Customer Reviews

Say Anything

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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 do I 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.

I first played this game at the Gen Con board game convention, not knowing at all what it was about. After our first demo I knew I had to get it. I was very surprised because this game was actually fun with a large group of people that I didn't know at all! Now that I've got it back to my family, it's even more of a blast playing with people I do know!

I just LOVE the fact that I can explain it to people so quickly; no long drawn out rules. I even had one match where a friend of mine had to leave and another sat in (who had just arrived) and really didn't even need to ask how to play!

Another great aspect is that the game is really customized to the group you play with so it can be great fun with both a G rated group and an R rated group. It definitely helps to have a creative and humorous group of friends playing it though.

The one complaint I have though is the pens, they seem to dry out rather quickly. Although I can't complain much because with a quick email to Northstar I received a whole extra set of pens that allowed me to replace the dried out ones.

Overall I would bring this out at any party and recommend it. A fun way to get to know people and have a lot of laughs.

On the heels of the successful Wits & Wagers comes the 3rd offereing from Northstar Games: Say Anything!

Say Anything comes packed with a ton of random questions that players select to read to their friends. After eveyone writes down an opinion on their little wipeboard, the reader secretly decides the answer they like best. Everyone then bets on the answer(s) they think the reader will select. Once the reader's choice is revealed, points are scored.

This game plays a lot like Apples to Apples but is better on a few counts.
- The questions and anwers make sense. Since everyone writes tehir own, it is always applicable tot he question. There is no forcing of two unrelated cards.
- The game is more personal. It's all about you and your friends and what they like and think.
- There is a maximum 3 points that can be awarded to each player, each round. So it keeps the game tight until the end and balances a windfall of points on "obvious" answers.
- Though it is subjective, there is a chance to be consistent in answering if you know a little about the reader.

My friends have all enjoyed this game. This is another game where they play it and want to go out and buy it the next day. This is a great game that should be added to every party gamer's collection!

I used to think that Apples to Apples was the best party game around, but Say Anything has knocked it off the top of my list. It has never failed to liven up a gathering, whether the participants all know each other well, or are just getting to know each other. With A2A players are limited by the cards in their hand, but with Say Anything, the only limitation is your imagination. My only complaint is that many of the dry-erase markers included with the game went dry too quickly. However, my understanding is that they have corrected the problem with later editions. Highly recommened.

We play party games a lot with our family and friends (Pictionary, Scrabble, Cranium, Apples to Apples) and Say Anything is, by far, our favorite. It is so wonderful - it inspires great conversations (What's the Best Song Ever?) and laughter. We previously loved Apples to Apples but I was often a little frustrated with the cards in my hand not being a good match - but with Say Anything you get to make up your own response so it's much more creative and satisfying. The only problem we had is that some of the dry erase pens - new out of the box - did not work, but I contacted customer service and they sent a whole new pack out right away. I love this game and I wish this company great success!

Introduction:

Say Anything is often seen as a better game and successor to Apples to Apples, but Apples to Apples has some practical merits as well. In this review, I'll list various differences between the two games worth considering when comparing the two games.

Rules Recap:

Apples to Apples: Each player is dealt a hand of Red Apple cards. At the start of each round, one of the players sets aside his hand and takes the role of the Judge. The Judge draws a Green Apple card and reads it off (eg. "Dramatic"). Each other player then plays a Red Apple card that they think the Judge will select as the closest match (eg. "Fourth of July", "Tornados" and "The JFK Assassination"). The Judge then selects one of these played cards. The player playing the card scores a point. Play passes to the next player, who then becomes the Judge.

Say Anything: At the start of each round, one of the player takes the role of the Selector and reads a subjective "In My Opinion" question, (such as "If I could have a "BIG" anything, what would it be?"). Each other player then writes down his answer they hope the Selector will chose, and shows his answer. The Selector then secretly chooses his answer. The rest of the players then bet their two betting chips on which answer the Selector will choose. The Selector reveals his answer. The Selector gains points depending on the number of players who choose his answer. The players who choose the Selector's answer score points.

Creativity: Say Anything

With its open-ended answers to subjective questions, Say Anything by far ends up being the more creative game. For example, the above question of "If I could have a "BIG" anything, what would it be?" can be answered any number of ways, with the social group often tempering the political incorrectness of the answers.

In Apples to Apples, you can have a "dud" round in which one or more players will not have a Red Apple that well-matches the Green Apple card.

Fairness: Say Anything

Despite the subjectivity of the questions (which all start "In My Opinion..."), the scoring system of Say Anything encourages the Selector to select an answer he thinks others will choose. The Selector scores one point per chip others have placed on the answer he chose, up to three points. In Apples to Apples, the Judge can pick any Red Apple he chooses. Most Judges I've played with play fairly, but some will choose the most opposite answer, an answer based on an inside joke, or other criteria some players will deem unfair.

