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Ben Lott
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Say Anything » Forums » Reviews
The Next Great Party Game from Northstar Games
The guys who brought us Cluzzle and Wits & Wagers are at it again. They have produced another crazy party game that is geared towards gamers and non-gamers alike. So is it as good as those games? Read on...

What do you get with Say Anything? The contents of Say Anything include a nice big rulesheet, a score board, a stack of question cards, 8 dry erase markers, 8 answer boards in different colors, 16 betting chips in the same 8 colors, and one Select-O-Matic 5000. All the components are good quality and will hold up to repeated plays. And Northstar went the extra mile by adding a unique symbol to each color so that the game is 100% color-blind friendly.

How does Say Anything work? Gameplay is really fairly simple. Each player gets a dry erase marker, an answer board, and the 2 chips that match the color of their board. One player starts as the judge by taking the Select-O-Matic 5000 and a question card. On each card are 5 different question, and the judge gets to pick whichever question he/she prefers to read. The questions are fairly wide-ranging, for instance "What is the most overrated song of all time?" or "What would be the worst pizza topping?"
Once the judge reads a question, the other players write an answer down on their boards and then place them face-up on the table. When all the answers are down, the judge uses the Select-O-Matic 5000 to secretly dial up the color of the board that has their favorite answer. Then the other players place their chips on the one or two answers they think the judge is most likely to choose (both on one or split them between two.) Then the judge reveals the selected answer.
The judge scores one point for each chip that is on the selected answer, up to a maximum of three points. The players score one point for each chip they had on the selected answer. And finally, the player who wrote the selected answer gets one point. Players take turns being the judge and once everyone has been the judge once or twice the highest score wins.

What does Blott think of Say Anything? Say Anything is simply a fun game to play. It starts up a lot of conversations as players talk and discuss why one answer is great and another is terrible. A lot of the questions are very humorous in nature, so there often is a lot of laughter around the table. One of the nicest things is that, just like in Wits & Wagers, you aren't really penalized harshly if you fail to come up with a good answer. This makes it so that players who may get annoyed with their lack of creativity are still able to participate, and even win. This really is the ultimate goal of a good party game: No downtime, lots of laughter and conversation, and everyone has a chance to win.

Who will enjoy Say Anything? Anyone who is looking for a good party game. Obviously if you are seeking a deep strategy game, you should look elsewhere. Say Anything is one of those games where you can't care too much about who wins because it's really all about the laughter and the conversation. It is a smashing success with my non-gaming family members, and they even preferred it over Wits & Wagers.

Any parting comments about Say Anything? Make sure you approach this game with the proper mindset. This is a casual game that delivers light fun and conversation. It has a little less strategy than Wits & Wagers, but it still works with the same groups of people. I expect this one to quickly climb over 10 plays for me by the end of the year because of its very short play-time and really simple rules explanation.
Sheamus Parkes
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Gah! I need more cabinet space!!!
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Of the three NorthStar games, this is definitely the weakest link. It's just a bit too Apples to Apples-ish for me in that there's so much "Know Thy Judge" to worry about. And don't get me started on the tongue-in-cheek tiebreaker rule.
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Randy Cox wrote:
Of the three NorthStar games, this is definitely the weakest link. It's just a bit too Apples to Apples-ish for me in that there's so much "Know Thy Judge" to worry about. And don't get me started on the tongue-in-cheek tiebreaker rule.

What I like about this over Apples to Apples is that you aren't hamstrung by the cards you are dealt. Your options are as open as your imagination allows them to be.

Yes there is some "Know Thy Judge" to the game, but there are ways to optimize your chances of scoring. If you split your chips on 2 different answers and don't bet on your own, you have 3 opportunities to score one point. Therefore, even with no clue about the judge's taste you still have a chance. For me, it is the aspect of getting to know the judge a little better that I like about the game.
Sheamus Parkes
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Have to agree. I don't see "Know Thy Judge" as a bad party game mechanic.

Bad party game mechanics would be:

1. Uneven Trivia Questions
2. Pointless Roll&Move Underpinnings (Scene It anyone?)
3. Sad Cross Market Branding

etc.
Ask Me About the Global Geek Photo Album Project (Erik Warnes)
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Isamoor wrote:
Have to agree. I don't see "Know Thy Judge" as a bad party game mechanic.

Bad party game mechanics would be:

1. Uneven Trivia Questions
2. Pointless Roll&Move Underpinnings (Scene It anyone?)
3. Sad Cross Market Branding

etc.


In other words, Trivial Pursuit?

