The Hatter's Table

The Hatter’s Table is board game about discovering the hidden and wonderfully strange rules that govern an apparently irrational situation. Set around the Mad Hatter’s table, players must dash around the Wonderland tea party while trying to figure out what secret rules govern the other players' movement. The Mad Hatter character serves as both an audio guide and aid to chaos.

How do you play?

Each player has a secret rule. When play begins, the Mad Hatter shouts out instructions about where to move around the table: "Go sit at a tea cup," "Take a seat next to the March Hare," "Move one place counter-clockwise." Players move their tokens accordingly, unless they find themselves in a situation where they must follow their secret rule instead.

Your goal is to guess what secret rules the other players are following. If you can do so successfully, you are rewarded with buttons, and the first player to get fifteen buttons wins the game!

At first, the game might seem like madness, but once you get the hang of it you'll learn to use some strategy. Watch the other players carefully and take note whenever they disobey the Hatter's direction - that's when you know they must be following their rule. Each place around the table has two different states, and every state has two positions around the table. When the Hatter tells you to sit next to the March Hare, a clever player will pick the spot next to the Hare that will best hide their secret rule.