How do you rate a board game like Monikers? Much like Wolfgang Warsch’s The Mind, which took an old theatre camp game and committed it to paper, Monikers is a curated rendition of an old favorite. I have always called it Salad Bowl. You may know it as The Name Game, The Hat Game, Celebrities, or a number of other options. How do you review something that’s always been there? How, exactly, does one review Charades? A Rose by Any Other Moniker

Each card has a number of points on the bottom of the card. When a player on your team guesses a card correctly, that card gets placed into a separate pile and is tallied up at the end of each round. On its surface a trivia game, Wits and Wagers is less about guessing correctly and more about betting on how smart you think your friends are. In Wits and Wagers you write down an answer to a trivia question — always number-based — and then place bets on which answer you think is closest without going over. There’s room for playing the odds but also for sabotaging the odds. Wits and Wagers plays up to 7 people individually but teams are also encouraged. Those two factors could be seen as running counter to one another, but they depend on one another. It is the restrictions caused by the degradation of the available language, the need for creativity enforced by those rigid limitations, that creates the space for hyper-specific, creative, associative methods of communication to flourish. It’s wonderful, wonderful stuff. You can use words, sounds, and gestures in the first round. Each card will also have a clue written on it that you can also say during this round. However, you must not say the moniker/the name of the game even partially. Round 2

Card Summary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zePWw6IRrbg Video can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: Monikers (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zePWw6IRrbg) Frequently Asked Questions Are there any gameplay variants for Monikers? You don’t really need to buy Monikers, do you? This is a game that can be played for free with pieces of paper. There’s a print-and-play version of the game available online. There’s no reason to spend money on it. This is true. I have nothing for you on that front. It’s a legitimate point. Monikers may be the best party game ever made – I have yet to see a swing and a miss when it comes out. I have always seen the players reduced to joyful hysterics in every game we have played and I love it every time it hits the table So What is Monikers? Monikers is a great alternative to other popular games like Cards Against Humanity and work similarly to Codenames. The game works best with a lot of people, but smaller teams can play as well just as easily.

One expansion was released for Monikers in 2017, called Twelve Hopelessly Stupid Fourth Rounds. There has also been 4 editions published which includes the 2018 edition. Final Thoughts

Game Play

Round 1 is the least funny but still a giggle. It gets its humour from the mad diversity of the ‘names’: from Baby Hitler, to Christopher Walken, the ego to Skeletor, farting in an elevator to jazz flute. Laughs come from disbelief that this name could possibly be what is printed on the card. After many plays, laughs also come from hearing how players describe a name that you have encountered before.

Monikers is guaranteed to get your party started with people up and laughing in no time. With a big group, make sure you keep the game flowing as the early rounds can take a bit longer than you might think. If this happens in the middle of the round, put that “possible” card to the side, and as soon as the timer is up for that team, discuss as a group whether or not that team properly redeemed it. If the name on a card is Joseph, can I use the name Joe as a clue?

A game of Monikers is played in 3 rounds between 2 teams fighting for the most points. To win the game, your team must collect the most points by the end of the game. The rules for how you can give clues will vary each round, but no matter which round it is, players can always skip the card and choose another. With only 60 seconds, we recommend doing this if you’re not confident with your first card. Overall this is a fun experience designed to be silly and ensure a good time is had by all. Expansions – Editions Yes! The instruction booklet provides a few options, such as adding extra rounds that involve making noises only, playing as one group cooperatively, and splitting up into more teams. If a player guesses part of the name or is extremely close to the correct answer, does that count as a “correct” answer?

Because he accidentally said part of the name, he has to skip that card this turn. He draws another, but before he starts to give the next clue, the timer beeps, so his turn is over. Please note that the base game and all expansions are for ages 17+! Similar Games to Monikers (Our Game Guides) That’s it. Underwhemed? I was when I read the rules – sounded a bit rubbish really. How wrong I was. Far from rubbish – actually superb. Sidesplittingly superb. The cards players have left should be returned to the box. Once this is done, simply choose which team will go first. Then you’re ready to begin playing, so let’s look at the rules for each round. The Basic Gameplay Round 1 – you can describe the name on the card freely as long as you don’t use any of the words in the name.No, that will be too simple! Players are also not allowed to give initials or spell anything out. Are there any expansions available? Note: Skipping cards is encouraged! If you cannot get your team to guess a certain card, move on to the next one. This will allow your team a chance at winning more points for that round. How to Keep Score in Monikers In the second round, the steps are the same, but there are additional rules. Players are restricted to single-word clues. In the third round, you can only gesture. It gets silly, and it gets silly fast. When a player on your team guesses the name on a card correctly, it is put aside into a separate pile for that team. Typically, the game should be played with no more than 40-50 cards total. If you have a very large group of people, you can deal fewer cards. If you have a small group of people, you can deal out more cards.