There are multiple ways to play our game.
Game One
Half Match: Monster Match
Object
Make as many monsters as you can by collecting the missing halves of your monsters.
Set up
Shuffle the deck and deal each player 5 cards. Players look at their cards but don’t show them to others. The rest of the deck is placed in the middle of the playing area.
How to play
The youngest player goes first. That person chooses a half monster from his/her hand to describe to another player. Using full sentences, the player must state at least 3 attributes about the monster s/he is looking for (i.e. Do you have a blue monster with one eye and striped feet?). Hand gestures should be kept to a minimum. The other player cannot answer if s/he has the match until the asking player has stated his/her entire description.
If the player has the match to the monster, s/he must hand it over, and the player who asked for the monster goes again. If the player does not have the monster being described, s/he says “No Monster,” and the asking player picks a card from the deck. If the player picks a monster from the deck that completes a match, s/he does not go again, and it is the next player’s turn. The game continues in this fashion until one player runs out of cards.
Consideration
If the players are having difficulty holding the cards in their hands, place a book or folder between players so players can put their cards down without others seeing their hand.
Winning the game
Once one player is out of cards, the player with the highest number of complete monsters wins the game.
Game Two
Half Match: Memory Monster
Object
Make as many complete monsters as possible.
Set up
Select a chosen number of monsters. Shuffle the selected cards and place them face down in organized rows. The youngest player goes first. That player selects two cards to flip over. If those two cards make a complete monster, the player puts them off to the side and goes again. If the two selected cards do not make a complete monster, the player turns them back over and the next player takes his/her turn. The game continues until all the monsters have been made.
Winning the game
The person who has the highest number of complete monsters wins the game.