THE SOUND CYPHER INSTRUCTIONS
If a picture is worth 1,000 words, then a video is worth a million words.
Instructions
Setting Up your CypheRTo get started, you'll need the game (duh!) and at least one phone, tablet, computer or smart TV and access to the internet. The bigger, the better... especially for larger parties. A big screen helps people get into the game, but just a phone will work for small groups. Go to YouTube* on whatever device you're playing on and turn on Theater Mode. This way, you'll only see the player and the top 8 search results and the game moves quicker. (* We recommend YouTube because there's so much music on it for free.) 1. Pick a cardFirst, if you have one edition of the game, shuffle the cards. Put the deck in the middle of the party group. If you have the Open Season, R&B and Hip-Hop Editions, shuffle the cards together. (That's 214 cards!) Then pile them up in the center in one or more piles. The first person who picks is the first person that can show something music-related on their person. (Something like an artist/band tattoo, an article of clothing, jewelry, the wallpaper of their phone, anything is fine if it's music-related!) If nobody is wearing something like that, the person who went to a concert most recently starts the game. Each of the cards has a fun category on it like, "A song you associate with the state of California", or "Any genre, any time period; The worst song you've ever heard". Each player will get a chance to pick a card and start off picking the song. 2. Play a SonGOnce you've picked a card, you have 90 seconds to think of your best answer and start playing the song. Remember, you can only use the search bar on YouTube. Don't go looking on any top 10 lists for inspiration now! Your choice could be the most accurate, it could be the funniest, it could be the most unique... that's up to you. (That's the best part of this musical game for the whole family!) Once you start, the next picker has 2 minutes or until the second chorus to select their song to play, whichever is shorter. This repeats until everybody has had a turn. The turn ends at the end of the first verse of the final player's song, and voting begins. 3. Pick the BesTWhile the songs are playing, everyone gets a chance to explain their song or why you should vote for their song this round. (Or why they shouldn't vote for someone else's'!) At the end of the round, everybody votes. The player with the most votes in each round wins the points! There are a few rules to keep in mind when you're voting:
Scoring
There are two ways to vote who you think wins the round: Live Democratic Voting In this variation, players vote and make the case for their songs live. This version is a great game for kids' parties and family occasions where you're free to be as loud as you like! Voting Cards Players hand in voting cards to one person who tallies the votes. This makes for a quieter game for public places and quieter occasions. |
ON Screen Instructions
|
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHAT IS NEEDED TO PLAY THE SOUND CYPHER?
Quick Answer: 1) A set of The Sound Cypher, 2) a Device, 3) Access to a Music Library and 4) Access to the Internet
The Detailed Answer:
The Detailed Answer:
- A set of The Sound Cypher cards - each set of The Sound Cypher was designed to be flexible enough to play separately or combined.
- A device to play music - The Sound Cypher is a music based game so naturally having a device to listen to music is a part of playing the game. For at home or group play we recommend using either a SmartTV, a Tablet + Bluetooth Speaker or a Phone + Bluetooth Speaker. For road trip play we recommend using a smartphone + the car's audio system via bluetooth or aux cord. For travel play (bus/plane/train) we recommend using a smartphone + a pair of earbuds OR headphones + a headphone splitter.
- Access to a music library - For the best game play experience, we recommend Youtube. Why Youtube?!? 1) it's a free service, 2) it offers the most flexibility musically and has the widest variety of music (even the most obscure), 3) it's the most forgiving when searching for songs that you don't know the artist or song name ( a few badly typed lyrics will get you what you were looking for), 4) video adds a level of reminisce & laughter value element to the game and 5) it's accessible to everyone without a subscription
- Access to the internet
What age is the sound cypher suitable for?
Quick Answer: 12 to 65+
The Detailed Answer: During the development of The Sound Cypher we played the game with a variety of people. The youngest players to assist in testing the game were 7 years old and the oldest were 65. We recommend adding children below 10 years of age to an adult's team to help in selecting songs, but allow them to vote individually for the song they like the best. From our research, we prescribe this because, children's musical knowledge up to a certain age is heavily based in TV themes, Film scores and Parent's Favorites. These seeds of musical taste are great but due to the nature of the game, we don't want to disadvantage our younger players. Participating in song selection, voting and winning cards as a team helps to keep kids engaged and exposes them to a variety of new music.
The Detailed Answer: During the development of The Sound Cypher we played the game with a variety of people. The youngest players to assist in testing the game were 7 years old and the oldest were 65. We recommend adding children below 10 years of age to an adult's team to help in selecting songs, but allow them to vote individually for the song they like the best. From our research, we prescribe this because, children's musical knowledge up to a certain age is heavily based in TV themes, Film scores and Parent's Favorites. These seeds of musical taste are great but due to the nature of the game, we don't want to disadvantage our younger players. Participating in song selection, voting and winning cards as a team helps to keep kids engaged and exposes them to a variety of new music.
How many players can play The Sound Cypher at once?
Quick Answer: 2 - 10
Detailed Answer:
Playing The Sound Cypher requires at least 1 other person (1v1 version) but can be played with up to 10 individuals or teams. Based on our experience the ideal number of players for The Sound Cypher is between 3 and 7. The Sound Cypher standard rules & instructions are based on games played with 3 to 7 people. Below are a few small variations in game play based on less or more people.
Detailed Answer:
Playing The Sound Cypher requires at least 1 other person (1v1 version) but can be played with up to 10 individuals or teams. Based on our experience the ideal number of players for The Sound Cypher is between 3 and 7. The Sound Cypher standard rules & instructions are based on games played with 3 to 7 people. Below are a few small variations in game play based on less or more people.
- 1 vs 1 Game Play is different because when you play against another person there will always be a tie! In this circumstance, we use the power of the masses to determine the winner. The song with the most YouTube views wins! All of the other rules apply!
- 8 to 10 Game Play is different because of the number of songs played per round! When playing with large groups sometimes it gets tough to remember who played what song. We created voting cards to help minimize this. At the onset of the game each player is assigned a number, 1 through 10. These numbers stay the same throughout the game. As songs are played we recommend turning your voting cards to the side to designate your favorites. When it comes time to vote you'll typically have 2-4 cards turned sideways which will help you to narrow your choice. To vote toss the card into the pile for the host to tally the scores. All other rules apply.
- Team Game Play is designed for people to host up to 10 teams in various settings. There are separate instructions for this game play variation so we won't go into much detail. However it is perfect for Family Reunions, Homecomings, Birthday Parties, Pubs, Bars and Restaurants.
Have another question? Let us know!