Exception!™
Flagpole Edition
Rules and Clarifications
A Blood & Cardstock Game
by Joan Wendland
© 2020
Exception! is an exceptional Blood & Cardstock game for 4-8 spin doctors.
Set up: Deal 5 exception cards (gray) to each player. Flip 4 rules cards (buff) face up onto the table. If a Prove It! card is flipped over during set up just shuffle it back into the deck and flip until there are 4 rules showing. You may pick the first active player in any manner you like as long as it doesn’t cause endless bickering. In the event of bickering deal one exception card to each player, and the player with the first card alphabetically will be the active player.
Play: The active player selects a rule for the round. All of the other players will pitch one of their exception cards and explain how it disproves the rule. (Note: Flavor text in small print below the exception is for entertainment purposes only. You can ignore it.) The active player will select one player as having the best exception to the rule. That player wins the round. The winner takes the rule and places it on the table to keep score.
All exceptions played that round are discarded and new cards are drawn to replace. The next player becomes the active player, and a new rule is flipped up onto the table. Play proceeds in a clockwise direction from the active player – both for explaining exceptions and for proceeding to the next active player. If a Prove it! card is flipped onto the table, the new round will be a Prove it! round.
Prove it! Rounds: When starting a Prove it! round, flip a new rule onto the table to replace the Prove it! that triggered the round. If the rule flipped to replace the Prove it! is another Prove it! just shuffle it back into the deck as you did during set up. The active player still picks the rule for the round, but now the other players are trying to PROVE the rule with their exception cards. After the Prove it! round the rules revert to normal.
Couldn’t Be Any Worse Rule: If a player can’t pitch any of his cards for a rule, he may opt to flip the top card of the Exception deck instead. The player must then argue the exception revealed. If you exercise the Couldn’t Be Any Worse rule you do not get to draw a new exception card at the end of the round.
Winning: The first player to win 4 rounds (holds 4 rule cards) is the winner. If you find that’s too long to play call, a house rule on it and play to 3. I’m not going to obsess over it if you aren’t. Exception! was designed to be a quick and fun game. You’ve won just by playing it with your friends and having a laugh.
Quick and Dirty Summary:
• Deal each player 5 exception cards
• Place 4 rule cards face up on the table
• Active player picks a rule
• Other players pitch exceptions to the rule
• Active player picks winning player
• Winning player receives the rule card
• All exception cards used in play are discarded
• Players draw back up to 5 exception cards
• Repeat as necessary until one player has 4 rule cards
Dedication: This game is dedicated to all my victims playtesters. Without you these games would be more broken than Congress. We honor your sacrifice.