Rob Herman
United States
Cleveland
Ohio
-
In turn, each player acts as a judge, posing a question to the other players. Each player proposes an answer; the judge secretly picks his favorite, then each player bets on which answer the judge chose.
That two-sentence summary is enough to get you playing Say Anything. The formula might seem familiar to you; Apples to Apples may have popularized this flavor of party game, but Say Anything developed and greatly improved it. There are a lot of small details that really distinguish Say Anything above its competitors.
Cards: Each card lists several potential questions; the judge chooses his or her favorite--whatever will get interesting answers. (I've seen judges bend the rules by improvising questions, which is great.) This is a really important feature that could have easily been overlooked or skipped, but helps a lot in keeping the game moving from funny round to funny round.
Player count: Say Anything shines where a lot of games start falling flat: 6-8 players, with no shoehorning into teams required. Because the aspect of taking turns is minimal, there's no sense of the game being spread thin; more players just means more answers. Theoretically, you can play with as few as three; I've never tried it.
Freeform answers: These allow for a lot more fun and in-joking than choosing cards or items from a pre-created list. With the right group, answers will get racy. One note of warning: the dry erase markers that come with the game wear down fast; consider getting some extras from an office supply store.
Betting on the judge's choice: This keeps everyone engaged in each round; even if you couldn't think of a good answer yourself, there's an opportunity to laugh at and appreciate the other alternatives.
Scoring: A game like Say Anything isn't really about the scoring, so the important part is that the scoring doesn't get in the way. And it doesn't. The most obvious potential problem would be a judge that chooses random or poor answers intentionally, to deny others points for guessing right; but the judge has more to lose than anyone else, and needs to choose an answer that at least some other players thought was good.
At the same time, the scoring can add a little dash of extra tension and excitement as the game nears its end. Speaking of which, although Say Anything can easily be extended for any length of time, I suggest that you stop at the recommended time; I think party games are best finished before the first person gets tired of it, not when the last person gets tired of it.
If I have one criticism of Say Anything, it's this: If there is one new player who doesn't know the rest well, that player might have to lump a lousy score and treat the game as a learning experience--which it will be. After a little while, or with as few as two new players, this stops being an issue at all.
In conclusion: Say Anything is a great, elegant party game; it handles lots of people and will be enjoyed by serious gamers and non-gamers alike. Thanks to North Star games for the review copy!
-
Bruce Voge III
United States
Gwynn Oak
Maryland
I am the PA Voice of the Hagerstown Suns!
-
Great review!
As for your one criticism I would be quick to note that ONE newbie might be in trouble. A TABLE of people just meeting each other sit on level ground. I played this with two of the North Star guys, a couple of guys who were friends and 3 of us that just walked up. I would say after maybe two answers we as a table formed inside jokes, and it went great. I was as much in the game as anybody else. I just feel the game requires the ability to write comedy, if you can do that you are find.
Good work!
-
Dominic Crapuchettes
United States
Bethesda
MD
This overtext is brought to you by the abstract strategy game Battle of LITS and the number 20.
-
I just noticed that Say Anything is moving up the Tom Vasel rankings. It is now after Twilight Struggle and ahead of Agricola as the 13th best game of all time!
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/61639/item/1488905#ite...
WOOT!! 
-
|
|
