North Star Games

Sunday, October 23, 2011

 

 

 

 

Wits & Wagers Family is the easier to play version of the original Wits & Wagers game presented by a genius team of designers from North Star Games.  More information about how North Stars Games came to be is available on their website and they have a Facebook and Twitter Page as well.

 

5 Teams or individuals ages 8 and up can play this game of guessing number answers to family friendly trivia questions.  No one is supposed to actually know the answers- that is part of the fun! 

 

Everything required to play the game is included. In addition to playing this game at home, we found it easy to take and play in places like restaurants known for long waits or while waiting for music lessons or doctor appointments.

 

You will find mini dry erase boards, dry erase pens (though some of ours had defective caps and were dried out) and 2 small game pieces  per player or team. The differently sized game pieces are affectionately called "Meeples" in 5 colors (their size difference comes into play while scoring). There is also a score card and a mini board with a number 1 on it.

 

Play always begins with the youngest player. Children younger than 8 can play if they can read or else younger children can just have someone else read for them. Everybody takes a turn as the reader, but the reader  still gets to guess since the answer is on the other side.

 

An example of a question is, "In inches, how tall is the world's tallest dog?" There are 2 questions on each card for a total of 300 questions. I liked that there was even a place holder that is placed in the back of the deck, so you will know when you have read through the top questions and then can switch to the bottom. Alternately, the reader can just decide which question to read on their turn.

 

Once all guesses are in, the players use their larger and small Meeple and placed to indicate the best guess for the number closest to the correct answer without going over. After all wagers are placed, the answer is read. The large Meeple counts for 2 points if on the correct answer, 1 point is awarded if your small Meeple is on the correct number and 1 point is also given to the person (people) with the correct answer. More than 1 person or team can have the right answer if they guess or happen to know the right answer.

 

This explanation is probably longer than it needed to be. It is a fun and easy to understand game. My youngest daughter just turned 7 and had no problem playing the game. Play continues until 15 points and recorded on the score board. We were very happy with the game. The only disappointment was over the dried up markers. I do wonder how long it would  take for us to memorize the questions and believe an extension pack might be needed in the future. Otherwise our family would have an unfair advantage if we played with other families.

 

Wits & Wagers family can be found locally in my area at Targets and Barnes and Nobles or ordered online through Amazon.com, Target or Barnes and Nobles. Prices seem to range from about $15- 20.

 

The word "wager" did set my parental controls on alert. I hope this game doesn't get overlooked because of that. It really was guessing and not "betting" in my opinion.

 

As a member of the TOS Review Crew, this game was provided to me for free in exchange for my honest review.

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