Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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50 of 51 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A trivia-game-hater's trivia game, October 20, 2007
Durability:3.0 out of 5 stars Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars Educational:4.0 out of 5 stars
Wits & Wagers is the trivia game that levels the playing field for those who can't abide trivia games. Even a child can play this and win. The skill comes more from making smart bets than answering correctly.
COMPONENTS
The game comes with a set of question cards that ask questions that even Jeopardy! players would find hard to know. (Such as "How many elevators operate within the Empire State Building?") The cards are nicely designed and sturdy. The answers come printed on the backs and include extra details to flesh out the interesting nature of the questions.
The players bet on a betting table board (fabric over a rubberized back in the first edition, felt in the second). The betting board contains a series of odds that run from the middle at 1:1 to the ends at 4:1. Each players selects one of seven colors and receives two wooden bet markers painted in their color. Players then receive a dry-erase marker and a small dry-erase board framed in their color. They also receive ten red chips (worth 5 pts each) and three blue (10 pts). A 30-second sand timer limits stalling on answering questions or betting.
PLAY
A game consists of seven questions. A question with a numerical answer is read from the card and the timer set. Each player writes his answer on his dry-erase board. When time is called, the player's answers are placed on the betting board according to their spread; the response in the middle of all answers is placed at the center of the betting board at 1:1 with the rest spread in numerical order across the betting positions (with increasing odds against) on each side.
Players are then given 30 more seconds to bet once the answers are in place. They can bet on two answers up to 10 point chips total, tracking their bets with the bet markers. The answer is then read. The response on the betting board closest without going over is declared the winner. Chips are then doled out according to the odds to the players who won on that bet. All other bets are cleared form the table and go into the bank. The player who provided the winning response gets one additional blue chip.
The final question allows players to go all-in. After that final solution is read and chips doled out, the person with the most points in chips wins.
PROS:
* A unique approach to trivia games. The dual nature of the play (answering, betting) mixes things up.
* Anyone can win, even if he doesn't know all the answers. Good betting can compensate for bad responses.
* The questions are intriguing.
* Though the instruction booklet is daunting, the game play is simple.
* Up to seven people can play.
* A complete game can be played in only twenty minutes, allowing for multiple rounds.
* The game components are well-made.
* Plenty of question cards help maintain question freshness.
* Because the answers are all numerical, it makes it harder to remember answers in later game play should a familiar question arise (especially since many of the answers are minutia).
* Because of the betting aspect of the game, even responding with the correct answer from time to time may not guarantee a final win.
* When played at large parties, even non-players can get involved in the fun.
* Easy to learn and explain.
CONS:
* Can be slow the first time it's played (though familiarity brings the speed up considerably).
* The rules for spreading the answers across the board, especially if a couple players give the same response, can be tricky at first.
* The game does involve a Las Vegas style of wagering, and not every crowd may feel comfortable with the "gambling" aspect.
* The all-in final question has the tendency to negate good play on previous questions. (You may wish to alter this rule to set a limit on how much players can bet on the last question.)
People who have played this game with us enjoy it a great deal. Many people like trivia questions and some of these are just outlandishly hard. But that's the point. Most people aren't going to know these answers, and that's where the betting aspect heightens the fun.
While Wits & Wagers may not be the ultimate party game, it's got a lot going for it. Because of its two-pronged play, the game enables a wide variety of people to enjoy it. What more could one desire in a game?
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30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fun blend of trivia and gambling!, October 27, 2006
This is not your typical trivia game. In fact, all of the useless information that trivia nuts memorize won't help them with these questions! Instead, players are asked to make good estimates. Imagine that, you have to use your brain with this game to come up with smart judgements. So it is not even a trivia game: it's an estimation game! But that is not even correct, because it is a betting game more than either of these. The crux of this game is in betting on the range that the correct answer will fall in. You can do this by having a good idea of the answer, by having a good idea of who else at the table might know the answer, or by simply playing the odds and hoping!
This is the most fun party game to have come out in many years. I'm not surprised that it has won all of the major awards this year including Party Game of the Year from Games Magazine and the Mensa Mind Games award. It is very simple to teach people so you can break it out at the next holiday gathering and have a great time!
[disclaimer] I am the designer of this game. Even so, everything I wrote is 100% true! :-)
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fast Moving and Fun!, December 8, 2006
I received Wits & Wagers as a gift last year and have since given it to four different friends. People love this game. It's fast (everyone answers each question), fun (lots of interaction - you're betting on your friend's guesses) and easy to play (the rules sound complicated, but they are not). Besides a few date/year questions, it's pretty hard to embarrass yourself and the gambling levels the playing field. The way the game is structured (with a no limit final round), almost everyone is in it until the end too. Unlike some other trivia games, this one lends itself to mixed crowds of trivia buffs and children. Knowing lots of trivia really won't help you all that much, as smart bets are the key. I highly recommend this award winning game!
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