What Doesn't Taste Better with Ketchup?

Uh, let's see:  mashed potatoes, burritos, or rats?

What would be the grossest thing to kiss?  A moose, an octopus?  Anything!

What's the most annoying thing about being a kid?  Not enough candy!

These were just a few of the questions we giggled over as we scribbled out possible answers during the game Say Anything:  Family Edition by Northstar Games.  Before we finished the first round out of two, my son was already begging that we extend into 3rds or 4ths. 

This game reminds us of Apples to Apples, but with several twists.  The judge chooses a question from a stack of cards and reads it aloud.  The other players write down their answers on their own personal little white-boards with little wipe-off markers.  Your answer can be serious or silly, whatever you think will appeal to the judge (silly usually wins in our family).  The judge uses a little turn dial (like a handheld spinner) with a high-tech sounding name -- the Select-o-matic 6000 -- to choose a winner.  He places his choice face down.  Everyone then tries to guess what the judge picked and place little markers on their favorites to win.  If you guess the same as the judge, you win a point or two.  If you wrote the winning answer, you get a point.  Even if you are the judge, you can win points if other people made good guesses.   The scorekeeper uses a larger wipe-off board to tally points and the judge-ship moves to the left.  The game is over after everyone has been the judge two times, so you can keep playtime short if that is your goal.

The score-board, wipe-off boards, select-o-matic, and even the questions are nice and sturdy and should last a good while as long as you remember to wipe off the answers before the ink sinks in (like any white board).   It is conceivable that, in time, you would have to replace the markers just because that is the nature of markers.

As for the questions, they range in seriousness to silliness, but everything appeared G-Rated.  There were only 3 references I didn't think my kids would get (Taylor Swift, The Simpsons, and Halloween candy), and since you have a choice of 3 questions per card, you never have to ask those if you don't want to.  This game is designated for 3 to 6 players, ages 8+.  My 12- and 14-year-olds enjoyed it, as well as my husband and I did.  Everyone agreed that this was a keeper, in fact we'll be taking it over to Grandma's house tomorrow to play again! 

This game sells for $14.99 at Amazon if you'd like to pick one up for your next family game night or even for a party!  You can see my review of another of North Star Games' fun products, Wits and Wagers, here.

As part of The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew, I was provided this game free in exchange for an honest review.  For more TOS reviews, click here.

Like Wits & Wagers? You bet!

We had a lot of fun testing out the Wits & Wagers Family game by North Star Games.  Choosing from the stack, the first question is read aloud.  Everyone whips out their trusty little wipe-off boards and pens and quickly writes a guess.  The guesses are then placed in number order on the table, or floor, or wherever you happen to be playing.  Then you decide whether you like your answer best, or someone else's.  You have two "Meeples" playing pieces, one large (2 pt) and one small (1 pt), and you use them to "wager" on the correct answer.  You can place both on your own answer, one on yours and one on some else's, or both on other people's cards.  There is always a "1" card available if you think everyone's answers are too high.  When the answer is read, points are scored for the winning guess that is closest to the correct answer without going over, and for any Meeples placed on that card.  The wagering aspect makes it easier for the younger players to get points, since they don't have to think of the correct answer themselves.

Since every question involves a number or statistic of some sort, there is a lot of estimating going on (unless you just happen to know the correct answer -- and, mostly, you won't).  For example:

*In feet, how wide is a regulation soccer goal? 
*What percent of Girl Scout cookies sold are Thin Mints? 
*On average, how many hours per day does a wild sloth sleep? 

Each number answer is accompanied by an interesting, and sometimes silly, fact.  The first player to reach 15 points wins, so the game doesn't last super-long unless you decide to go into extra innings just for the fun of it.

There were only a handful of references that my children wouldn't know (i.e., The Suite Life of Zack and Cody) or that we would not appreciate (i.e., Harry Potter), but these are easily dealt with by skipping the question, blotting it out, throwing it away, or setting it on fire, depending on your level of enthusiasm about it.

The instructions are simple and clear and the wipe-off boards, Meeples and question cards are both colorful and engaging for the prescribed ages 8+.  You can play 3 to 5 individuals at a time, or break a larger group into teams, so this is a great game for a family night or a fun party.  North Star Games also sells a "Party" version of this game.

Wits & Wagers Family sells for about $15.00 at Amazon.  This coming Friday afternoon, you can check out my review of another of North Star Games' fun products, Say Anything, here.

As part of The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew, I was provided this game free in exchange for an honest review.  For more TOS Crew reviews, click here.