How to play · Presents Requested
Learn to Play
Prefer to learn by watching? Start with this quick overview of the roles, rounds, and how the kids in Santa’s workshop are secretly trying to make or break Christmas.
Who’s who
Three Roles, One Workshop
You’re all kids in Santa’s workshop, secretly trying to help finish toys, break toys, or pursue a private goal. The card you draw at the start of the game decides which.
Build the toys
Push the Present Point marker toward the Nice side by playing helpful Bits ’n Bobs cards into Toys on Santa’s list. Watch how others play and try to vote Naughty and Elf Kids into Timeout before Christmas arrives.
Break the toys
Secretly slip slime, spray paint, and other chaos into the Toys to pull the score toward the Naughty side. Bluff, mislead, and stay quiet enough to avoid getting voted into Timeout.
Chase the Elf Goal
Score points like a Nice Kid, but you’re really after a personal Elf Goal on the Present Point track. Reach that goal space before the game ends and you win, no matter what the rest of the workshop is doing.
Before you start
Setup
Four quick steps and you’re ready for your first round in the workshop.
Get the workshop ready
Place the board in the center and use the Setup Chart to set the Countdown and role tokens (Nice, Naughty, Elf) on the Present Point track.
Deal roles
Shuffle the Naughty/Nice role cards and deal 1 facedown card to each player. Peek at your own role but keep it secret.
Give starting cards
Deal each player 4 Bits ’n Bobs cards and 1 Event card. Shuffle the Toys and lay out the starting row under the board, with the Toy deck and Bits ’n Bobs deck (and discard piles) nearby.
Choose a Leader
Pick one player to take the Leader’s Checklist and guide the round. The Leader role passes around the table as the game progresses.
Every turn
How a Round Plays Out
Every round has the same three beats: play, talk, vote.
Play cards to Toys
The Leader seeds each Toy with 1 face-down Bits ’n Bobs card. In turn order, each player adds 1 card face down to any Toy, then may discard and draw back up to 4 cards. You can’t say exactly what you’re playing.
Toy by toy, the Leader reveals the cards, marks matching icons as built or broken, and moves the team markers. If a Toy is both built and broken, it counts as broken.
Timeout vote
Players discuss for up to 90 seconds, then point and vote at the same time. A simple majority sends that kid to Timeout: they reveal their role and move their hat token to Timeout, and everyone else gains an Event card. If the Elf is sent out, move their goal marker farther away.
How the game ends
The game can end when the Countdown reaches Christmas, when one side wins by Timeout, or when the Elf Kid reaches their goal space. The rulebook adds full scoring details and optional Stocking Stuffer missions for extra secret objectives.
Reference
Download the Full Rulebook
The PDF includes setup details, the role reference, the round structure, and worked examples. This page is a quick overview; the rulebook is the full reference for your game night.