I do like the idea of not being limited by my cards. Most of Apples to Apples, besides knowing your judge, is having the correct card at the correct time, for instance, "Hellen Keller" for "Delicious" or "Adolph Hitler" for "Cute".
Dominic Crapuchettes
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Randy Cox wrote:
... And don't get me started on the tongue-in-cheek tiebreaker rule.


We already changed that based on your feedback! In fact, the manufacturers had already printed all 14,500 copies of the rules so it cost us an arm and a leg to do it.

Dude, you have power! (or maybe that's just how much we trust your opinion (except for the part about Say Anything being our weakest game - to be honest, we think this will end up being our best seller))
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domcrap wrote:
Randy Cox wrote:
... And don't get me started on the tongue-in-cheek tiebreaker rule.


We already changed that based on your feedback! In fact, the manufacturers had already printed all 14,500 copies of the rules so it cost us an arm and a leg to do it.

Dude, you have power! (or maybe that's just how much we trust your opinion (except for the part about Say Anything being our weakest game - to be honest, we think this will end up being our best seller))


It sounds like a fun game, Dominic...but Wits and Wagers is genius. That's a hard act to follow.
Sheamus Parkes
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unixrevolution wrote:
domcrap wrote:
Randy Cox wrote:
... And don't get me started on the tongue-in-cheek tiebreaker rule.


We already changed that based on your feedback! In fact, the manufacturers had already printed all 14,500 copies of the rules so it cost us an arm and a leg to do it.

Dude, you have power! (or maybe that's just how much we trust your opinion (except for the part about Say Anything being our weakest game - to be honest, we think this will end up being our best seller))


It sounds like a fun game, Dominic...but Wits and Wagers is genius. That's a hard act to follow.


Have to agree, how many party games accurately abuse the economic theory of group knowledge?
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Isamoor wrote:
unixrevolution wrote:
domcrap wrote:
(to be honest, we think this will end up being our best seller))


It sounds like a fun game, Dominic...but Wits and Wagers is genius. That's a hard act to follow.


Have to agree, how many party games accurately abuse the economic theory of group knowledge?

He said their best seller not necessarily their best game. And as for best seller, I would heartily agree. This one could be a big seller because it is even more accessible for non-gamers. This is the type of game that could easily be sold at a large chain department store, because anyone can play and it's so easy to learn. If you're not already in talks with Target about adding this game to their shelves you're crazy, Dom.
Dominic Crapuchettes
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Blott wrote:
He said their best seller not necessarily their best game.

I did specifically say best seller, and not best game. That's because I'm a bit torn on what makes a game great, but if I had to choose right now, I might say:

30% Simplicity (speed of getting people to have fun)
30% Depth of Resonating with People (How much fun people have with the game)
30% Replay value
10% Innovation

While Wits & Wagers is certainly more innovative, the game's activity does not resonate as deeply with the human condition as does the activity in Say Anyting. It is also a more complicated game, making the barrier to new players higher.

Everyone is different in regards to what resonates with them. People here on the geek might be more drawn to the intellectual backbone of W&W than the social intraction of Say Anything, but I'm not really sure.

Although the reception of W&W by people playing the prototype was 10 times better than the reception of any of my previous prototypes, the reception of Say Anything has been noticably more positive than that of W&W. I don't have a good sense of whether more of the positive reception came from gamers or non-gamers.

Target and Borders have already decided to test out Say Anything for this holiday season. I'll definitely let people know which stores as soon as I know.
Last edited on 2008-06-22 09:35:42 CST (Total Number of Edits: 1)
Curt Collins
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When can we expect this to be sold at target?

Dominic Crapuchettes
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Spleen wrote:
When can we expect this to be sold at target?


It should be out in SELECT Targets by Mid-August and in SELECT Borders by October. I will definitely post it here as soon as I know which stores are going to be carrying it.
The Mad Lord Algo
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Isamoor wrote:
Have to agree. I don't see "Know Thy Judge" as a bad party game mechanic.

Bad party game mechanics would be:

1. Uneven Trivia Questions
2. Pointless Roll&Move Underpinnings (Scene It anyone?)
3. Sad Cross Market Branding

etc.


Just ordered my copy! This looks great!

As for the so called "know thy judge" stuff. Isn't that the whole point?

I mean, if you don't want that I suggest that you run screaming from this game.

Also, as tiebreaker rules go, I don't feel too bad about that one, and may enforce it on my groups even if it has been rewritten!

Again, if its not interaction and silliness you're after, theres plenty of other choices!
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