Maximum Number of Players: Apples to Apples

The Say Anything components are limited to eight players, three or four at a minimum. Apples to Apples can be played with any number of players, four or five at a minimum. (A variant for Apples to Apples with less than six players is to draw two additional cards from the Red Deck. If the Judge chooses a card from the deck, the deck scores a point!) I've played games of Apples to Apples with as many as fifteen people, some new, with no problems.

Portability and Component Loss: Apples to Apples

If you only play party games at your own house, this criteria isn't important. But if you bring along party games to other locations where you might not even be sure of having an indoor playing surface (eg. a picnic), Apples to Apples is the safer choice. Apples to Apples consists of two card decks, of Green Apples and Red Apples, and the game can still be played with some cards from each deck missing. Say Anything has a number of components (eg. the scoreboard) that make the game inconvenient to play if lost. Additionally, Say Anything uses wipe-off markers, which can dry out.

Scoring: Apples to Apples

Not that party games are all that complicated, but the scoring system of many party games can be the most complicated part of the game. Say Anything is no more difficult than most party games, but Apples to Apples is simpler -- whoever's answer the Judge picks scores a point. This is a minor issue, since, like most party games, the scores are usually secondary to the fun of the game.

Component Use in Other Games: Say Anything

More of a footnote, but many party games have short answers written on small pieces of paper. Say Anything's wipe-boards are large enough for short answers smaller than a sentence.

Customization: Say Anything

For birthdays, anniversaries, and special events, you can create your own questions for Say Anything, such as "When did Michael fall in love with Joelene?" and "What is the REAL age of the birthday girl?"

Conclusion:

I've found Say Anything to be more creative and fun than Apples to Apples. But, since not all social events I attend have the playing surface needed for Say Anything, Apples to Apples makes a useful backup party game.

This is the easiest game I have come across to get everyone involve. It is very simple and yet so engaging! The players take turns choosing questions from the question card and everyone writes an answer and throws it in the middle. The questioner secretly chooses the answer he likes best and then everyone bets on which one he chose.

There is obvious permission to write "anything" as your answer. Some answers are very risqué and daring, trying to catch the questioner's eye. Wow, what a laugh! You can imagine the answers we produced to: "What is your favorite activity?" We had answers from "sex" to my 93 y/o mother who wrote "can't remember."

This is the best social ice breaker I have ever come across!

This game is all about knowing - and getting to know - fun stuff about other people. It's a great icebreaker. You can bring it to a party as a gift and start playing immediately.

It's great for:

* people who aren't really into games,
* a group where folks don't really know each other,
* a group where everybody knows each other,
* a group with varying ages and abilities.

It moves quickly so people can play for a while and move on to other things or play again and again. It's a new game with every new group that's playing with you. Everytime I've played it's been a raucous good time.

It's a good way to spend time with the family over the holidays, especially if you've got a diverse crowd together.

My one complaint concerns durability of the little spinner that comes with the game. In a house with some toddlers it got dismantled in less than a week. Fortunately, it's not essential to playing the game.

If you've played Apples to Apples then you are familiar with the basics of this kind of party game. One person asks a question and everyone else provides the answers.

The best part about "Say Anything" is that you are not limited in your answer. You can write down anything that you feel would be the best answer for the person asking the question.

Example questions from memory include:
Who is the most important person from the last 100 years?
What would be the coolest thing to have in a mansion?
What is your favorite place to spend time while in high school?

Once everybody answers the question (on dry erase pads), the person who asked the question privately selects their favorite answer. All the answerers use their chips to bet on which answer or answers they feel are the best. Then, everyone, including the asker, is scored for up to 3 points per round.

Everyone gets a chance to ask a question at least once (once for 7-8 players, twice for 5-6 players and three times for 3-4 players). Expect a half hour of laughing as the group really finds out how well they know each other!

Having played a lot of comparable games, I firmly believe this is the best of them all!
In Say Anything you ask open-ended questions, so the options of answers are endless (as compared to a similar style game, Apples to Apples, where you can only use the answers already written on cards). Because Say Anything is so open-ended, it has endless replay value. There are also A LOT of questions you from the cards you can ask, and it would certainly work fine with just making up your own questions if you want to get even more creative.
Say Anything is easy to learn and accessible, even to those who don't often play games (my mother who rarely plays games exclaimed "this is a really great game!" when we played it the other day)
This game is also basically the anti-Monopoly (I mean that in the best way possible). You are always getting to do something and never have to sit a turn out. You get to be creative, but even if you can't come up with the "best" answers, there is a betting aspect of the game (meaning you can win just by guessing which answers the person asking the question likes best).
I don't think my family has ever laughed so much when playing a game before.
Very highly recommended!