North Star Wits and Wagers - Party, Multi Color, Ages 10+

We have all been there, playing a trivia game and having a good time, except for that one person in the group that knows everything and kind of ruins the game for the rest of us. Or maybe you really enjoy playing poker but seem to be the only one and forced to play something else. Perhaps you are just sick of playing Apples to Apples. Meet Wits & Wagers.The name of the game sums it up. Wits being the trivia aspect while the betting aspect forms the Wagers part. This game beautifully blends together the mechanics of Trivial Pursuit and Poker, but at the same time maintains a fair and balanced playing field.The game is really easy to learn and can be taught with one quick "practice" round to get everybody on the same page. The answers to the questions are always a number. The questions are well thought out, and that most people have a general idea about, but wouldn't be 100% certain on.The kit contains 1 betting board. This is a piece of fabric that has betting squares that pay out different odds, a deck of cards containing the questions (each card has 7 questions-the length of 1 game), small dry erase boards with markers, a small sand timer, multiple color coded chips that match up with the respective dry erase boards, and 2 different colored betting chips.At the start of play, the leader of the game will read off the first question. Each player then has 30 seconds to write their answer on their dry erase board. When everybody has their answer written down they are all placed onto the betting board then organized smallest to largest. The betting squares follow a simple bell curve pattern, where the answers that are in the middle pay out 2:1 whereas the answers that contain the lowest or highest value might pay out 5:1 or higher. Once they are all laid out, the timer is flipped again and everybody places their color coded chip on what they believe the best answer(s) is/are. (You can bet on up to two different answers) When all the bets are in, the answer is reviled (along with an interesting fact about the question) and the banker pays out. This process is then repeated 6 more times with the only difference being that if you won more chips, you can now use those chips to bet even more. At the end of the 7th and final round whoever has the most chips is declared winner.The beauty of the game is the balancing act between knowledge and lucky betting. You can be in 1st place at the 6th round, then lose it all on the 7th. Bluffing can also be used. Lets say you know the answer, you can simply act clueless. On the other hand you may swear you know the answer, but once you start to see the other answers you might start questioning yourself. This is a perfect game that appeals to the masses. From young to old, wise to not-so-wise, everybody can participate and maybe win by accident.PROS:* Easy and fast to learn* Fair and balanced game mechanic* Unique and fun questions* Easy to play with large groups of people* You can make up your own questions* Very easy to alter the rules to the groups play style (for example during one game we eliminated the timer and forced everybody to bet all their chips on every question)* Excellent value* Fast and easy to set upCONS:* The written instructions were a little hard to follow, a quick viewing of a review on YouTube helped.* If a lot of people win one round, the paying out of tokens can slow the flow of the game a littleMY TAKE:Everybody that I have played with so far really enjoyed this game. With its broad appeal and easy adaptability, it's time to play Wits & Wagers and let Apples to Apples collect a little dust. Enjoy and Good Luck!

This review is written from the perspective of an addict ... I own over 200 games and love them all.Wits & Wagers is at the top -- perhaps not the most strategically deep or elegantly laid out, but in terms of:- Raw fun- Approach-ability- Time needed to play- Wide-ranging interestThis one knocks it out of the park. It is rare that we play a game and NOT immediately start a new one when we are done.You can find detailed rules about this elsewhere, so let me rather focus on the niche this game fills to see if you would like it.Audience: Plays well with at least 5, and does decently well up to 14, with people doubling up to function as teams. I don't particularly care for it with fewer than 5 people. Age-wise, we have played this in a mixed group of middle school aged kids and dads, 20 and 30 somethings, and everyone is on a pretty equal footing.Style: There is enough trivia depth that getting an answer correct or close to it is satisfying. This isn't random or light fluff filler -- there is enjoyment of getting the right answer, as well as betting on the right one. However, tides turn quickly, and we have found that calculating the winner at the end is only mildly interesting. The process (for us) is more fun than declaring a winner. I'll let you decide if your gaming group fits that mold.Re-playable Nature: The question deck is deep enough that you can get some great burn out of this before repeating questions. You can also find tons of user-generated questions online, and our group has even designed our own (inside joke) questions for parties. Very adaptable and easy to replay.Lastly, having interacted with the game's creators, I can't say enough how down-to-earth and great people they are, so you should feel good giving your money to them.

