Products tagged with Great for Groups

Appletters

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:26:03 +0000

Some things just go together: peanut butter and jelly, movies and popcorn, Sonny and Cher. When you combine dominoes and Scrabble, you get the smart and delightful game of Appletters. Part wordplay and part matching, Appletters challenges players to make words and then build off of them using either the first or last letter of the growing chain. This clever little game includes rules for young players, making it perfect for family game nights, sleepover party entertainment and impromptu after-dinner matches. Appletters comes in a handy pouch for brain training on the go.

Baffle Gab Limited Edition

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:26:03 +0000

Baffle Gab gives you 60 seconds, five random words, one line from pop culture and asks you to create a story that’ll bring you fame, fortune and the unbridled envy of your opponents. Well, maybe just that last one. This uproarious word skills game teaches young players about sentence structure while helping the young at heart think quickly and embrace their inner storyteller. Whatever your age, Baffle Gab will give your corpus callosum one heckuva workout. Which is just our quasi-intellectual way of saying your creative juices will be pumping like an artificially flavored juice box at an all-night discothèque.

Snatch-It

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:26:03 +0000

Snatch-It happens to be one of the all-time favorites of Lindsay Gaskins, our brainy leader, president and CEO. She’s one smart cookie so, naturally, we can recommend it without equivocation. This competitive and fast-paced word game challenges players to think quickly while putting their vocabulary skills to the test. Here’s how it works: Place 100 letter tiles face down and then take turns flipping one tile over at a time until a word of three or more letters can be formed. Spot a word and call it out. Or, snatch any word by changing it with one or more letters.

Smart Mouth

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:26:03 +0000

So you fancy yourself a word nerd, huh? Well here’s your chance to put your smarts where your mouth is with a game of Smart Mouth. This quick-thinking word skills game reveals two tiles with letters on them and challenges players to be the first to come up with a word that begins and ends with the letters. So, say the first tile is a “C” and the second tile is an “E,” you could shout out “crate,” “correlate” or “coelenterate.” Oh, and just in case you were wondering, coelenterate is any invertebrate animal of the phylum Coelenterata, such as a jellyfish.

Brain Box: All Around the USA

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:26:03 +0000

This is the kind of game that reminds you of summers spent with your kid sister stuck in the backseat of a wood-paneled station wagon on your way to Yellowstone. Or wait, was it Yosemite? Brain Box: All Around the USA gives players 10 seconds to study an illustrated card and memorize as many details as possible. Then, players roll the dice to determine which question they’ll be asked about the card. This clever memory game teaches players little-known facts about the 50 states while boosting visual perception and recall skills.

Buzz Word

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:26:03 +0000

The best brain games skillfully blur the line between education and entertainment. Buzzword is one of those games and has the awards to prove it. This fast-paced game enhances memory, builds vocabulary and encourages teamwork under the guise of having fun. Here’s how it works: The game contains 400 Buzzword clues of various difficulty levels. So say the Buzzword is “ball.” Your team has 45 seconds to solve 10 clues that contain the word ball. Clues like: inflatable sand toy (beach ball), on top of spaghetti (meatball), a psychic stares into one (crystal ball). Whatever the clue, the whole family is sure to have a brain-boosting ball with the game of Buzzword!

Fluxx Card Game

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:26:03 +0000

Fluxx is a game that will flex your decision-making and strategic thinking muscles with four card types and rules that are constantly changing. Goal cards tell you how to win, rule cards tell you how to play, action cards tell you what to do and keeper cards help you reach your goals. But the rules that govern the cards are always in “Fluxx” so it’s critical to pay attention and keep your eye on the prize. Which, in this case, is the highly sought after title of “Fluxx Player of the Evening, Your Living Room Division.”

Loot Card Game

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:26:03 +0000

We thought about writing the whole description for this pirate-themed card game in pirate speak, but decided that would just be annoying. You can thank us later. Loot is a Mensa Select winner that will improve your memory, decision-making abilities and strategic thinking skills as you storm your opponents’ merchant ships to seize valuable treasure. But, you have to watch your back because plundering pirates are also out to capture your ships. (Pirates are sneaky like that.) The team version of the game will improve your leadership skills and have you saying “Ahoy matey!” Sorry, we couldn’t resist.

