That's Not a Hat

That's Not a Hat

3-8 players 15–20 min

In the box

  • 110 gift cards

Objective

Finish with the fewest penalty cards. Remember face-down gifts. Bluffing is allowed and expected.

Game end

The game ends at once when a player takes a third penalty card. The player with the fewest penalty cards wins.

What playing this feels like

Speed, attention and memory: None / Low / Medium / High. Timer is separate: none / optional / core. Bluffing: None / Optional / Conditional / Core. Breaks: Good / Medium / Poor.

Rules load
Low
Social pressure
Medium
Talking
Medium
Speed pressure
None
Timer
None
Direct conflict
Medium
Bluffing / deception
Conditional
Information load
High · Memory
Memory load
Very High
Attention pressure
High
Noise potential
Low–Medium
Break flexibility
Poor

A memory game more than a reading game.

Setup

  1. Deal. Shuffle the deck and deal one face-up card to each player. Place it in front of you. This starts your column.
  2. Stack. Stack the rest face up in the middle as the shop and choose the first player. The shop top card stays visible to all.

Walkthrough: first round

Worked opening: Ana draws a hat, shows it to all, and passes it face down to Ben saying 'I have a nice hat for you'. Ben says 'thank you' and places it face down above his starting card. Ben then passes his closest card to Carla, saying 'I have a nice plant for you'. Carla says 'That is not a plant' and flips it. It is a hat, so Ben takes it face up into his penalty pile.

  1. Draw. The starter draws the shop top card and shows it to all, then turns it face down. No one may look at it again until a flip.
  2. Give. Pass that card face down in the direction of the arrow on its back and say 'I have a nice X for you'. Say the true gift if you remember it. Invent one if you do not.
  3. Decide. The receiver says 'thank you' to accept with no flip, or says 'That is not a X' to refuse and flips the card face up at once. Accepted cards stay face down. A flipped card goes to whoever was wrong as one penalty point.
  4. Next. The player who takes the penalty places it face up in their own penalty pile, then draws the next shop card. Show it to all, turn it face down, and pass it by its arrow.

Rules

  1. Give. On your turn pass your closest face-down card in the direction of its back arrow with the same gift line. New cards go above old cards, so the closest card is always your oldest.
  2. Accept. Say 'thank you' and place the card face down above your column without looking at it. Accepted cards stay face down until you pass them. Do not peek.
  3. Refuse. Say 'That is not a X' and flip the card face up at once. If the claim was true, you were wrong so you take it. If the claim was false, the giver takes it.
  4. Keep. Keep penalty cards face up in your own pile, out of play. The third penalty card ends the game at once.

Examples

Common mistakes

Rules summary based on Ravensburger.

Keep learning

Play it at game night

Bring this guide with you. We will teach the rest at the table.