TOS Review: Game: Say Anything (Family Edition)

Last year as part of the TOS Crew my family had the opportunity to review Wits and Wagers (Family Edition) from Northstar Games. (You can read my review here.) We noticed then that Northstar Games had listed Say Anything (Family Edition) as “Coming 2011”.   We spent the summer looking through game shelves but hadn’t found it.  Then this year’s Crew began.  I saw that Northstar Games was an upcoming vendor.  We were thrilled to be chosen to review this new game.

From the Rules:  Overview (Read to new Players) Say Anything is a light-hearted game about what you and your loved ones think. It gives you the chance to settle questions that have been hotly debated for centuries.  For instance, “What magical power would be the coolest to have?” or “What would be the most fun thing to throw off a tall building?” So dig deep into your heart or just come up with something witty- this is your chance to Say Anything!

Requiring at least 3 players and allowing for up to 6, players should be at least 8 years old or able to read and write fairly well.  The game is easy to learn and a full game only lasts about 30 minutes.  

To play the game you have a judge (the youngest person gets to go first as judge) who reads a question that begins with “In my opinion”.  All players *except* the judge write an answer and place answer face up on the table..   After all players have given their answer, the judge uses the “SELECT-O-MATIC 6000” to record their choice of best answer.  The judge places the selector face down on the table.  Now the players try to guess which answer the judge picked.  Each player has two tokens.  You place your tokens however you want to indicate which answer you think the judge chose.  

What I like love about Say Anything (Family Edition)

• Reduced Down Time—Unlike most games where each player takes a turn and you are just sitting there waiting for your turn, Say Anything involves all players in every turn.  There is a bit of waiting if you are really fast and you write your answer first and you have to wait for others to finish or if you are the judge and are waiting for the other players to write their answer. 
• Saves paper--  Say Anything uses wipe off boards and dry erase markers for players to record their answers.  Even the scorecard is a wipe off board so it can be used over and over again.  No need to scrounge for paper and pencil. Even the dry erase markers are included.  You do need to provide your own napkins or tissue for wiping the board though.
• Interaction of players: I think the best part of the game is when players try to convince the judge to choose his or her answer.  I loved hearing my children justify their answers.  My favorite comes from my 12 year old, Tailorbear.  She said “It wouldn't be cool to be a cyborg. You'd have a fake leg and have to have interchanging parts. Oh wait. That would be cool.”  We all laughed so hard! I laughed so hard I cried.  This interaction of players helps to build relationships and encourages my sometimes socially awkward daughter to feel more comfortable in expressing herself.
• There can be more than one winner: In this game you can have multiple winners.  No need to worry about ties for first place and trying to break the tie.  Tailorbear thinks this also makes the game more fun because she is less worried about losing.
• It’s a lot of fun.  My whole family agrees it is a lot of fun and brings lots of laughs.  Great way to make memories.

Supergirl isn’t really reading and writing just yet but she wanted to participate so we created an adaptation that allowed her to play along.  We skipped her turn as the judge but gave her the maximum number of points a judge could win.  When others were the judge we had her tell us her answer verbally and someone would write it for her.  We would read the other answers to her so she could choose where to place her tokens.   I don’t recommend playing the game with young children however. If you have young children who want to play with the older children and parents, this worked for us.  

The list price for Say Anything Family Edition is $19.99.  Although not available at this time directly through Northstar Games, you can check your local book or game store or check with your favorite online retailer.  You can click here to find the retailer nearest to you.

Click on the banner below to read what my fellow crew mates had to say about Northstar Games’s  Say Anything Family edition

Some of my crewmates this year had the opportunity to review Wits & Wagers Family Edition.  Click HERE to read those reviews!

All information is correct and accurate as of the date of this review.

Disclaimer: As a TOS Crew member, I received this product free of charge to review. This review is my honest opinion with, hopefully, enough detail as to why I liked or did not like a product so that my readers can make an informed decision. I received no compensation.