UPDATE: since I posted my initial review just yesterday, the price of this product jumped 20%, which made me reconsider my 4-stars.UPDATE #2: I just saw (two days after the last update) that this item was marked down again to $20. The price must go up and down frequently, so my suggestion is to clear your internet cache or look again in a few days. Sometimes companies who know you've looked at their product already will remember who you are and mark the product up the next time you look at their product because they know you are a serious buyer if you are coming back to look again.This game is a bit of a refresher from most family board-games. Our family loves playing games and we play them often. I was reluctant at first because our family does not espouse the values of gambling, but this game is worth a second look to those who were in my shoes. Much like the movie "Big Daddy" is sweet and innocent (contrary to what people may infer from the title), this game is likewise.Pros:1. Not a conventional board game where you move your piece from start to finish.2. Wide-range of ages can play and there is no clear advantage to older players.3. It is difficult for a player to "memorize" the cards since they are so random. It is possible, but with average use (4-6 times a year I suppose), it is not possible unless you play with a savant.Con:1. Optimal number of players is a narrow window. This game takes at least 3 players, but it is most fun with about 5. With 3 players the game "choices" are fewer and one may have less fun. Too many players (7 for example), we have found can get cumbersome if not every individual is into the game.I did not rate this high on the educational scale because there is no clear or implicit learning value, although one can learn facts from the playing cards and can learn basics of placing wagers (how spreads work) and some basic "social" skills that do not come with other games that you simply roll the dice to move your piece.I did not rate this 5-stars because although it is better than average, it would not be in the top 10 percent of games I have (my personal standard for 5-stars).Bottom line: A pretty decent game but check the price frequently because it has gone up and down a lot in the past week. (also, see update #2 I wrote at the top to find how to get a lower price)

First few times playing this game were a blast. Then once everybody figured out the betting strategy it became rather boring. It doesn't matter what you write on the cards... at all. Seriously, just write anything. As long as you bet properly you can easily amass a ton of chips. Also, you will find that everyone bets on the same thing, especially if there is someone smarter in the group. People think "oh he must know the right answer!" When really its, "this is the only thing that makes sense betting on since the rest of the answers are within a couple numbers from each other." You don't have to know anything about the topics or even have a reasonable guess as to what the right answers are. That's what makes this game boring.

We are huge fans of adult board games and this became an instant hit at Christmas. If you like Balderdash, Cranium, or Trivial Pursuit, this would be a great addition to your collection. It seems to be a lesser known game so it's nice playing something where everyone is on the same "level".Another plus is that most of the questions are fairly obscure so you won't have any "smarter" players really outshining everyone else, because that's no fun. After playing a few times I did notice that a lot of questions refer to events that Baby Boomers experienced first hand, so it actually became a selling point when trying to recruit members of the family in that generation, who typically aren't very willing to join our festivities.Easy to pick up - took a max of 1 or 2 practice rounds to get all new players right on track. You can also easily play quick or long games - it's frustrating when some games like trivial pursuit seem to take forever to progress. Wits & Wagers doesn't actually have an "end" so you can play to your heart's content.My only complaint is that the 30 sec hourglass timer that it came with had clumpy sand in it that wouldn't flow, thus we couldn't use the timer unless someone watched it and tapped it every time it stopped flowing. If you have another 30 sec timer from another game, or a cell phone timer, then it's not a huge issue. Another improvement would be if the question cards came in a little box/holder like Cranium, Pictionary...or every other game I own.The dry erase boards and pens are a great alternative to paper pads that other similar games use - yay for being eco-friendly!Overall a great game for lots of laughs - including being able to make fun of your friends for submitting ridiculous answers. Would make a great housewarming or secret santa/grab bag gift!