Dueling Board Game Reviews, Part II: Say Anything

After several rowdy games of Wits & Wagers, we took a peanut butter cookie break, regrouped, and began eying the next game on our list: Say Anything. Another party game. How would it hold up, though? Wits & Wagers had already been a fairly solid success that evening, but we knew it probably would be. We had more familiarity with Wits, and frankly, knew almost nothing about Say Anything.

Well the good news is that, as is the case with most party games, a 10-minute perusal of the rules is all it took before we were off and running with out first game. Here's how it went.

Disclosure: The makers of Wits & Wagers and Say Anything, North Star Games, contacted this blog's author about creating this review, and for the purposes of making these reviews possible, copies of the games were provided by the game manufacturer.

Play Scenario:

This review is based on three initial plays of the game, with four players for each game--two men and two women. Served with cocktails. But no ice. It had melted.

Game Objective:

Say Anything has one prime objective: Guess what your game mates think and feel about different questions. On your turn, you become the "Selector" (which, when pronounced just right, has a very cyborg, Schwarzenegger sound to it.), draw a card from the (smallish) deck, and choose one of the questions to read to the group. "What's the best movie sequel of all-time?" or "What's the most useless thing students learn in school?". Most of the questions are based on entertainment and leisure topics, but a handful can be politically charged or more pointed. All the players then use dry erase pens and mini dry erase cards to write down what they think the person asking the question would give as an answer. Very Apples to Apples-ish. Except that instead of the "Selector" simply choosing the answer that's best suited to his/her tastes, the group also votes on which is most likely the best match.

I hope you know the people at your game table! Or this could be an awkward night...

Turn Mechanics & Game Play: 

The game starts once everybody has picked a color (which, by the way, comes with an associated icon that can be very disappointing to people who, say, like purple, but don't want to be the "shoe person" all night) and received a dry erase marker and writing board. After the "Selector" chooses their favorite question and reads it aloud, everyone scribbles an answer that best kisses the Selector's ass best matches the Selector's personality, and passes their writing boards into the center, where they are all read aloud.

Next the Selector uses the SELECT-O-MATIC 5000 (read: the little cardboard spinner) to secretly vote for his/her favorite answer. Then everybody uses two player tokens to rate which answer most likely pleased the Selector. Once the judgment is revealed to the whole table, points are distributed and recorded on a dry erase scoreboard. This continues for 12 rounds, when the game ends and the person with the highest point totals wins!

Dan's Question: "What organization would we be better off without?"

Out of the Box:

It's very evident that a similar level of care was put into the game design for Say Anything as there was for Wits & Wagers. The dry erase boards are thick and sturdy, including the score card, which is a refreshing and eco-friendly alternative to traditional scorepads of paper. Hooray! No more worrying about replacement score sheets either. Hooray!

The markers are perfectly nice, just as they were for Wits & Wagers. For details on their quality and their likelihood to cause freckling on your kitchen table, read our Wits & Wagers review HERE.

There were two major design issues with the game, though. First, was the lack of cards. I griped about this with Wits & Wagers, too. For such card-reliant gaming, it seems like players get about half the number of cards they really should. The deck will suffice as-is for a while, but if I want this game in my closet for years, or even decades, I'm going to run into problems. Meaning this game already has a shelf life....unless I can purchase expansions down the road.

The other major design flaw was the SELECT-O-MATIC 5000. Gods bless the name. It's a great name for a silly cardboard spinner. It really is. Someone had to have a strange sense of humor to come up with it. But really, it's just a cardboard circle with a flimsy plastic arrow that falls off easily. If future editions can secure the arrow to the cardboard better (a simple piece of plastic on the reverse side could anchor it nicely), then the issue would be resolved. Otherwise I have no other quibbles with the orange slice cardboard dial. Okay, maybe just one: What if we made it a little more scary sci-fi looking? You know, to match the name. Killer robots? Mind control helmets? No? Well, think about it. Get back to me.

Praise:

+The questions are delightfully specific--asking for the best beer, the most overrated song of all-time, or what you dreamed about last night. This is where similar party games have failed in the past. Vagueness leaves the door open for a wide range of answers, but more often the humor is in the details. The writers did a nice job.
+Since the beginning of time, party games have served one primal function: Break the ice at parties. Get people talking and introduce each other. Well this game is good at doing just that. If you ever want to get to know family and friends better, you'll learn all sorts of quirky nuances after playing a few rounds. And I have to say, it's less disturbing that I feared!

