Rock for me… Paper for you… Scissors for him… Who beat who
Released by Ideal in 1967, Rock Paper Scissors was a board game adaptation of the classic hand game, played with levers, cards, and coloured game boards.
GAMEPLAY
At the start of a game, each player received a game board and a plastic selector, and the deck of Rock, Paper, and Scissors cards was spread out face down in the middle.
The action unfolded in rounds, each made up of three flips of the selector levers. Winners of these flips collected Rock, Paper, and Scissors cards to place on their boards, while duplicates were set aside in a discard pile. As the rounds progressed, players tried to be the first to fill their boards and then claim a final Win card.
Flips followed the familiar hierarchy: Scissors cut Paper, Paper covered Rock, and Rock broke Scissors. Ties were replayed, and if two players tied on a winning choice, they could either concede or continue flipping until one prevailed. With more than two players, extra rules applied. Ties among three required a redo, while in four-player games, one person sat out each round.
The first player to fill their board with all required Rock, Paper, and Scissors cards, along with a Win card, was declared the winner.
IN THE BOX
A complete game came with four individual game boards, three plastic selectors, 20 Rock cards, 16 Paper cards, 20 Scissors cards, and 4 Win cards. Instructions were printed inside the box cover.
COLLECTOR CONSIDERATIONS
The Rock Paper Scissors game is readily available on the secondary market. Make sure your copy includes all boards, selectors, and cards. As with many games from the 1960s, wear to the cards and selectors is common, so sets with cleaner components are more desirable.
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