Top 124 · #22 of 32 in Party
Anomia / Blitz
Flip cards one after another, and the instant a symbol on the table matches another player's, you must be the first to shout the topic word on your opponent's card in this brain-freezing, laugh-out-loud reflex game. The rules are simple, but split-second reaction speed and vocabulary decide every duel.
Rules
On your turn you flip a card onto your own pile, and the instant your symbol matches someone else's, you must shout a word that fits the topic on their card before they can do the same to yours. You never know who you'll face off against next, which keeps everyone on edge even between turns.
Components — 120 cards (two 60-card sets)
| Component | Count | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cards | 120 (two sets of 60) | Each set has a different card back and is not mixed with the other; symbols are balanced within each set |
| Rulebook | 1 | Covers components, setup, play, Face-Offs, Wild Cards, and the ending, in that order |
A party game for 3–6 players aged 10 and up, taking about 20 minutes. Each card carries both a topic (category) and a symbol, and the topic text is printed a second time upside down so the player across the table can read it too.
Don't mix the two sets
The rules explain that having two sets "provides more variety, with each set balanced by its own symbol distribution." Use only one of the two sets for a given game.
Setup
- 1Choose one of the two card sets and shuffle it well.
- 2Split that set into two piles.
- 3Place the two piles face down in the center of the table, about 10 cm apart. That gap is where Wild Cards will later be placed.
- 4Whoever shuffled and set up the game becomes the first player.
A turn — draw and check the symbol
- 1Play passes clockwise. On your turn, draw 1 card from either central pile.
- 2Flip it away from yourself quickly, face up, so everyone can see it at the same time.
- 3If you already have a card in front of you, place the new one on top. This growing stack is your Play Pile.
- 4If the symbol doesn't match any other player's top card, play passes on. If it does match, a Face-Off begins between the two matching players.
The Face-Off
A Blitz! Face-Off is always one-on-one. Whoever first shouts a word that fits the topic on the opponent's card wins.
- 1The player who shouts a fitting word first takes the top card of the opponent's Play Pile.
- 2That card goes face down onto the winner's Score Pile. Cards in a Score Pile can no longer be taken or lost.
An answer can't be reused
The Korean rules state this as a fixed rule: the same word cannot win a Face-Off again, even for a different topic, and players not involved in a Face-Off may not give or hint at an answer.
A tie means a tie-breaker
If two players answer at the same instant, another player draws and reveals one card from a central pile, and the tied players face off again over that card's topic. The tie-break card then returns to the central pile (a Wild Card drawn for this purpose is set aside and a new card drawn instead).
Wild Cards
- 1When you draw a Wild Card, reveal it in the gap between the two central piles. It shows two symbols at once.
- 2If either of those two symbols currently sits atop any players' Play Piles, those two players face off.
- 3A new Wild Card is placed on top of the old one and takes over its effect.
- 4Whoever drew the Wild Card draws again afterward — but only once every Face-Off it triggered has been resolved.
Cascades
Winning a Face-Off is no reason to relax. Once the loser's top card is taken, a new card underneath it is revealed — and that can trigger another Face-Off immediately.
- 1Check the symbol on the card newly revealed atop the loser's Play Pile.
- 2If it matches anyone else's top card, those two players face off — and this chain can repeat several times.
- 3Nobody draws a new card from the center until every chained Face-Off has been resolved.
Others may point it out
If two matching cards sit in plain view and the players involved haven't noticed, anyone else may point out exactly who should be facing off. Making sure nobody misses a Face-Off matters.
End of the game
- 1The game ends once both central draw piles are exhausted.
- 2Each player counts the cards in their Score Pile.
- 3Whoever has the most cards in their Score Pile wins.
Only the cards taken in Face-Offs and placed in your Score Pile count toward winning. Cards still sitting in your Play Pile, never having been taken, don't count.
Notes from the rules
- Judging answers: The group decides together whether an answer counts. It needn't be a famous example — a local acquaintance or even a fictional character is fine. If someone objects, settle it by a vote; a tie counts as acceptable.
