets are also available for purchase:
- Ariadne.
- Pandora.
- Chimera (the only set with a limit of 18+).
- Odyssey.
There is also a lighter, road version of the game. It contains a playing field, figures and tokens.
Unfortunately, Imaginarium cannot be played online. As with Dixit, there are simply no versions of these games on the web, unless you have to look for some copies. But if the price does not seem too humane, on some sites you can find archives with the sources of the game, so that later you can print it yourself.
Attention, only TODAY!