Games Magazine
John McCallion
Fall 2007
USA

When Out of the Box launched its enormously successful Apples to Apples in 1999, most of us wondered why nobody had thought of such a simple idea, and many therefore believed it could not be worth playing. Here’s another similarly pleasant surprise on the company’s long road to stardom. Five hundred cards each name or describe one or more Genres, Actors, Settings, Scenes, Characters, Props, or other elements of a movie. If you can instantly think of a black comedy set in a POW camp and featuring an actor better known as a dancer, or a film that has a character who is a mommy or a mummy, plus some talking animals….give yourself an Oscar, but don’t come to our games. Luckily for us, at least, the game is somewhat easier. Players take turns as director, who draws two random cards, announces his or her categories and text, and places them face-up on the table. First player to correctly name a movie featuring an element from each of the cards wins the first card face up, and the next director adds a card to the one remaining. A third card is added when nobody can think of a movie, giving everyone a chance to win the first placed card by naming a movie with elements from two of the three cards, otherwise all three cards are discarded. Play ends when someone has won the required number of cards. Many elements offer opportunities for clever interpretations – if you can convince the current director, whose decision is final. Ham it up folks!

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