Cranium is a great game.

But it's got some issues.

Here's how to fix them.

(further submissions and suggestions welcome...)

CRANIUM: House Rules

Definitions:

“Subject” = humdinger, cameo, etc.

“CC” = Club Cranium.

"Actor" = the person singing, humming, etc.

These rules overrule the rules included with the game where they conflict.

• The team with youngest player picks their color first
• The team with oldest player goes first.  From there, turns goes clockwise around the table.
• Unless everyone agrees beforehand, you always take the "fast track".  Always. 
• It's up to each team to pick their own actor.  They can use the same actor every time if they want, although that's not much fun.
• For Copycat cards, you can literally say anything other than people or places. You don’t have to actually do an impression.
• If you’ve seen a question card before, congratulations. Get it right and keep your mouth shut.
• Getting a card right does not entitle you to another turn.
• The team that draws a CC is entitled to another card after the CC is finished (and if they draw another CC, they get yet another card when that one's done, etc).
• Any “card fouls” (eg, two people on team seeing the card, or not noticing that the card was a CC) are handled like this:

Card is “discarded” as used

The next card is used instead (even if it is a different subject)

If the first card was a CC, then the next one is treated like it. If the first one was not, then the next one is treated as if it was not.\

Of course, a team cannot deliberately foul to get a new card.

• Any “performance fouls” (eg drawing letters in a cloodle) result in the team losing the turn (if not a CC). If it is a CC, then treat it like a “card foul”, except that the team that messed up is prohibited from guessing.
• Even when talking or gesturing is not allowed, expressions of frustration, encouragement, etc are allowable.  Words are an instant disqualification. This means that  “mm-hmm” is ok, while “ok, almost” is not.
• In the case where the actor doesn’t understand or isn’t sure of the answer (e.g. a “humdinger” where they do not know the song), they can ask everyone on the other teams if they know it. If anyone does, they go into a different room and explain the answer/sing the song. If no one knows it, then it's treated like a card foul. The actor can’t feign ignorance just because it’s a hard one.