How to Play Bananagrams Party

Game Objective

The objective of the game is to be the first to use all your letters to form a crossword. The player who achieves this and has an acceptable set of words becomes the TOP BANANA and wins the game.

Setup

1. Separate the 14 party peels with icons.
2. Place all 144 letter tiles face down in the middle of the table. These form the BUNCH.
3. Each player takes their starting tiles from the BUNCH. The number of starting tiles varies depending on the number of players:
   • 2 to 4 players: 21 starting tiles
   • 5 to 6 players: 15 starting tiles
   • 7 to 8 players: 11 starting tiles
4. Take each of the party peels and explain its special power to all players.
5. Add the party peels (face down) to the BUNCH and mix everything. It is suggested to play with all party peels, but players can use as many as they wish.

Gameplay Flow

The game progresses simultaneously and independently, without turns. Players race to arrange their letters into crosswords.

1. To begin, any player can shout "SPLIT!".
2. Simultaneously, everyone flips their own tiles face up and begins arranging them into crosswords. Words must be read horizontally (left to right) or vertically (top to bottom). Players can rearrange their layout at any time, as many times as they wish.
3. As soon as a player places their last face-up letter into their layout, they must shout "PEEL!".
4. All players — including the one who shouted "PEEL" — take another tile from the BUNCH to add to their own layout.

Actions and How to Play

Players can perform the following actions during the game:

• Arrange Crosswords: Players must arrange their letters into crosswords, read horizontally (left to right) or vertically (top to bottom). The layout can be rearranged at any time.
• PEEL!: When a player places their last face-up letter into their layout, they shout "PEEL!". All players take a new tile from the BUNCH.
• DUMP!: At any time, if a player is stuck with a difficult letter, they can shout "DUMP!" and place it back into the BUNCH, face down. In return, they MUST take three other tiles from the BUNCH. The DUMP! action can be used as many times as desired and does not affect other players. It is not possible to use DUMP! if there are fewer than three letters in the BUNCH.
• Party Peels: When a player draws a party peel from the BUNCH, they MUST use it immediately. Some have a unique effect, while others continue until the end of the hand. After the action is completed, the party peel is placed next to the player's layout, out of play. If two or more players draw party peels at the same time, whoever speaks first, acts first. Most party peels require the player to choose another player to perform the action.
  • SPELL: Place in front of someone. Instead of saying "PEEL", they must spell out loud the word "P-E-E-L", one letter at a time, until that hand is over.
  • FLAMINGO: Choose a player to stand on one leg until the end of the hand.
  • ONE HAND: The player who receives the tile can only use one hand to arrange their own tiles.
  • NARRATOR: The person who receives this tile must announce — loudly and clearly — every word they place in their layout!
  • BAG HEAD: The player you choose must balance the banana bag on their head for the rest of the hand.
  • NO THUMBS: Choose a player. They cannot use their thumbs for the rest of the game.
  • LITTLE GIFT: If you draw it, take any three letters — either from your layout or from the loose tiles — and give them to another player.
  • THE THIEF: Allows you to steal almost any tile from another player (from their layout, their pile, or a SHIELD or a BOMB). If a letter is stolen from your layout, you MUST adjust it before peeling.
  • TIME OUT!: The chosen opponent must take a 10-second break, counting aloud "One banana, two bananas..." up to ten. A player in this state continues to draw letters when others say "PEEL!", even if they cannot place them in their own layout at that moment.
  • MUSICAL CHAIRS: Leave your layout as it is, choose another player, and immediately swap places with them. Layouts and party peel effects are also swapped.
  • TAKE A LAP: The player who receives this tile must walk around the table, but needs to be quick to grab new tiles if someone says "PEEL!".
  • BOMBASTIC: If you draw a bomb, nothing happens. If you draw the second bomb, the power is activated immediately. You can completely demolish another player's layout, and they will need to start a brand new one.
  • THE SHIELD: If you draw this tile, place it in front of you. It protects you from ALL party peels — with the exception of BOMBASTIC — and remains active during the hand. It can be stolen with THE THIEF.
  • PARTY POOPER PENALTY: If you catch a player not following a rule or not playing a party peel when they should, you can call them a "PARTY POOPER!". They must immediately take two letters from the BUNCH. If only one is left, they take that tile. If there are no tiles left in the BUNCH, lucky them!

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends when the BUNCH has fewer tiles than the number of players and a player places their last letter in their layout.

1. At that moment, the player does not say "PEEL", but rather "BANANAS!".
2. The other players will check the layout of the player who shouted "BANANAS!".
3. If the layout has a misspelled word, a proper noun, abbreviation, or other unacceptable word, the others call the player a "ROTTEN BANANA!".
4. A "ROTTEN BANANA!" is out of the game. ALL letters and party peels from the "ROTTEN BANANA!" go back into the BUNCH face down.
5. The game continues for the other players until the BUNCH runs out again and someone else shouts "BANANAS!".
6. When someone shouts "BANANAS!" and has an acceptable layout, that person becomes the TOP BANANA and wins!

Tips for Winning

• Keep an eye on the number of letters in the BUNCH to know when the game is approaching its end and prepare to shout "BANANAS!".
• Use the "DUMP!" action strategically to get rid of difficult letters, even if it means taking more tiles, to keep your layout flowing.
• Act quickly when drawing party peels, as whoever speaks first, acts first, which can be crucial for activating an effect before others.