+Did I mention the silly cardboard spinner is called the SELECT-O-MATIC 5000? Yeah, that's pretty fantastic.
+I'll repeat that the use of a dry erase scoreboard is both healthy for our planet, and kind of fun. Just pick someone with legible handwriting to keep score, m'kay?
+The women had a ton of fun with this game. Call this a sexist observation, but the women seemed to have a keener insight (or maybe just more imagination?) into the minds of the other players. Well, we were certainly the loudest and the rowdiest. (The men were still debating the Wits & Wagers answers.)
+Things got a little....shall we say, blue? Yes, a tad inappropriate at times, but that was half the charm. When you're all adults, you can bend the questions in naughty ways. On its own though, the game is very PG, and can work for mature kids.
+On that same token, blue or not, the game can be downright FUNNY. If players are into this game, expect a lot of laughs. Example: One of the men (Dan) asked "What is the most annoying thing about being a man?" All the answers were submitted, and damnitall, we all answered "Being right all the time". Though it was noted that possible back-up answers included "ball itch" and "women getting the vote". (Hey, the latter was meant to be ironic considering these are two of the most forward-thinking men I know. I swear.)

Jen's Question: "What doesn't taste better with ketchup?"

Complaints:

-I'll start with the obvious and beat the dead horse just one more time: The SELECT-O-MATIC 5000 falls apart pretty easily. And despite it's humorous name, it's kind of a puzzling choice for the mechanic of selecting a favorite answer. I'm not sure if I love it or hate it...even if it didn't fall apart. Maybe if we had more killer robots...
-Once again, I think we get a bit short-changed with the deck of cards. There it is.
-Players who have a spouse or best friend seated at the game table hold a distinct advantage. Because our game table was comprised of two married couples, our betting rounds became pretty routine: Vote for the spouse's answer. That betting had a 90% success rate for the most part. This really blunts the tension and impact of the voting round, and could've been easily eliminated from our game if we wanted to go more casual. Outsiders and third wheels will find this awkward and possibly annoying.
-Yeah, it has a pretty bland title and theme. I have to keep glancing at the box to remember what it's called. I think with a creative and energetic theme, they really could've tapped into something quirky, weird, and funny. I think it was even on the tips of their tongues with the whole SELECT-O-MATIC thing. They just needed to run with it and let their freak flags fly a little more instead of being so generic.
-It's not a terribly unique party game. We've seen its ilk a few times before. I like some of the new twists, but this isn't revolutionary.

Overall:

Compared to Wits & Wagers, there was a LOT more laughing with this game. It was more casual and conversational, and really filled the role a party game is meant to fill. We had a blast. So with that noted, it's really hard to harp on some of the things I didn't like when I started to pick apart the experience the next day. Yes, it's not terrifically unique. Yes, the damn spinner falls apart. Yes, there are some flaws based on relationships and intimate knowledge of a partner.

But we had a good time!

And at the end of the day, for a party game, sometimes that's all that really matters. So yes, I'll be keeping this (wait, what's it called again?) Say Anything game in the Board Game Closet of Doom for quite some time. It'll be a lot of fun at holidays with the family, and sometimes if I need to lighten the mood with gamer friends. And I'd definitely serve this with cocktails every time. Just be prepared that if you do so, gamers are likely to draw some very rude pictures on their dry erase boards in between rounds. Which kind of makes the game even better....

Pimpability:

Oh, truly there is just one thing that is ripe for pimpin' in this game: SELECT-O-MATIC 5000!!! Let's attach this to a snarling robot head, or some funky piece of artwork. Ooh, or better yet, steam punk it! Yes! Throw away the plastic spinner and use copper wire and old dials. Lots of possibilities.

Game: Say Anything
Designer: Dominic Crapuchettes and Satish Pillalamarri
Published by: North Star Games, 2008
Players: 3-8
Playing Time: 30-45 min.
AIBG Age Recommendations: 13 and up
Average Retail Price: $25

Grade: B-

Dueling Board Game Reviews, Part I: Wits & Wagers

Here we go. The mood is set. We're ready to play an award-winning party game that has stuck in our brains since we first saw it at a small local game con last summer: Wits & Wagers. Last time we played it was amongst a group of about 10 other people who would shuffle in and out of seats between turns. This time though, we're on home turf in our own kitchen ready to play with a smaller group. How will the party game hold up? The people sitting down to play aren't the typical Aunt Harriet party game players who hoot and howl at the antics of  Scene It! or High School Musical: The Game. We're seasoned gamers who know board games and party games inside and out. So let's see just how Wits & Wagers stands up to our very snooty standards.

