Insheepnia
Count your sheep. Steal theirs. Fall asleep first.
How to play
It's 3am and you're wide awake. Everyone has a secret bed card showing how many sheep they need to fall asleep. Be the first to hit your number exactly and you win.
There's no paper rulebook in the box. This page is the rulebook, and we've left room for you to bend the rules and make the game your own. Got a house rule you love? Share it with us.
Setup
-
Check the corner symbols. Some sheep cards have
a symbol in the top corner, showing how many players you need to
use that card:
Cloud = 3+ players
Star = 5+ players
Moon = 7+ players
Take out any your group is too small for:
Players Take out 2 Cloud, Star and Moon cards 3-4 Star and Moon cards 5-6 Moon cards 7-8 Nothing, use them all - Shuffle the 8 bed cards and deal one face down to each player. Peek at yours and keep it secret. Put any spare bed cards back in the box without looking.
- Shuffle the main deck and put it in the middle. Everyone starts with no cards. You're lying in bed, wide awake.
- Whoever went to bed last last night goes first. Play goes clockwise.
Your turn
Do one of these:
- Draw the top card of the deck.
- Play one power or modifier card and do what it says.
- Announce that you're falling asleep (see Winning).
Hand limit: 7 cards. If you have more than 7 at the end of your turn, discard down to 7. Handy if you've got too many sheep!
Warm Milk is the exception: play it any time to block a card that affects you. It doesn't use your turn.
Counting your sheep
- Only the 1, 2 and 3 Sheep cards in your hand count. Power and modifier cards count as nothing.
- Black Sheep are unlucky. If you draw one, you have to keep it. You can't give it away. It counts as −1 sheep in your hand. Get rid of it with Shear, when someone steals it, or when you have to discard (going over 7 cards or a Fire Alarm).
- Modifier cards also stay face up in a player's bed (in front of them). Your sheep needed is your bed number, plus or minus every modifier in your bed. It can never go below 1.
- Nothing stacks. A bed can only hold one of each card: one Insomnia, one Double Espresso and so on. You can't play a card into a bed that already has one.
- Too many sheep? You're not out, you just can't fall asleep yet. Time to shear some off!
Winning
On your turn, announce and reveal your hand and your bed card.
- Exactly right? You fall asleep and win. Sweet dreams!
- Not quite? False alarm! Every other player takes one random card from your hand, and play carries on.
Because announcing uses your turn, if you hit your number you'll have to survive one round of everyone else first. Hide that smile.
Playing with younger kids? Leave out the false alarm penalty.
Card guide
112 cards in the box: 104 in the main deck, plus 8 bed cards.
Sheep cards 62
The sheep you’re counting. The 1, 2 and 3 Sheep count in your hand. A Black Sheep in your hand takes one away.
1 Sheep 22
Counts as 1 sheep.
2 Sheep 20
Counts as 2 sheep.
3 Sheep 16
Counts as 3 sheep.
Black Sheep 4
Keep this card. You can’t give it away. It counts as −1 sheep in your hand. Get rid of it with Shear, when someone steals it, or when you have to discard.
Power cards 31
Play one on your turn (Warm Milk can be played any time). Power cards don’t count as sheep.
Wolf 5
Take one random card from another player’s hand.
Warm Milk 4
Play any time to block a card that affects you, even ones that hit everyone. Doesn’t use your turn.
Shear 4
Discard one card from your own hand. The best way to get rid of a Black Sheep.
Lullaby 3
Draw 2 cards.
Snore 3
The next player skips their turn.
Night Owl 2
Secretly look at another player’s bed card.
Sleepwalker 2
Swap your whole hand with another player’s.
Nightmare 2
Every player passes one random card to the player on their left.
Fire Alarm 2
Every other player discards down to 3 cards.
Duvet Hog 2
Take two random cards from another player’s hand.
Midnight Snack 2
Take any one card from the discard pile.
Modifier cards 11
These stay face up in a player’s bed and change how many sheep they need, until that player clears them with Earplugs. A bed can only hold one of each.
Double Espresso 3
Another player needs +1 sheep. Put this in their bed.
Insomnia 2
Another player needs +2 sheep. Put this in their bed.
Neighbour’s Dog 1
Every other player needs +1 sheep. Put this in your own bed.
Hot Water Bottle 2
You need −1 sheep. Put this in your bed, or in another player’s.
Earplugs 3
Only works for you. Discard one card from your bed, or keep this in your bed to block out the Neighbour’s Dog.
Bed cards 8
One each, dealt face down. Your secret number.
Bed card: 8 2
You need 8 sheep to fall asleep. Keep it secret!
Bed card: 9 2
You need 9 sheep to fall asleep. Keep it secret!
Bed card: 10 2
You need 10 sheep to fall asleep. Keep it secret!
Bed card: 11 2
You need 11 sheep to fall asleep. Keep it secret!
House rules
We're Casa Tea Games because we home-brew our games. Every group ends up with its own way of playing, so tell us yours and other players can give it a go.
Rules from players
Share your house rule
Rule received!
Thanks for sharing. If it's a keeper, we'll put it on the wall (Larry will count the sheep first).
Questions About Insheepnia
You can't fall asleep yet, but you're not out. Shear some off, discard when you go over 7 cards, or hope you draw a Black Sheep (for once, a lucky one!). The other players can also push your number up with a modifier, which might accidentally help you.
Anything that affects you, including cards that hit everyone. Block a Fire Alarm and you keep your whole hand. Block a Neighbour's Dog and it doesn't count for you. Block a Nightmare and you sit it out: you don't pass a card or get one, and the player on your right passes theirs straight to the player on your left. Warm Milk only protects you, so everyone else is still affected.
Unlucky! You have to keep it, and you can't give it away. While it's in your hand it counts as −1 sheep, so if you've got 9 sheep and a Black Sheep, you've really got 8. There are three ways out: play Shear on it, have someone steal it (Wolf, Duvet Hog, Sleepwalker or Nightmare can all move it to another hand), or discard it when you have to (going over 7 cards or a Fire Alarm). If it's stolen, the new owner is stuck with it instead. And sometimes it's handy: if you've got one sheep too many, a Black Sheep fixes it.
No. Nothing stacks: a bed can only hold one of each card. Someone can have Insomnia and a Double Espresso at the same time, but never two Insomnias or two Double Espressos. We tested it, and stacking just let one unlucky player get buried without making the game any better.
Earplugs only ever help the player who plays them. Put them in your bed and the dog's +1 no longer counts for you, but it keeps barking for everyone else. If you'd rather, you can use Earplugs to clear a Double Espresso or Insomnia from your bed instead.
Shuffle the discard pile to make a new deck and carry on.
They show how many players you need to use that card: a cloud is 3+ players, a star is 5+ and a moon is 7+. Cards with no symbol are always in. Fewer players means fewer sheep in the deck, which keeps games short and the power cards spicy. See Setup for which cards to take out.
Yes! It's designed for ages 8 and up. If players can count to 11 and don't mind a bit of sheep theft, they're ready. For younger players, you can leave out the false alarm penalty.
Usually 10 to 15 minutes. Bigger groups (and bigger arguments about who stole whose sheep) take a bit longer.