Overview

Concept is a party game where players guess words and phrases through the association of universal icons on a game board. A team of two neighboring players selects a word or phrase, then places pawns and cubes on icons to provide clues. The first player to guess correctly earns 2 VP; team members earn 1 VP each. The player with the most points wins.

Components

• 1 game board with universal icons
• 5 sets of pawns and cubes:
  • 1 green set: main concept pawn (large question mark) + 10 cubes
  • 4 sets (blue, red, yellow, black): sub-concept pawn (exclamation mark) + 8 cubes each
• 110 Concept cards, each with 9 words/phrases in 3 difficulty categories (Easy, Hard, Challenging)
• Single VP tokens (worth 1 VP each)
• Double VP tokens (worth 2 VP each)
• 2 player aids
• 1 storage bowl

Setup

1. Place the icon game board in the center of the table so all players can see and reach it.
2. Shuffle the Concept cards and place the deck face down.
3. Create a pile of 12 Double VP tokens and lots of Single VP tokens.
4. Place all pawns and cubes in the bowl.
5. Determine the first team: two neighbors at the table.

Turn Structure

Game Round

1. The team draws a Concept card and selects a word or phrase (Easy recommended for beginners; Challenging requires mastery by all players).
2. The team places the green main concept pawn on the board to represent the core category, then adds green cubes to clarify.
3. If needed, the team develops sub-concepts using additional colored pawns and matching cubes.
4. Other players attempt to guess the word or phrase.
5. The first correct guesser receives 1 Double token (2 VP). Each team member receives 1 Single token (1 VP).
6. The next two players clockwise become the new team and draw a new card.

Actions

Giving Clues (Team)

• Place the main concept pawn (green) first, then green cubes to refine.
• Add sub-concept pawns (blue, red, yellow, black) and their matching cubes for additional layers of meaning.
• The order of cube placement can be meaningful; remove and re-place cubes to emphasize order.
• Team members may talk and consult discreetly.
• Team members place cubes freely (not required to alternate).
• No limits or penalties on the number of pieces used.
• Team members may say “yes” when others are on the right track but cannot otherwise communicate directly.
• If others are lost, the team may wipe the board clean and restart along a different path.

Guessing (Other Players)

• Other players may guess as often as they wish.
• If no one guesses after some time, the team may invite a third player to assist.
• If no one can guess even with help, the word is abandoned and no one scores.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Event	Tokens Earned
First correct guesser	1 Double token (2 VP)
Each team member	1 Single token (1 VP)

The game ends once all 12 Double VP tokens have been claimed. The player(s) with the most VP win.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• The player aids contain a non-exhaustive list of icon meanings; icons may have multiple interpretations.
• Hard and Challenging words do not grant more points by default (house rule to add 1-2 extra VP is suggested).
• The game can be played without scoring for a purely casual experience.
• Sub-concepts refine or narrow the main concept; use color coding to distinguish different sub-concepts.
• All ideas for icon associations are valid as long as other players can understand.

Player Reference

Pawn Color	Role
Green (?)	Main concept
Blue (!)	Sub-concept 1
Red (!)	Sub-concept 2
Yellow (!)	Sub-concept 3
Black (!)	Sub-concept 4

Difficulty	Recommendation
Easy	First games
Hard	Experienced players
Challenging	Mastery by all players