- Pointing out a Face-Off: If two matching symbols (or symbols named on a Wild Card) are in view but the players involved miss it, anyone else should speak up.
- How to flip a card: Always flip your card away from yourself so everyone can see it at the same moment.
- Three-player games: With 3 players, remove two symbols from the deck. This makes Face-Offs happen more often and keeps the game exciting. If you remove two symbols, also remove any Wild Card showing either of them.
Editions and Korean release
| Product | Korean release | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Blitz! (this guide) | Happy Baobab / Yaho Lounge — Blitz! | The Korean licensed edition of the original Anomia base game. Tin box, 120 cards |
| Blitz! One Word | Happy Baobab / Yaho Lounge — Blitz! One Word | Same 'Blitz' brand but a separate product with different components and rules (not covered by this guide) |
| Anomia Party Edition / X / Kids / 2.0 / Pop Culture | ⚠️ Unconfirmed Korean release | International Anomia expansions and spin-offs that appear to be sold only abroad |
The two similarly named 'Blitz' products are easy to confuse, but Boardm and Happy Baobab list them under different product codes as separate items.
Frequently asked questions
Q. Can I shuffle both card sets together?
It's not recommended. Each set has a different card back and its own symbol balance, and the rules direct you to use only one set per game.
Q. Is a Face-Off ever more than one-on-one?
In Blitz!, a Face-Off is always between exactly two players. A Cascade can chain into another Face-Off with a different player right afterward, though.
Q. Can I reuse an answer I already gave for a different topic?
No. The Korean edition forbids reusing an answer for the rest of the game, even to win a Face-Off on a different topic.
Q. If two Wild Cards stack up, do both stay in effect?
No. A new Wild Card is placed on top of the old one, and from that point only the new Wild Card's two symbols trigger Face-Offs.
Q. Do the cards still in my Play Pile count toward my score?
No. Only cards taken in Face-Offs and placed in your Score Pile count. Cards still sitting, untaken, in your Play Pile don't score.
Q. Can this be played with two players?
The Korean rules don't include a two-player variant; they're written for 3–6 players, with only a 3-player variant that removes two symbols.
History and verification scope
According to English Wikipedia, the original Anomia was designed by Andrew Innes and released by Anomia Press in 2009, winning a 2010 Mensa Select award and an ASTRA Best Children's Toy award that same year. It was followed by Party Edition (2013), Anomia X (2017), Anomia Kids (2017), Anomia 2.0 (2021), and Anomia Pop Culture (2022), and has reportedly been published in 15 languages across more than 20 countries.
The Korean rulebook states that "Blitz! (originally ANOMIA) is published under a license agreement with Anomia Press LLC (USA)." It is distributed in Korea under Happy Baobab's party-game brand, Yaho Lounge, and retailers such as Boardm likewise credit designer Andrew Innes.
No dedicated Namuwiki article
Namuwiki's 'Blitz' article is a disambiguation page covering unrelated meanings of the word (an air raid, a car-tuning brand, an American football tactic, and more) and does not cover this board game. No 'Anomia' article exists either (checked 2026-10-10).
Sources
Happy Baobab (Yaho Lounge) official Korean rules PDF — Blitz! (2022 printing)Anomia Press official English rules PDF — Anomia base game (First Edition, 2009)Boardm — Blitz! product page (designer, player count, and age cross-check)Wiki cross-check — Wikipedia: Anomia (game)Wiki cross-check — Namuwiki search for 'Blitz' (only a disambiguation page; no dedicated article found, checked 2026-10-10)Rule summaries are reference content written by us, not quotations from the official rulebook. Always check the official rulebook for exact rules. Diagrams are original schematics, not rulebook illustrations.
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Last updated 2026-10-10
💡 Master tip
Don't just stare at your own card's symbol — memorizing what topic (category) sits on everyone else's table card ahead of time is the real trick to winning duels. Having a few answers ready in advance for common categories makes your reaction time much faster.
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