Twister

Overview

A vinyl mat of coloured circles, a spinner, and players tying themselves in knots. Fall over, or let an elbow or knee touch the mat, and you're out.

How far this page is checked. The rules below come from an older Hasbro Canada Twister instruction sheet (C4645), the only full rules Hasbro currently serves. The download for the current edition (98831) on Hasbro's instructions page is empty. That page's product description adds two new moves, covered in section 5. Check the sheet in your own box.

1. Setup

Spread the mat colour side up on the floor. Outdoors, weigh the corners down. Put the spinner on a level surface.

A third person, the referee, works the spinner.

2. Two players

1. Take your shoes off and stand at opposite ends of the mat, near the word "Twister".
2. Put one foot on the yellow circle and the other on the blue circle nearest your end.
3. The referee spins and calls both the limb and the colour, such as "right hand, red".
4. Both players must move that limb to any vacant circle of that colour.

Placement rules:

• Only one limb can be on a circle. If both players reach for the same one, the referee decides who got there first.
• Limbs already down can't be moved or lifted without a call. You may lift one limb to let another pass, but it must go straight back, and you must tell the referee first.
• If three limbs from each player are already on one colour, that colour is full, and the referee spins again until a different colour comes up.
• Otherwise you must move the called limb to another circle, even if it's already on that colour.

Winning: as soon as a player falls, or lets an elbow or knee touch the mat, the game ends and the other player wins. A player who thinks a position is impossible may concede.

3. Three players

Two players face each other from the ends as usual. The third faces the centre from the two middle red circles on the long side. The first to fall or touch with an elbow or knee drops out, and the other two play on until one is left.

4. Four players

Two teams of two. Each team lines up side by side on the four circles at its "Twister" end. All four players take every position called, and partners may share a circle, one limb each. When one player from either team falls or touches down, the other team wins.

The sheet also suggests round-robin and knockout tournaments for teams, and a two-player game with no spinner, where one player calls the limb and the other calls the colour.

5. The current edition

Hasbro's page for the current Twister (98831) says it is for 2 or more players, that a knee or elbow on the mat or a fall puts you out, and that the last player standing wins. It adds two spinner results:

• Spinner's Choice: the spinner makes up a move for the other player. There are suggestions on the back of the spinner.
• Air: the player must put a hand or foot in the air.

Commonly argued

• Elbows and knees are out, and so is falling.
• One limb per circle. The referee decides who got there first.
• You must move the called limb, even if it's already on that colour.
• You can lift a limb to let another pass, but tell the referee and put it straight back.
• In the four-player game, partners may share a circle.