Scattergories is a classic, addictive game. It is one of my absolute favorites, one I have played practically thousands of times — despite the fact that I’m really not all that good at it! You have never been in an argument until you’ve had one of your Scattergories answers declared invalid by an opponent. You’ve never known suspense until you’ve got just five seconds left on the timer and a bunch of blank spaces on your sheet. It’s a high-pressure experience, but also a lot of fun.
Scattergories just happens to be celebrating its 30th birthday. (It’s hard to believe that it’s only been around that long, to be honest.) To commemorate the anniversary, Winning Moves Games has released a special, throwback edition of the game. The anniversary edition includes the original ticking timer and all of the earliest content cards.Â
The rules to Scattergories are simultaneously simple and challenging. Everyone — usually two to six players — receives a piece of paper with three columns on it. The players then go through the category cards and decide on what grouping of 12 subjects they want to play for the round. Categories are varied and eclectic. Some sample categories include Insects, Things in a Desk, and Cold Beverages.Â
Once the paper is dispersed and the categories are chosen, someone must roll the multi-sided letter dice. As soon as it lands on a letter, the timer is set, … and off you go! At the end of each round, players may review their answers as a group to check for duplicates and lackluster responses and/or to celebrate the good ones. One round constitutes three play-throughs of a given category with three different letters.Â
Put off by any of these rules? One beauty of Scattergories is that the laws of the game can be bent and changed to fit you and your group’s preferences. Â
Scattergories 30 is designed for O.G. fans, newcomers, and everyone else in between. A game can last as long or as short as you want. No matter what, be ready to think on your feet.