Disclosure: The makers of Wits & Wagers, North Star Games, contacted this blog's author about creating this review, and for the purposes of making these reviews possible, copies of the games were provided by the game manufacturer.

Play Scenario:

This review is based on three initial plays of the game, with four players for each game--two men and two women. Served with cocktails. On ice.

Game Objective:

This is a highly interactive party game in which players are asked a question, testing their trivial knowledge of all things numbers-related--from measurements and time spans to famous dates in history and popular opinion percentages. For example, "How many pounds did the heaviest ever sumo wrestling champion weigh?" or "In what year did Michael Jackson first perform his 'moonwalk' dance?" Guess the closest, without going over (Price is Right style!), and you score chips. That's the first element of the game. The second element is betting. Once everyone has submitted a guess, you have to bet on whose answer you think is most likely to be correct. Collect the most chips by game's end, through clever guesses and strategic betting, to win the game.

Turn Mechanics & Game Play: 

As with many party games, there is an "it" person who acts as emcee for the current turn. In this case, it's the "Question Reader". (Kind of a boring title, right? I mean, compared to games like Pictionary where you get to be called a "Picturist"! Much cooler. Professional sounding. Like you had to go to Picturist school and get a Picturist degree.) Anyway, the Question Reader draws a card and reads the question aloud to all of the players, who then secretly write their best guess on a mini dry erase card (dry erase markers included). Even the Question Askerist (??...I'm trying) gets to participate.

Once all the dry erase cards are submitted to the center mat, they're revealed, (note that I'm using "reveal" as a verb here. Listen to me people, it is NOT a noun. Do you hear me? "Reveal" is Not a Noun.) and then sorted numerically and placed on the green betting mat. Notice in the picture that the betting spread changes depending on how far out your answer is. It's a nice touch.

Next comes the betting. Everyone places their bets, to start with using two marker chips matching their player color that can never be lost. Bet with confidence since they'll always come back to you no matter how much you blow. Place your chips on whatever answer sounds the most reasonable (spreading your bet on up to two different guesses). There's also a space at the end of the mat for betting on "Smaller than the Smallest Guess"...just in case you think everyone overshot (it's like bidding $1 on The Price is Right). No rule says you have to bet for your own answer, and let's face it, I often didn't.

When the correct answer is revealed by the Questionologist, the person acting as banker pays out plastic poker chips, which can then be re-wagered to make your bets as ballsy as you dare, or can be made into neat and tidy stacks right in front of you. Then game play continues for a total of 7 rounds of questions. That's when the game ends and all chips are totaled.

Out of the Box:

This game has a pretty nice production value. The glossy dry-erase cards are thick and sturdy cardboard, and some care clearly went into the design of the logos and graphics used on all the pieces.

The felt betting mat is an especially nice addition, though (as you can see in photos), it does tend to crease and wrinkle due to natural folding in the box. In the future, instead of folding it tightly to fit in its designated box space, I may wrap it more loosely and set it on top of the set, even if it means the box top floats a bit. It would be worth it if the game mat holds up for that many more months or years.

The dry erase markers worked very well...even if the (unnecessary) pen clips snap easily when fiddled with. Fair warning to doodlers though, that ink really is strong stuff! Someone who, say, decided to hastily jot game notes on a Christmas napkin for the sake of a game review, might find later that the marker ink bled through the napkins and stained the wooden table underneath. I've scrubbed for two weeks, and my table's still freckled with black ink. Gaming scars. I guess I'd rather that, than having wussy markers that dry out quickly. Heavily used dry erase cards will start to develop that cloudy gray residue that never quite erases. No big whoop.

