Balderdash is based on a parlor game called “The Dictionary Game” or “Fictionary” which was around long before big bangs, even bell-bottoms.  The premise is simple, choose a word from the dictionary that isn’t in anyone’s vocabulary and ask everyone to make up a definition.  Then one person reads all of the made up definitions as well as the real one.  Players then guess which one they think is the real definition.  In Balderdash, if someone votes for your made-up answer, you get a point.  If you guess the correct definition you get two points.  Three points are awarded to the reader if no one guesses the real answer OR to a player if their made up definition is really close to the real definition, but with words like “sniggle” (to catch eels by throwing bait into their hiding places) and “fackeltanz” (a torchlight parade), that never really happens.

In the past couple decades, Balderdash has been with multiple companies including Parker Brothers and Mattel, who currently has the license.  Over that time Balderdash went from being just words, to having an expansion called “Beyond Bladerdash” that included people’s names, movie titles, funny laws and initials/acronyms in addition to the weird words.  This apparently was a success, because the current game of Balderdash includes all the fun bits from “Beyond Bladerdash.” Personally, I’m glad because the initials/acronyms are my favorites.  And just FYI, N.P.P.A. does not stand for “Nudist Petunia Planters Alliance” it actually is the “National Pickle Packers Association” but both of them make me laugh!

Anyway, if you haven’t played Balderdash find someone who has it and force them to host a game night.  It’s best to play with 4 or more people and it does make you think – I’d almost say “be creative” — but don’t let this scare you, some of the stupidest answers are the funniest.  There was one about a tabby cat alliance that caused tears there was so much laughing last time I played.

Balderdash Stats:
~$25 at Amazon, Target, Toys”R”Us, and many more
4 to 6 (it says 2 or more, but it’s not great unless you have 4 and you can add more movers to play with 8.)
30-45 Minutes or more (but you can easily shorten the game – pick a new “finish” on the board)
Ages 12 and up

Another dice game that I just love is Cinq-O, from Mattel.  One of the best things about it is that it comes in a handy carrying case that easily clips to your backpack for on-the-go play.  Surprise, surprise, this can also be found in my car, neatly tucked within the Yahtzee box.  This game is a slightly similar to the style of Yahtzee because all players are taking turns with very little player interaction (versus Easy Come, Easy Go which has lots of stealing and retaliation).  In Cinq-O you’re rolling five dice trying to get the lowest or highest possible dice total which earns you points and the first one to 100 wins.  There is also a multiplier die which keeps things interesting and provides a great catch-up factor.  Overall, it’s simple to learn, easy to take with you and it definitely satisfies my dice craving in a pinch.

Now here’s where the product becomes a bit more interesting, it was invented by Reyn Guyer who also invented some products you may have heard of: Twister and Nerf.  Crazy right?  Well initially Cinq-O was going to be a Milton Bradley product but it fell out of the line at the last minute because they didn’t want to market two dice games.  But good for Reyn and for us dice lovers, a couple years later Mattel decided it was a good fit for it’s line.

And then there is the bad news…I don’t think this game is on the market anymore.  I didn’t see it at my last trip to Target and it’s not online at Amazon.com either.  So then, where to find it…eBay?

Cinq-O stats:

• $10 and (up if you can snag a copy)
• 2 or more players
• ~10 minutes
• Ages 7 and up

Typically, all it takes to get a game lover interested in a new game is a glowing review from another game junkie – that’s it, they’re sold!  Earlier this year, I raved about Apples to Apples to my sister so she bought a copy and when it came time for her to buy a gift for my party game-loving aunt, she bought her a copy too.  Normally, I would expect excitement since this game was coming to her so highly recommended, but she didn’t seem excited.  Now, maybe it was the young sounding name or the bright red box that she didn’t immediately embrace, but we assured her it was a great game and awaited her review.

I love games and recommend a lot of games to friends and family, but it’s not like I’ve never met a game I didn’t like.  Sadly, I’ve come across far too many that I found painfully dull.  I give a pretty fair shake to any game that crosses my path; ones with weird names, dry themes, strange artwork – it’s all out there, but it’s the essence of the game that counts.  I have to WANT to play it – and once I’ve finished, I have to want to play it again.  And in that area, Apples to Apples gets very high marks.

So a couple months after Apples to Apples traveled from the Chicago birthday party back to my aunt’s home in Madison, I received a glowing review of the game in my inbox.  While I wondered why it had taken so long for her to play it, it was apparent it had immediately gained an important position on her game shelf.

For an adult with a circle of friends who love party games, I was astonished to hear that no one in the group had ever played it before.  For just about $25, it really is a party in a box – and a heavy box at that since the game is made up of pounds and pounds of cards.  Most of the cards are random words ranging from “Sunday Drivers” to “Angry Hornets” to “Televangelists” to “Loan Sharks” but a smaller number of cards are adjectives like “Industrious” and “Explosive.”

The game is simple: one player reads an adjective card like “Cuddly” and then players toss a word card from their hand that best fits the description into a pile.  Cards like “Napoleon Bonaparte,” “Meat Cleavers,” “Leeches” and “Firefighters” will be lobbed into the pile and then it’s up to the adjective reader to determine which card best fits the round’s adjective.  Personally, I don’t find meat cleavers cuddly at all, I wouldn’t want to cuddle with the diminutive military leader Napoleon Bonaparte and while leeches do cuddle up to you, my vote is still for firefighters since I’m dating one.

Part of the humor comes from the limited number of cards in your hand.  Because you’re only allowed five word cards at a time, you may have to decide whether to play “James Bond,” “Root Beer Floats” or “Stonehenge” for the adjective card “Legendary.”  Overall, it ends up being a hilarious mish mash of very literal to extremely funny interpretations of the adjective.  In the end, the winner is the player who has their word cards chosen the most times.

Forget strategy, calculating odds or an enormous lexicon, this game is easy for anyone to play – even those “non-game” friends.   And believe it or not, this game has been on the market long enough to sell over a million copies and proving that great games never die, Mattel just purchased it from the company that made it what it is today, Out of the Box games.  So this gem of a game will be on all mass market shelves for hopefully years to come, but definitely through this next holiday season.

And for all of you who want to know what took my aunt so long to play it – I asked – she said she was terrified by the number of cards.  Apparently, there was a bit of mental scarring after a five hour Trivial Pursuit marathon she experience just before she received the game.  Just goes to show you should never judge a game by its piece count!

Apples to Apples stats:

• ~$25 at any major retailer
• 4-10 players
• ~20-35 min. (depending on the number of players)
• Ages 12 and up (I say some smart 10 year olds can play too)