Poetic License is a whimsical word drafting and poem crafting card game for three to five preferably preposterous poets
Watch the Video Overview
Enjoy this preview of Poetic License, which includes gameplay and instruction overviews.
What’s in the Box?!
Word Bank Cards x126 (40 Nouns, 40 Verbs, 24 Adjectives,16 Adverbs, 6 Wilds)
Parts of Speech Cards x36 (10 Articles, 6 Conjunctions, 6 Interjections, 6 Prepositions, 8 Pronouns)
Snap Cards x48 (12 One Snap, 12 Two Snap, 12 Three Snap, 12 Four Snap)
Rules Reference Cards x5
Instruction Card x1
What People Are Saying
"Poetic License is easy to learn, fast to play, and taps into my creativity with every game!"
— The Level Up Board Game Podcast
“Not only is Poetic License a fun, creative, and easy to learn game, it’s also a great teaching tool for the different parts of speech. This game is a win–win!”
— Tabletop Rebellion
"This game inspires sentence creativity, includes lots of laughs, and aids in learning parts of speech, all while having so much fun building unique Haiku poems! We have a blast playing it over and over!"
— Kidsplaining
“Families looking for a game that multiple ages can play, learn, and laugh with should consider Poetic License. Our family will continue to play the game regularly and bring it to gatherings to play with others.”
— The Old Schoolhouse Magazine
Wade Hayes
Creator, Poetic License
Ready to play?
Watch and learn how to play!
Watch our video to quickly and easily learn how to play this fun and fast-paced game for the whole family! If you’d like to download our written instructions as well, scroll down to choose which format works best for you.
Thank you so much for your support! Please share your best haikus with us, we’d love to see them!
The Basics of How to Play
Selecting and Playing a Word Bank Card. Inspect the Hand you currently hold and select one word to add to your poem. All words are added sequentially, or in the order that they are chosen, to your poem to create a “haiku.” A haiku has 5 syllables on the first line, 7 on the second line, and 5 on the third line. Syllables are denoted by dots on the corner of each card.
Playing a Parts of Speech Card. Instead of choosing a card from your current Hand to add as the next word of your poem, add the top card from a Parts of Speech Deck. Once you have taken the card, flip the next unrevealed card in that Parts of Speech Deck.
Using Your Poetic License. Use your Poetic License to modify your poem by making one of the following changes per turn: Switch a Card: You may switch the location of ONE card within your poem. The card can be moved anywhere, but each line must still have the correct number of syllables.
Swap a Card: You may swap ONE card from your poem with ONE card from your Hand. Each line must still have the correct number of syllables. After every action, players pass their Hands to the next player. The faster players finish, the more Snap points they can win. When everyone has crafted their masterpiece, players perform their poems to earn points from other players.
Instructions
Download or print your own copy
Click to Download the Six- Page Mobile Friendly Full Size Version
Click to Download the Two Page Print and Fold Version (it will fit in the game box!)