Praise:

+This game is intellectually stimulating. And unlike so many other party games that test your mental prowess, this one leaps beyond the boundaries of vocabulary. A fundamental knowledge of math, measurements, geography, history, and pop culture will aid your game.
+On the flip side, expertise and knowledge are not required. Most of your guesses will be wild stabs in the dark, so it's hard to look like a dunce (but not impossible!).
+The betting portion of the game is a natural fit and, frankly, elevates the game. Not only must you make a decent showing of guesstimating your answer, but then you have to gauge your opponents' abilities and can win or lose based on how much you trust the knowledge of the people at the table.
+The betting payout system is another elevating factor. By increasing the payout for people who take bigger risks, the game becomes more strategic and risky. It was a smart mechanic to add.
+The game plays well with four people, even though the instructions hype that the game is best with six or more. Pshaw, I say! Four works pretty darn well. (Three might be iffy though.)
+The timer with the green sand was a nice touch. It tickled me that it matched the betting mat. Hey, sometimes it's the little things...
+This is a party game that is appealing to men. In my anecdotal experience, I find women tend to gravitate toward party games much more than men. In this case, the chest-thumping men enjoyed the game the most. There were a lot of evil laughs and plenty of smack talk. Especially from Dan, who, frankly, ran away with all the games we played. 

Complaints:

-The game needs a round counter. See, each time a new round begins, the Questioneer needs to read the question number that relates to which round it is. (ie for Round #3, read Question #3.) When your group is rowdy and unfocused (as a good party game night should be!), it's so easy to lose track, and it gets annoying trying to figure out which round it is. A simple round counter would be easy enough to include (maybe printed right on the betting mat?). We ended up using a 10-sided die as a counter in later games, and I recommend the same to any rowdy gamers.
-The game only comes with 700 questions. It sounds like a lot, but that's a pretty small stack of cards. It's not surprising that the game maker advertises right on the box body that you can keep playing with their "Expansion Pack 1". Harumph. I mean, I'm glad that expansion packs are available, but I would've expected the game to come with double as many cards as it did.
-Wits & Wagers requires just enough basic knowledge that truly stupid people will be exposed as such, and will be embarrassed. At the game con where I was introduced to the game, someone guessed that the Civil War ended in 1920. Oops. Yeah, that was awkward. I shouldn't have laughed outloud. Don't play with really dim bulbs.

Overall:

This is a great party game for a wide variety of occasions. Seasoned gamers will have a blast busting this out to mix things up and have a more casual game night, but it will also work well for non-gamers. Families will bicker, laugh, and play together over this game, and it is well-suited for most parties. In fact, I'd recommend it to most guests, provided they're sans children. There's no adult content that prohibits kids from playing, but wee ones (I'd say even as old as 13) probably won't have the guesstimation skills needed to make a real go of it, and will get frustrated. Save this for grown-up time.

So, good for the masses. With all of that being said though, I'm a little leery of how quickly we'll burn through the deck of cards that come with the original game set, so that may prevent me from pulling out the game as quickly as I might otherwise. It's like Elaine and the Sponge--I have to save the cards for gamers who are really worthy.

The bottom line is that this game's a keeper. It's a very accessible, thinking person's party game, and it is likely to stand the test of time and be just as playable and fun for years and years. Unlike so many other party games, this one will challenge and push you without nervous buzzers or ticking timers. And because it's so interactive and starts a conversation so well, it will flow smoothly into an evening of socializing, instead of shutting down the party for a game break.

Now I just have to figure out how long I can hold out being cheap before getting the expansion packs...

Pimpability:

True, one doesn't normally pimp party games, but as mentioned above, a good D-10 aids the game as a round counter. I might also add a green visor and a bubblegum cigar for the dealer. Just for fun.

Game: Wits & Wagers
Designer: Dominic Crapuchettes
Published by: North Star Games, 2005
Players: 4-20
Playing Time: 30-45 min.
AIBG Age Recommendations: 16-60
Average Retail Price: $30-35

Grade: B+ 

Party Game Time!

So funny thing happened after volunteering for reviewing duty for the upcoming Crappy Birthday game--the people over at North Star Games actually found this blog! Who knew? Actually, it's still kind of a mystery how it even landed on their radar, but I'm not one to play at equine dentistry, so I'll just be glad and move on. Shortly after that, they contacted me and asked if I had ever considered reviewing a couple of their current party game titles. Huh. Why, actually....

The honest-to-gods truth is that weeks prior to all of this, TGHITW (The Greatest Husband in the World) and I had actually been out to a couple different stores looking to pick up Wits & Wagers--one of the two titles they recommended. And we had failed. Miserably. (All we could find was the "Family" edition, which involves no betting. What fun is that?) The game was already at the top of our list. So as serendipity would have it, I happen to now have in my possession a copy of both Wits & Wagers and Say Anything, both from North Star Games. That means it's party time.

