Our step-by-step guide to the rules of how to play Apples to Apples Board Game. This is a submit and judge party game that is just as perfect for an adult group in their twenties as it is for the whole family. The key is that everyone is competing for who the chooser thinks put down the best card. You will need to be funny, poignant or whatever it takes to win over the judge. Learning all the how to play rules of Apples to Apples is very easy, you will be giving words and laughing in no time.
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HOW TO PLAY APPLES TO APPLES – WHAT IS IT?
The Game of Crazy Combinations! The wild, award-winning card and party game that provides instant fun for four to ten players! It’s as easy as “comparing apples to apples”… just open the tin, deal the cards, and you’re ready to play! Select the card from your hand that you think is best described by a card played by the judge. If the judge picks your card, you win that round. APPLES to APPLES is perfect for any get together with family and friends! The Party Box Tin comes complete with over 1,000 cards. Designed for 4 to 10 players, ages 12 years and up
HOW TO PLAY APPLES TO APPLES – STEP BY STEP
Time Needed: Approximately 30 minutes.
This is a step by step guide for how to play Apples To Apples the popular submit and judge party board game. Additional notions and special rules can be found below the list. These will be referenced for your convenience.
1. SETUP | Choose Starting Judge
To kick off how to play Apples to Apples setup, choose who will start. The game always has one person who doesn’t participate because they are choosing the winner. This is the judge. Use your randomizer of choice to decide who starts.
2. SETUP | Place Card Trays On Table
Take the tray or trays from out of the box and put them on the table. If you have a group on the smaller side, only use one, but if you have a bigger group and need to cover more area for people to grab from, you can use both.
3. SETUP | Shuffle Red and Green Decks
Shuffle up the different decks of cards and put the,m face down on the table for everyone to access and draw from. Cut the red into four stacks then add to the four deep wells in the card trays. Cut the green into two and put them in the shallow wells in the trays.
4. SETUP | Deal Out 7 Red Card Starting Hand
Each player needs to grab 7 red cards to form their opening hand. This is the final step of how to play Apples To Apples board game.
5. GAMEPLAY | Judge Flips Over Green Card
The active player (judge) flips over a green card from the top of the stack for everyone to work with.
6. GAMEPLAY | Other Players Submit Red Card
All non-active players look at the flipped green apple card and they decide which of their 7 red cards will best go with it. They put that card faced down in the center.
7. GAMEPLAY | Judge Chooses Winner
After all non-judge players have made a submission of a red card to the center, the judge goes through them all. After reading each out, they make a decision on which is best. The winner reveals themselves and they get to keep the won green card as a point towards winning the game.
8. GAMEPLAY | Draw Back Up To 7
At this point, anyone who played any red cards now draws back up until they have 7 cards in hand again.
9. GAMEPLAY | Pass & Repeat
After this is completed, the judge position moves to the player on the left and then this all starts again. This continues until the game ends.
10. GAME END | Hit Point Threshold
Depending on the number of players, there will be a number of green cards to hit for the game to end. In a 4 player game, the first player to 8 green cards wins, but in a 8 to 10 player game, it is the first player to get 4 green apple cards.
11. WINNING | Most Green Cards Collected
Whoever is the individual that collected enough green cards to hit the needed point threshold and end the game, wins.
HOW TO PLAY APPLES TO APPLES – KEY INFORMATION
GAME VARIATIONS
Apple Turnovers
For a change of taste, start by dealing five green apple cards to each player. The judge turns over a red apple card from the top of the stack. Players choose the green apples card from their hand that they think best describes it. The judge then selects the green apple card they thinks is best, and awards the red apple card to the person who played the selected green card.
Quick Pick For Four
With a group of four, players may play one or two red apple cards from their hands. Players attempting to play two cards must place them on the table, one card at a time. Only the first four red apple cards placed on the table will be judged.
Crab Apples
For a tart twist, choose and judge red apple cards that are the least like, or the opposite of, the word on the green apple card. For example, you might choose “Charging Rhinos” when the green card “Dainty” is played.
Big Apples
For the confident types, this is a way to put your apples where your mouth is! Two or more players boasting that the judge will pick their card can agree to each wager one of their green apple cards. If the judge selects one of their red apple cards, that player wins all waged cards. If no one is selected, the waged cards are forfeited to the bottom of the deck.
Apple Potpourri
For an unpredictable mix, each player selects a red apple card from their hand before the judge turns over the green apple card. After the red apple cards are played, the judge turns over a green apple card. As usual, the judge then selects the winning red apple card!
2 For 1 Apples
For a real deal, the judge turns over two green apple cards to start the round. Each player selects the red apple card from their hand that is best described by both green apple cards. After the judge selects a red apple card, both of the green apple cards are awarded to the winner.
GAME CONTENTS
- 749x Red Apple Cards
- 249x Green Apple Cards
- 10x Blank Cards (3x Green & 7x Red)
- 2x Deluxe Card Trays
- 1x Rule Pamphlet
HOW TO PLAY APPLES TO APPLES – IN CLOSING
We hope you can now say you know how to play Apples To Apples. This is a fun party game that could be for a group of adults just as easy as it could be for the whole family. A card comes up and you have a limited amount of choices to pick a submission that could best accompany it. Not only do you have to be funny or smart, but you really need to know your audience. Now that you have all the how to play Apples To Apples rules, go out there and have a good time!