Set

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:26:03 +0000

This fast-paced game challenges players to identify the similarities or differences among a set of cards. Each card in the deck is unique, with varying shape, color, number and patterns. Just shout out “Set” when you spot three cards that form a set. Whether playing alone or with a group, Set will put your recognition and deduction skills to the test. Set also makes a great gift. In fact, half the people who buy it at our stores already have Set at home and are coming back to buy one for a friend. Gift for impossible-to-shop-for Aunt who has absolutely everything: check!

Spot It

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:26:03 +0000

Some people can spot a 90% off designer dress in a pile of discounted rubbish. They make out street signs from superhero distances. And they can identify the rarest of rare birds without even trying. You can be one of those people after a few quick rounds of Spot It! This smart game contains 55 illustrated cards with eight symbols each. There is always one, and only one, matching symbol between any two cards. All you need is a sharp eye and quick hands to take home the title of “Spot It! Master of the Visual Universe.” Win or lose, every player gets killer visual perception skills as a parting gift.

Wits and Wagers Party Game

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:26:03 +0000

Trivia, gambling and social interaction: sounds like a killer excuse for a party to us. But please, invite only your most fascinating friends because they’ll make this fast-paced game all the more entertaining. Wits & Wagers asks players the same question. Don’t know the answer? Not to worry. Just take a guess or bluff. That’s where the “wits” part comes in. Now for the “wagers” part: bet on the answer you think is correct. The trick is knowing when to bet on a long shot, when to play it safe and when to use your uncanny ability to read your friends against them. Hey, all’s fair in love, war and party games.

Cornerstone Essential

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:26:03 +0000

Strategic planning skills, coordination and the luck of the dice converge in the game of Cornerstone. The object of the game is to build and climb your tower, carefully placing blocks and strategically balancing oﬀense and defense. With each move, the towers grow taller and the structures become more unstable. The trick is to be the ﬁrst one to reach the top before your structure falls. This Mensa Select Winner boasts a timeless concept and heirloom quality construction, which means family members will be working their prefrontal cortexes and having fun for generations.

Morphology

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:26:03 +0000

Can you make a mitten out of a string? How about a butterfly from glass beads and wooden sticks? And more importantly, can you get your team to guess what your creation is in order to move forward on the game board and win the highly sought after title of Morphology Champs of the Evening? Well, here’s your chance to put your creativity to the test with Morphology. This clever game challenges you to think differently about the structure and form of everyday objects and words. Along the way, you’ll laugh hysterically, flex your creative muscles and connect with friends and family.

#2 on Time Magzine's Best Toys of 2010

Expansion pack also available

Brain Box: All Around the World

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:26:03 +0000

Put your memory and visual perception skills to the test while doing your world geography teacher proud with Brain Box: All Around the World. This clever memory game teaches players facts about different countries while boosting visual perception and recall skills.

Storymatic

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:26:03 +0000

Created by a writing instructor, Storymatic contains 500 cards in a retro typewriter font and portable box. Draw two gold cards with an occupation or trait and one or two copper cards with a situation or object. Then combine them to tell a story. For example, you could draw “oddities collector,” “person with a devastating secret,” “nobody is watching” and “at last, love.” There are trillions of options and just two rules: You can’t kill your character and your character must change during the story. Makes a smart teaching tool, writer’s block cure, creativity enhancer or rainy day diversion.

Dixit

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:26:03 +0000

In Dixit, players tell a story about an image on a card and their opponents try to guess the card. Sounds easy enough. But Dixit contains 84 cards with artwork by Marie Cardouat, a French artist known for surreal illustrations that are hard to put into words. Like a person made of paper walking through a field with their pieces of paper blowing away. To complicate matters, your story can’t be too obvious or too vague because if everyone or no one guesses correctly, you get zero points. Although, points seem fairly superfluous to exercising your creativity, visual perception and word skills.

Train of Thought

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:26:03 +0000

Okay, we know what you’re thinking, “Not another party game where players guess as many words as they can in two minutes.” But don’t be so quick to judge. Our BrainCoaches have seen and played them all and they insist that Train of Thought is one of the brainy best. The game goes like this: Players try to guess a word from a three-word clue. But each clue must include one word from the previous answer, which makes your brain form crazy and often hysterical associations. Double bonus: There’s no snoozing on this word game train because Train of Thought keeps all players actively involved at all times.

