In my previous column, I mentioned how I was going to unplug for a weekend vacation. But just because I unplugged doesn’t mean I wasn’t going to game in some form. In this case, my editor rented a beautiful cabin up in Western Maryland called Black Bear Lodge, which is absolutely stunning right there on the shore of Deep Creek Lake. Friends came by and we had a great time playing card games, board games, and even a few hybrid titles that mixed electronic components and physical parts.
It was a great time in an amazing location, and I even got to play a few new titles that I had never experienced before. Here are some of the best ones that I was lucky enough to play over the long weekend along with my thoughts about each of them.
League of the Lexicon
This was the highlight of my gaming weekend. The League of the Lexicon card game features trivia focused on use of language, words, and spelling. While I no word good, I had fun playing and doing my best to pretend that I earned my degrees rather than sleeping through class. I really enjoyed playing with my friends because they are some of the smartest people who I know, which really forced me to be dialed in. As you get questions correct, you earn “artifacts” that are based on real objects or mythical items mostly related to the literary field, like Jules Verne’s jetpack. These were interesting in their own way, and we enjoyed seeing and sharing each one as people collected them.
If you have friends that love trivia games as well as literature and language, League of the Lexicon is for you. To highlight the difficulty, I remember one question I got where I had to pick which of four authors did NOT have dyslexia. There is also an easier question deck players can draw from if they want. Using that might be a great way to get acclimated to the game or to let younger players have fun alongside adults.
Our GiN Chief Editor will review the League of the Lexicon. It should run in GiN very soon.
Poetry For Neanderthals
Speaking of no word good, we all found our inner caveman with this fun guessing game. This title comes with an inflatable caveman club with the word “NO!” on it. The point of Poetry For Neanderthals is deceptively simple. You just need to get your team to guess your word before time runs out. The catch? You can only use one syllable words. If you use larger words, gestures, or other methods, then the opposing team hits you with the club and yells “NO!”
It almost took longer to blow up the NO! stick than it did to play. This was nice because you can play Poetry For Neanderthals for a few minutes or quite a few hours depending on the group’s preference. Trying to use only one syllable words is surprisingly difficult. There were many times when I forgot and used a two-syllable word and got bonked. It was fun and not very taxing on player brains.
Outsmarted!
This was the one title I struggled with. Outsmarted! started out interesting because it was like Trivial Pursuit but on an app. This offers a chance for it to constantly update questions to keep it fresh. That said, there were times when people’s turns could stretch on for five or ten minutes at a time. I caught myself on multiple occasions just kind of mentally checking out until it was my turn. Then I would get some pop culture question, get it wrong, hand the phone to the next person, and disassociate for like twenty minutes.
I learned I am not great with pop culture questions regarding that kind of news or events. For example, they showed me a photo of a group of people and asked “Which Dunphy is missing from this photo?” I don’t know what a Dunphy even is. (I found out later they are from a TV show called Modern Family.) Another question was what was Lil Nas X wearing when he was arrested, and for that one I again got it wrong. I just could not get on a roll with those categories. Outsmarted! might be great for some people, but for my money I think Quiplash or Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes are better titles to keep a group engaged.
It was a really great break, and I am glad to be back all refreshed. Now that I am back, I did want to say that I am so happy to have you all as readers. Just know you readers are all amazing people.