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Smarty Party!
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Pass-Ackwords
2012
Rules assistance for Pass-Ackwords
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 4 players
- 40–60 min
- 12+
- Complexity 1.3/5
For 4 players
Rules assistant for Pass-Ackwords
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Pass-Ackwords is a board game released in 2012 for 4 players, 40–60 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Aaron Weissblum and David Arnott.
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About the game
As the name suggests, Pass-Ackwords turns the long-lived game of Password on its head, with players now giving clues that they hope their "partner" will not decipher in the right way. As in Password, four players compete in teams of two; unlike in Password, you and a member of the opposing team take turns giving clues to the remaining player on the opposing team. How this works is that the clue givers have a device that shows a list of clues. Each turn, one clue giver chooses one of the listed clues, presents it to the opposing guesser, and hopes that he presented it with the wrong intonation so that the guesser won't guess the secret code word. As the crummy clues are used up, the clues will get better and better, so your challenge as the clue giver is to quickly figure out what might give a hint to your partner without giving the thing away entirely – which again is pretty much like Password!
Questions and answers
Pass-Ackwords supports 4 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Pass-Ackwords is 40–60 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Pass-Ackwords for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Pass-Ackwords has a complexity rating of 1.3 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Pass-Ackwords belongs to these categories: Party Game. Categories describe the theme, setting and style of a game rather than its rules. Filter the catalogue by the same category to find similar games when you enjoyed Pass-Ackwords and want something comparable for your next game night.
The credited designers of Pass-Ackwords are: Aaron Weissblum and David Arnott. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Pass-Ackwords as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.