Say Anything - Bob Eubanks And Whoopie References Not Included

So, North Star Games knew that I am the kind of person who absolutely will say anything, sometimes just to poke the embers a bit, and lo and behold, out of the blue they contacted me to send a review copy. Just my kind of folks, too; don't care that I might cockpunch their beloved product if I hated it, and cocky enough to think I'd like it. And they were right, not only did I like it, but 12 individuals all gave favorable scores and commentary on their experience. In fact, this game was one of the few games where the entire table asked to play again immediately after playing the first time. Pretty impressive. Funny thing is that of all the players, I was the single holdout who scored it lower than anyone else, and that was primarily due to the scoring system, which I continually botched.

But let's get into what this is about, because it is a really cool game. This is the game that you bring out at social gatherings, such as parties or family events. Now, I'm a reformed, hardcore ex-partier. I was the guy who would drink everything in your house to the last drop, then sneak into your bathroom and drink your Scope mouthwash, puke in your flowerpot, and then stumble down the street, falling 3 times on the way home. So, the idea of a party game that doesn't involve nakedness or shots of Smirnoff Vanilla is completely lost on me. At a party, the last thing I'd do is break open a board game. But, I can understand why some people would, and this is precisely the game for those moments.

It's essentially a bidding game where one person asks a rather pedestrian question such as, "Which actor is the most overrated" or, "if you could trade places with anyone, who would it be." Then all of the players, aside from the person who asked the question, use a little dry erase board to answer. Then, the person who asked the question secretly chooses the answer they liked the best using a little selection wheel, and then all of the players using two tokens to vote on which answer they thought the questioner chose.  It's really that simple, but it's brilliant in execution.

Unlike Balderdash, which is too long, requires a much smarter crowd, and eventually runs out of supplies to play, this game is short, simple, requires people that only have a cursory understanding of english, and perhaps a 3rd grade education. If you're lucky enough to have a bit of sardonic humor in the room, it also goes a long way. The only thing I can say about the game is that it is not really all that awesome to play as a couples game because more often than not, couples seem to be able to spot or give the correct answer more often than other players.

For instance, one question given was "Why did the chicken cross the road?" I answered "she was chasing some dumb cock", my wife answered "the worms are better on the other side", and the questioner's boyfriend answered, "to get from the left to the right." There's no possible way that any of us could've known that the questioner was a huge fan of Stripes, let alone that anyone would even get the reference, and therefore the person who knew her best had the advantage. That is the only single flaw in the game, to be honest, but it's a flaw that any game where you're betting on how well you know the person. In fact, this phenomenon reminds me a bit of "The Newlyweds Game" that was on back in the day.

All things considered, though, the game is top notch in every regard. It's fun, it only takes maybe 45 minutes to play with a good sized crowd, and it's never the same twice. The bits are superb, as it comes with eight dry erase boards with pens, a bunch of matching tokens, a dry erase scoreboard, and an assload of cards. I mean, each card has like 6 questions on it, and I would be shocked if any given group could get through them all before the pens run dry. It even has a perfectly designed insert, which is a really nice bonus, because I literally turned it upside down when I threw it in the back seat of my car to take it to a friend's house, and when I opened it up, everything was exactly where it should've been.

It's a great opener game, without a doubt, for a game night with a larger crowd, and it's no biggie to start playing while waiting for people to show up because anyone can drop in anytime, really. It's not like the score matters at all. In 2 of the games I've played, there was a three-way tie for the winners, and honestly, it's a game to have fun, not a snooty dick-measuring contest. And it does the former so very well, I'm sure that you'll enjoy it, provided you're looking for fun. I will warn you, though, that with three players it's not as much fun as if you have four or five, without question. As much as we enjoyed it, I wouldn't buy it if I knew I'd never have more than three players.

Why I Like To Say Anything:

- Great little warmup game or ice-breaker game that scales really well
- Surprisingly, it's good for kids as the questions I saw are far from 'naughty'
- The production value is great, and there's a bazillion unique questions

Why John Cusack Is Rolling In His Grave While Still Alive:
- It potentially suffers from Newlyweditis where people who know each other well have an advantage
- The questions can sometimes reference things that people won't know about such as politics
- The scoring system, while simple, can be confusing even after many plays

Overall:

If you want a neat little icebreaker game, this is the one. That said, while I enjoyed it immensely, I think a lot of that had to do with who I played it with. If your normal group is the Sheldon Cooper type, forget about it; it will be about as fun as sodomizing a cheese grater. If you're playing with me and don't mind a few (read: a ton) off-color remarks, yeah, it's going to be a blast. This game really fits the genus "Gamus Universalis" because it can be played by pretty much anyone, pretty much anytime, pretty much anywhere. You just need to be a fun person, and you'll totally dig it.

Rating:
3.75/5 Stars

You can learn more about this game at the publisher's website: http://www.northstargames.com/North_Star_Games/Games.html

They also have a family-friendly version that I assume is for younger folks since it's marked 8+.