Adjectivia

A game that'll test your creativity and wit

What is Adjectivia?

Adjectivia is a board game designed for 2 - 8 players. The game can be played between 2 people going solo, but it is enjoyed further when played in teams of 2 for up to four teams competing to see who can get to the end the quickest. 

The rules (explained below) are simple and the game is easy enough to pick up on your first run through. The real challenge presents itself in the form a test of the player's/team's creativity and how well they can work together to advance along the board and eventually reach the end. 

The concept of the game lies in the exploitation of adjectives and how creatively they can be put to use as players sing, draw, act out and name movies related to the adjectives they draw up from the deck of cards. It's all about how witty players can be when pit again one another's ingenuity. 

Game Time

45 minutes to an hour and a half.

Contents

•    1 Dice

•    1 Deck of cards

•    4 Notebooks

•    4 Pencils

•    4 Bottle Caps

Set up

•    The red deck of cards should be shuffled and placed on the red area outlined “DECK”

•    Each player/team chooses a bottle cap to represent themselves.

•    Notebooks and pencils are handed out to players/teams accordingly.

Rules

•  When the game begins each player/team will roll the die – the player/team with the   highest roll will go first.

•  In order to move the number of spaces rolled, the player/team must first pick up a card from the deck and perform the associated task as indicated on the game board. (NOTE: Name it refers to the naming of 3 movies).

• Upon completion of the task, all other players/teams will judge whether the attempt was successful or not. In the case of a tie vote, the player/team progresses.

• If the player/team fails to complete the task successfully, they have two choices – either remain where they stand or challenge another team of their choosing.

•  The challenges are outlined on the left side of the board and will be determined via a roll of the dice on the part of the challenged.

•  In the case of a team, one player is chosen from each team to compete.

• Should the challenger win the challenge, they are allowed to move the previously determined number of spaces.

•  On the other hand, should the challenged player/team win they may progress the pre-determined number of spaces while the challenger retreats the same number of spaces (if the player/team is at the start, they will remain here).

•  At the end of a turn the player/team places their card on the space labelled “DISCARD” and the dice is passed to their left.

Game Overview

A typical game of Adjectivia begins preferably with 2 teams of 2 individuals each. The team with the highest roll begins and a card is drawn from the deck. Here's where things get interesting as players are responsible for representing their team and completing the task in order to progress across the game board. The variety of tasks assigned are based on the suit and type of card drawn. If the suit is diamonds the player must draw an object fitting one of the adjectives relating to the type of card. This process is similar whether the player picks up a heart, club or spade where they, in turn, sing, name 3 movies or imitate someone fitting the adjective of choice. 

The turnover occurs when a player fails to successfully complete a task assigned and must then make the decision whether to remain where they stand or risk a challenge that could go both ways. The choice to risk a challenge will yield the player a fifty percent chance of success as the challenge is picked depending on the number rolled by the challenged player on the team of the challenger's choosing. The risk lies in the possibility of the challenger having to retreat the amount of spaces pre-determined and the challenged team managing to further advance on another player's/team's turn. 

Adjectivia has the potential to provide hours of fun and entertainment for groups of people, with a maximum of 4 teams (8 individuals). While the game is exciting to play with family or a group of friends, it is even further comical when played as an icebreaker as players as urged to step out of their comfort zones and put themselves out there in an attempt to be the first to finish. 

Creative Process

Adjectivia was comically enough the brain child of a Skype conversation where ideas about ways to embarrass a group of people playing a board game for the first time were being thrown around. When I first began imagining the game board, I knew I would somehow integrate a deck of cards to make things just a little more interesting. The real challenge was to figure out a way of making the game interesting while maintaining the element of embarrassment in the board game.

After pondering over the many card games I had learned throughout my life, I began to realize that the common theme was the manipulation of suits and types. Euchre, for example, where the declared suit is used as a trump card for every card of its kind, or Poker where a combination of five cards can give you the winning edge based on their suit and type. As a result, I decided to keep the suits constant, making them into actions to perform. Furthermore, I explored the concept of giving the player a choice when picking the adjective relating to the action. So I picked at least 2 or 3 adjectives for every card type to make the game even more interesting. 

I had to think of a way to judge the quality of the task being performed so why not hand that power over to the players/teams. In the case of an unfair judgement as a ploy to handicap progression, I introduced the challenge which gives either player/team a fair chance at advancing. If the challenger wins he gets to advance as is his right, while the challenged player/team get a bonus advancement should they be the victor. The challenger is then at a loss and must retreat backwards making them re-think taking a risk with the challenge the next time around. 

If I could change one thing about my board game, it would be the addition of veto squares. If a player/team lands on one of these squares, they have the ability to veto a decision on the success of the task being performed by another team. When it is their turn to advance, the player/team may choose to advance without successful completion of their task. I feel like this would make the game far more interesting, placing the power of advancement in the hand of a player/team for the duration of one round of play.

In conclusion

Being a first time game-maker, I'd say I'm pretty impressed with what I've been able to accomplish here. With no prior experience making games, I was able to come up with a creative idea and run with it. I could do more to improve the gameplay by introducing further challenging elements or make the game board more aesthetically pleasing. However, I am pleased with the result for a prototype and hope Adjectivia can provide hours of fun for the whole family.