Quick Think Of A Game That Starts With S? Answer, Scattergories
Written: Apr 07 '02 (Updated Apr 08 '02)
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Pros: Enjoyed by the young, the not young - not old, and the old.
Cons: Arguments may ensue.
The Bottom Line: A whole family fun game. Everyone plays at the same time - instead of taking turns. Learn something new - and learn to argue too.
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| lynus's Full Review: Scattergories |
Scattergories is a time-based, quick thinking game, where in order to win you must use your vast vocabulary to come up with words that fit particular clues that all start with a particular letter chosen by rolling a dice. The game is very similar to Taboo except you don’t play in teams and instead of simply saying the right word – you have to think of a word that other players haven’t already thought up (and used in the current hand).
The HOW DO I PLAY QUESTION –
At the start of each hand you are given a sheet of paper labeled 1 through 12 and a card that lists out clues also labeled 1 through 12. Each person playing is given the same clues. A dice with letters instead of numbers is rolled and the game begins.
For example. You are given a card that states:
1. Things In The Sky
2. Awards/Ceremonies
3. Cars
4. Spices/Herbs
5. Bad Habits
6. Cosmetics/Toiletries
7. Celebrities
8. Cooking Utensils
9. Reptiles/Amphibians
10. Parks
11. Leisure Activities
12. Things You’re Allergic To
Someone rolls a dice and the letter M is on top. The timer is started – and you now have to come up with a word that starts with “M” for each clue. What makes this stressful is at the end of the game you only get a point if no one else used the same response for a clue.
Some responses could be:
1. Moon (granted it is not technically “in the sky” but it would be a valid response).
2. MADD (if they have one, you better be able to prove your response).
3. Mitsubishi (again, you better hope no one else wrote it down as their response).
4. Meat Spice (hmm, maybe that’s called Lemon Pepper – not meat spice!).
5. Murmuring (a bad habit I have!).
And so on. The timer lasts for about a minute – and once it stops the round is over. Each person then takes a turn revealing their responses and more than likely arguing their position as to why it is a valid response.
You can gain more points if your response has more than one word in which both words match the given letter. For example, if you answered “Celebrities” with Mandy Moore – you would get 2 points, instead of just one if you had answered Mandy Patinkin.
There really isn’t an end to the game. We normally play it until we are tired of it for that night – and then add up all our points from previous rounds. The person with the most points wins the game of course.
The SIDE NOTE –
After a while, you may run out of original clues – even though the current chosen letter may be different. Scattergories sells in a separate box additional “new clues” – but an interesting way I’ve discovered to play the game is to sit down and come up with my own set of 12 clues. If you want, you can personalize it as well. Here are clues I came up with last night:
1. Words Representing Laura (my financee)
2. Childhood Memories
3. Environments
4. Technical Words
5. Cartoon Characters
6. Computer Commands
7. Holidays
8. Favorite Sayings
9. Ways To Measure Time
10. Bad Reactions
11. Foul Smells
12. Laws
Keep your own ideas along with the rest of the game – and in theory you will never run out of clues to use – and even better you won’t pay extra to purchase additional clues.
The BAD –
This game is more for adults than it is for young children. Now, when I say young children – I mean children under the age of 10. Let’s face it – the children of today are learning more subjects at a quicker rate than I ever did. Therefore, I know for certain that my 13 year old cousin could probably beat me at this game – even though I have graduated from both high school and college. Memory loss is a sign of age!
If young children are feeling “left out” of the game – I’d suggest you sit down and create your own “kids version” of Scattergories. As I mentioned above all you would have to do is sit down and come up with a list of 12 clues that you are pretty sure your young child would get. For example focus on cartoon characters, colors, Christmas presents, toys, etc. Something that your child will easily be able to remember – even if they have to still think of a word that matches the current letter on the dice. Perhaps another idea would be to give bonus points to the child – a handicap – that will allow them to answer only a few – yet earn more points so they don’t feel like they are “so far behind” everyone else.
The ARGUMENTS –
Similar to Scrabble, Scattergories may induce arguments amongst players. Scrabble has an easy out – that being a dictionary. But with Scattergories – defending and proving your point may be extremely hard. Take for example a “book title”. You could in theory name just about any word; Sun, Tree, Man, Crime, etc. and say “yes, it’s the name of a book – haven’t you ever heard of The Sun, or The Tree, or The Man, or The Crime, etc.” Other players will undoubtedly protest – so you better be able to argue your position. In other words – be warned that Scattergories may create a room of a handful of adults yelling at each other and calling each other liars as they attempt to get to the truth. Even worse, it may be impossible to come to a conclusion – which in that case the majority wins. That’s how we play.
The BOTTOM LINE IN OVER 30 WORDS –
Scattergories is a lot of fun for adults to play. Even if you have a horrible vocabulary (like me!) or have a slow train of thought (like me!) – you can still enjoy the game. Kids may find the game a bit boring because it deals with “thinking” and even worse with “words” (this isn’t “Speed” or “Go Fish”) – with a little creative thought you can make the game interesting even for them. There is also an electronic version of the game – which is very similar to the non-electronic version except that the clues are handed out on a green and black LCD screen. The electronic version can handle more clues and make it easier for all players to be on the correct set of clues. The electronic version comes in a silver box and costs about $10 to $20 more than the standard version.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 19.99
Type of Toy: Game
Age Range of Child: Whole Family
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lynus
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Location: Las Vegas, NV
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Slowly trying to get back to the thick of things.
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