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Columns > Unplugged > #43: 'Tis a silly game...
There are games that call for somber reflection and thoughtful decisions, these do not.  Whether they play games for competition, for the challenge, or the social aspects of gaming, most players agree they play games because they are fun. Well, if fun is your bag, the following games throw out most of your normal expectations for a "game" and focus entirely on making sure you laugh yourself silly. Quelf by Wiggity Bang Games From the get-go, the friendly smiling platypus on the brightly colored cover lets you know this is not your standard boardgame. It's a fun party game for up to 8 players that takes the trivia/charades/quiz game genre and turns it on its ear and inside-out again. Players choose their token from among crowd favorites such as Mrs. Pickle Feather, Super Ninja Monkey, or The Dude and place them on a spiral game board. Roll the dice and move your "mice" along the spiral path. Draw a card corresponding to the color of your new square. Blue cards are "Roolz" that change the game in some way, like forcing everyone to do everything left-handed or speak only in pig latin. Green "Quizzle" cards are much closer to trivia questions but can be quite off the wall. Yellow "Stuntz" cards and purple "Showbiz" cards are similar and require you to perform various silly actions such as play the game from under the table, stare at an opponent without blinking, or perform some impromptu haiku. The final category is covered by the red "Scatterbrainz" cards which requires players to take turns listing objects in a category (such as: types of fish or brands of lipstick) until someone can't think of any more. Cards in most of the categories also provide a penalty for failure to perform the required action. A few cards even have extra credit sections that can be performed even if the main part of the card is failed. Players progress around the spiral board until one player makes it to the central space and wins a final round of "Scatterbrainz".
 This game is very fun to play if you are in the mood for it. Don't spring this on your friends at your next wine and cheese tasting party (unless you have unusual friends), but if everyone around is willing to give the game a try it should be a hit. This game is not meant for anyone for whom the words "Quizzle", "Roolz", or "Batbilig Chinzorig" (one of the player tokens) causes fits of the heebie-jeebies. However, if you can stomach the silliness, it is a pretty fun game. I can honestly say I find the game activities nearly completely random, and this is coming from a fairly random kind of guy. Just look at the character names, there isn't a theme in there at all, it's completely random. For this style of game, that's perfect! The cards reflect the same sort of creative warped genius and have everyone doing quite odd actions and performances. The trivia questions can be hard but remain entertaining even if you don't know the answer. The game can be played by young and old without much problem, but the rather boisterous activities require players to be fairly mobile. The recommended age is listed as 13 to 35.6 billion (by which I hope they don't mean 13 billion to 35 billion) but I find it playable with players as young as 10 or 11. I think 35 billion is rather optimistic, as anyone over 130 will probably find it rather difficult. My only complaint with the game lies with it's length and the card penalties. In groups that are cutthroat enough to where winning is nigh everything, the penalties are fitting, but in younger groups who are playing just for fun, the penalties can cause the game to drag on longer than necessary. By reducing the penalties, or changing them into rewards, the game can easily be shortened. The replay value of the game is fairly high, as each card category comes with a generous supply of cards to ensure plenty of new material for each new playing. It isn't a game I'm willing to play any day of the week, but in the right crowd looking for a silly distraction; it is a fun little game. Anyone looking at this game as something to be won at all costs will be fairly annoyed at the lack of strategy, but the rest of us will enjoy forcing him to do the chicken dance or else back up three squares.
 Eiertanz by Haba Roughly translated as "Dancing Eggs", this game is only available in the United States by those few online or brick-and-mortar stores choosing to import it. Players take turns rolling dice which force a competition. The winner must take an egg and hold onto it without dropping for the rest of the game. The game ends when someone drops and egg and the overall game winner is the player who ends the game with the most eggs. Coming in a long cardboard egg carton, the game consists of nine yellow rubber eggs, one smooth wooden egg, and two large dice (one red, the other white). One player (whoever can jump the highest) starts the game by rolling the red die. Depending on which side lands face-up, a player may be awarded an egg. This could be whoever first shouts cock-a-doodle-do, whoever first grabs the red die, whoever can grab a rubber egg bounced vigorously off the table, or even whoever is the first to run around the table and get back to their own seat. When the rolled die comes to a stop, that particular contest (if any) commences. Once the contest is over, the victorious egg-winner then rolls the white die which signifies where the hard-won egg must be held: their elbow, armpit, chin, shoulder, or between their legs. The egg is placed and the game continues with a new die roller. Over time, players gain more and more eggs, eventually stealing from each other when the egg carton runs out, until someone drops an egg. The remaining players count up their eggs (with the smooth wooden egg counting as two) and whoever has the most eggs, wins. This is a great action game. Kids and adults alike can really get into the spirit of the game and lurch around the table trying to vie for that next egg prize. There is room for abuse, as truly vicious die rollers will try to roll it so that specific players might have an advantage, but a few simple house rules can be implemented to ensure fairness. The game requires adequate room around the table for movement, and shouldn't be played with expensive furniture, but that doesn't make it any less fun. Yes, it's a silly game, but nearly everyone who has played it has thoroughly enjoyed it. Not one for the family dining room table, but great for a mixed aged group.  Are you Phrazy? by Gotta Laff Games Are you Phrazy stands with great games such as Pit, Outburst, and Charades as one of those games that is guaranteed to cause your neighbor to start pounding on your walls to get you to quiet down. As in games such as Uno or Rummy, players attempt to rid their hands of cards by playing them to the center of the table. Things are never quite that easy, as each card has a phrase that must also be spoken as it is played. Cards come in three colors: green, yellow, and red. Green cards contain a question or conversation-starter such as "Wassup?", while yellow cards are somewhat more moderate phrases like "Where's the Beef?" or "Well, excuse me!" Finally, the red cards are interjections like "Talk to the Hand" or "Hasta la vista, baby!" Starting with one card face up, players take turns following green cards with yellow, yellow with red, and red with green again. Play rotates around the board at a fast pace, while players are required to correctly yell out the phrase on their card as they play. If only it were that easy, chaos quickly ensues as any player may also "butt-in" if they can play an exact duplicate card to one that was just played. So, as there are quite a few copies of the same card in the deck, players just might have an extended conversation of "Whassup?" while everyone gets it out of their hand. If the player to your right played a card that you cannot follow and no one has intervened with their own copy, you must draw a card and then play it if you can. The game ends when someone empties their hand of cards. All other players score points for each card still remaining in their hand. Whoever ends several rounds of play with the lowest score is declared the overall winner. The game plays like a loud game of Uno on steroids. Once again, there isn't a huge amount of strategy, but it is still fun. Quick reactions, a good memory, and decent linguistic skills are keys to success. Ages are listed as 10 to adult, and that is a pretty good guideline. Younger kids could play but they would need fairly decent verbal and reading skills. At some point, reaction time can also be a factor, but most kids able to handle the gist of the game should do well, I won't comment on the reaction time of adults... The phrases are mostly innocuous, but parents may not want to see some of them crop up in every day conversation. There is nothing particularly bad, but I wouldn't want my child to regularly use the phrases "Hubba, hubba" or "Talk to the Hand" οΎ– nothing scandalous, but just not appropriate in polite conversation. I would have no problem playing this with any child who is wise enough to realize that the phrases are fine by themselves but could be inappropriate for everyday use.
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