Forbidden Island

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:26:03 +0000

Fire up your frontal cortex. You’re going to need it on a do-or-die mission to capture four sacred treasures from Forbidden Island before this perilous paradise sinks and takes you and everyone else with it. But leave your competitive spirit at home because this 2010 Mensa Favorite Brainy Games Winner is a cooperative game where you win or lose as a team, making it a rewarding game for families. Ornate treasure figurines and sturdy cards with vivid illustrations help immerse players in the game as tensions and waters rise in a race against the clock.

Visual Brainstorms

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:26:03 +0000

You’re at the doctor’s office surrounded by sniffling kids (including your own) and you’re faced with a decision: Read another article about Brangelina or the one promising a tighter toosh in 30 days. Then you remember the Visual Brainstorms stashed in your purse and realize that your mind-numbing, two-hour wait doesn’t have to be mind-numbing at all. So you take out the 100 illustrated cards packed with brain teasers color-coded by difficulty. And by the time the nurse calls your name, you and the kids have managed to exercise your logic, spatial reasoning and sequential thinking skills.

Rock the Beat

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:26:03 +0000

Admittedly, one of the reasons we love Rock the Beat so much is because we’re not-so-closeted Queen freaks. Rock legends aside, this rapid gesture game also happens to be good for the brain. This is how it works: Players pound and clap to the tune of We Will Rock You and then the lead player substitutes a gesture from a comically-illustrated card for the clap. The next player has to remember and repeat the gesture and so on. This addictive party game forces your brain to multitask and is much harder than it looks, especially if there are adult beverages being served at the aforementioned party.

Reverse Charades

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:26:03 +0000

Between the non-stop hilarity and get-out-of-your-seat action, it’s no coincidence that charades has been a go-to party game for decades. But even consummate crowd pleasers can benefit from a new perspective. Enter Reverse Charades. Here’s the twist: Instead of one person acting out words for their team, the team acts out words for one person. Each guesser gets 60 seconds to guess as many words as they can. Like the traditional game, Reverse Charades boosts word skills and creativity. But it gets extra credit for encouraging cooperation as team members work together to act out their words.

Anomia

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:26:03 +0000

Sure, coming up with the name of a frozen food or a dog breed sounds easy enough. Or at least that’s what you think while downing a Hot Pocket and petting your cocker spaniel. Turns out, coming up with it before your opponent in a game of Anomia is not quite as easy. The rules for this Mensa Select winner are simple: Flip over a card from the pile and face off with the player whose card has the same symbol as yours. Then, blurt out an example of the person, place or thing on your opponent’s card before they can do the same. Win or lose, you’ll laugh, shout and exercise your noggin.

Dabble

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:26:03 +0000

Once upon a time in a Brooklyn basement, there was an 84-year-old inventor who tinkered away creating one failed invention after another. Then one day (80 failed inventions later), he was cutting up plastic tiles and came up with the idea for Dabble, Creative Child Magazine’s 2011 Game of the Year. This fast-paced word skills game gives each player 20 letters and five minutes to come up with words of two, three, four, five or six letters. Moral of the story: The mind can do great things at any age as long as you keep it stimulated and never give up. So kick your neurons into gear with a game of Dabble.

Infunitum

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:26:03 +0000

Infunitum is like the thinking man’s Scattergories and the debating woman’s Family Feud. Here’s how it works: Draw a card and choose one of three quirky categories like “Things that make you self-conscious.” Start the one-minute timer and write down as many things as you can relating to the category. But you only get a point if nobody else writes down the same thing—so the more unique your answers, the better. Just don’t go overboard because questionable answers are voted in or out by other players. So get ready to defend your answers, debate your opponents and laugh your way to victory.

Table Topics

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:26:03 +0000

This four-inch acrylic cube comes packed with 135 question cards to inspire engaging party conversation that will leave you thinking long after the last bottle of wine is emptied. From "what did you get into the most trouble for when you were young?" to "what's the worst and best thing about being a man or woman?", these thought-provoking questions will break the ice and liven up the conversation. They make a great tool for team-building and a fun activity for dinner parties and family gatherings.

Spontuneous

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:26:03 +0000

You secretly wish life were a musical and you could fearlessly break out Singin' in the Rain accompanied by Mr. Tambourine Man without being told to Beat It. With Spontuneous, you can. This laugh- and sing-out-loud party game goes like this: All players write down a trigger word from the lyrics of a song they know. On your turn, flip the 15-second timer, say one of your trigger words, then kick back and watch the other players race to belt out a five-word portion of any song containing your word. The first person to do so gets to roll the dice and advance on the game board’s treble clef.