Set

Posted on December 9, 2015 | Leave a comment

SET is a fast paced card game which is simple to learn and quick to set up.

When short on time (or while the rest of the family is deciding what to play), Sibling #4 and Grandkid #1 will often pull out an enjoy a quick game of SET.

Some basic points:

  • Table set up is easy. Shuffle the deck and lay out 12 cards, face up. Set aside the remaining cards in a pile, face down.
  • Game play is simple. Players call out “SET!” when they identify a SET and take the associated cards from the board. The removed cards are replaced with new cards from the face down pile and play resumes.
  • For any two cards, there is only one card that can join it to make a SET. When learning the rules behind what comprises a SET, we recommend practicing by laying out two cards and determining what the third card should be.
  • The player with the most cards once the board is cleared is the winner!

Have fun!

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Word on the Street

Posted on November 11, 2015 | Leave a comment

Word on the Street by Out of the Box entered this family’s game rotation in 2012 and has kept its curb appeal.

Some basic points:

  • Table set up is easy. Open up the board, which looks like a four lane road with a median strip and place letter tiles in the median, as marked.
  • Game play is broken into two teams. A team’s turn is comprised of selecting a category card, coming up with a word in that category, and moving tiles based on letter usage within the allotted time.
  • The number of times a letter appears in a word is the number of times the letter can be moved toward the playing team. A letter is considered “captured” once a team is able to move it off the street.
  • The first team to get 8 letters off the street wins!

This game fosters collaboration and exercises your vocabulary as well as word recall. It’s also amusing. 🙂

Have fun!

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Pictionary Card Game

Posted on November 3, 2015 | Leave a comment

Pictionary Card Game

Grandkid #2 loves activities that require some form of creativity.

In preparation for a family visit, a goal was set to find a few games that might entice Grandkid #2 to the gaming table. Pictionary Card Game seemed like it might fit the bill, and its price point was low enough that we wouldn’t be too upset if it was a clunker.

 

Some basic points:

  • Table set up is easy: red cards on one side, blue cards on the other, and category cards in the middle.
Pictionary Card Game spread

Pictionary Card Game spread

  • You can have an unlimited number of players since play is broken up into two teams.
    • The “Picturist” for a given round will need access to all the cards for their team.
    • Guessers will need to have a good view of the Picturist and the cards the Picturist is using.
  • Game play is like Charades using card props.
  • Instructions are straight forward.

It was a blast! Listen to a few seconds of this family taking it for a spin:

 

Traditional Pictionary was a favorite for many years, but fell out of regular rotation sometime back. We’ve had so much fun with this new version, we may be dusting off the traditional version sometime in the near future.

Have fun!

Pictionary Card Game

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Psych!

Posted on October 31, 2015 | Leave a comment

PsychImageThis family is psyched for the game, Psych! Grandkid #1 discovered it via a reference to Ellen’s post about the App, and encouraged Mom and Siblings #1 – 3 to play while gathered for a birthday celebration.

It was so much fun that the gang rallied to play again when Sibling #4 came to town a few weeks later. We had a blast!

Some basic points:

  • The game is a bluffing game (not unlike Balderdash)
  • It’s available for iPhones and Android phones
  • You can play for free. There are currently 3 decks (categories of play) available upon initial download (“Word Up!”, “Is that a Fact?”, and “Movie Bluff!”).
  • In-app purchases allow you to remove ads and pay for additional decks.
  • Players must have the application installed on their phone to play.
  • Players don’t have to be in the same room to participate!

The application provides a “how to” video which explains the details of game play. At a high level, the game leader starts the game and shares the automatically generated “secret code” to all participants. Once all players enter that code to join the game, the fun begins! The goal is to 1.) make up answers to trivia questions that another player will assume is correct, 2.) not get suckered by other players’ fake answers.

This game ranks high on the laughter scale. We now have a standing appointment on our calendars so we can play once a week, even with the folks that live states away.

Have fun!

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