Now for this kind of special board game review event, I had to call in some friends who not only love traditional board games just as we do, but also have some special expertise in the field of party games. So in advance, I'd like to thank Dan and Jen for sitting down to a critical night of gaming, analysis, and (of course) cocktails. The night was wicked fun, and I have to tell you, it's been a long time since I've laughed so hard.

What you'll see in the following reviews is, as always, my honest, blunt opinion about the games. Com'on, would I really ever play possum? Even for free games? Pshaw! Of course not. Probably not. Well anyway, watch for  Parts I & II of the North Star Games review challenge to be posted shortly.

As always, happy gaming!

USPS Changes for Shipping Board Games?

Digging through your closet, you've just unearthed a vintage copy of a treasured Milton Bradley game. One of those that comes in the long, flat boxes that are so nicely stackable and classic. And, hark! You've got a buyer across the country who would like to buy this Milton Bradley game from you, so it's time to figure shipping. FedEx and UPS usually cost an arm, a leg, and some genitals to ship with. They don't appreciate the plight of gamers with unwieldy boxes and heavy boards.

But what about the USPS (U.S. Postal Service)? Why, they might be an option, but their Flat Rate boxes, which have flat shipping rates and free packaging, just don't fit most long board game boxes! That is, until now....

The newest gossip to emerge in the board game shipping news world (if there is such a world...I imagine corrugated little nymphs frolic there...), is that the USPS is allegedly prototyping some special Priority Shipping boxes that are specially designed for long board games! This is all the work of a very esteemed geek over at the BGG website who has an inside connection with the Postal Service. His complaints about inadequate shipping options for gamers finally were heeded, and currently he is testing out the new boxes, which measure 11-15/16" x 2-15/16" x 21-7/8". That's just right to ship most games of Risk, plus other long-box games.

What's the upside for us? The shipping rates won't change much. But this does mean that gamers will have an available FREE supply of secure shipping boxes that are tailor-made for our needs, and can be delivered at no charge directly to our homes. We would also (theoretically) be able to now pay for shipping online and print our shipping labels all from the comfort of our toasty warm homes. Because I'm always thrifting and shipping games whenever I can, this will save me a ton of legwork and headaches, and give me peace of mind that the games will get their safely.

The bad news? We may have to wait a while. Since this is still in prototyping phase, there's no guarantee we'll ever see these boxes, and if we do, it could be months or years. And when/if they do come out, they may not be available at all Post Offices (you may have to special order them). I will keep you posted as soon as I hear squeak one about the new gaming box revolution coming to fruition. You can read the original post about this news here.

Fingers crossed, everybody!

Help Rate Game Prototypes? Ooh-ooh-ooh! Me! Me!

or "And a Very Crappy Birthday to Us All!"

No, it's not my birthday. But any chance to help behind the scenes with a board game's production is as good as any birthday. It turns out the game makers over at North Star Games are in the process of creating a humorous new party game called Crappy Birthday. If you take a looky-loo over at BGG, you'll find out that Crappy Birthday is an Apples-to-Apples-type game where players submit "gift" cards to the birthday judge. This judge picks the crappiest gift, and the giver receives a point. Now, contrary to my general snobbery and elitist attitudes about thinking games, I actually really do enjoy a good party game sometimes. As you've read here on this blog, I'm an Apples to Apples fan, and I thoroughly enjoy games like Taboo, Pictionary, and Balderdash. When I first heard about Crappy Birthday, I could instantly see the tables full of friends, I could smell the green apple tartinis, I could taste the M&Ms, and I could hear the slurred speech of rowdy gamers. This game has some serious potential. But will it work?

Well, that's what North Star Games is working on right now. They just advertised on BGG that they were in need of gamers to help rate the various "gift cards" according to how desirable (or crappy) each gift is, and whether or not it's likely to get people talking and debating. Specifically, they needed women (Hey! That's me!) to provide a balanced perspective.

One reply email later, and I'm now spending my evening scrolling through PDFs of card mock-ups and giving them a snarky rating...and a bit of proofreading advice. Hey, I can't help it. And for my [cough] work, my reward is a mention in the game's credits and maaaybe even a free copy of the game (breath not held). Man, I love projects like this. Now whenever I see that game on store shelves, I'll smile because I was a small cog in helping the game to launch. For us game nerds, it doesn't get much better.

So how are the cards?

Sorry, mum's the word. You'll just have to wait for the game's release in August to see. But if you find any misspellings, don't come crying to me. I was a total bitch about it. Promise.