Wholesale Board Games Blog

Every week a group of friends get together at my apartment. We keep the numbers relatively small; usually 4-6 people show up. On most evenings we enjoy a quick meal together – and then dive into a board game. Nearly every week we try out a different game. The Scattergories game by Milton Bradley is certainly one of the group’s favorite party games.

We’re all in our 20’s, and we have very distinct personalities. Some are new in the group, and some have known each other for years – but none of that matters when we get together to play Scattergories. It seems the game never fails to keep the group rolling in laughter. Not that the game itself causes the laughter – in Scattergories, you get out of the game what the group puts into it.

Scattergories Game

The purpose of the Scattergories party game is to try to match categories using words that start with the same letter. You earn points if your words are unique from the words chosen by other players. The game becomes particularly interesting if you’re with a group that has a creative mind and a large vocabulary.

So here’s how the game is played:

Everyone has a folder, an answer pad, and a few category cards. The play starts by the group choosing a category card (The category cards are numbered, so we usually start with the first card and move through the cards). Each category card has 12 unique categories listed on it. For example: “Things in a Dessert”, “Things in a Mystery Novel”, “Computer Lingo”, and “Loud Things” might be one of the 12 unique categories listed on a category card.

Once everyone is set up, and a category has been chosen – one of the players rolls the 20-sided letter die which determines the first letter used. The timer is set (the group can determine for how long) and plays begins.

The players now try to (as fast as they can) think of and write down a word (or a term containing a few words) that matches each of the 12 unique categories on the category card that starts with the letter that was rolled on the 20-sided letter die. For example – if the category was “Things in a Dessert” and the letter rolled was “S”, you might write down “sugar”, “salt”, or “spices”. “Sea salt” could also count (if your group approves it – what kind of dessert would include sea salt?). If they were to approve it, you’d receive two points: one for each word in the term.

So, for a few minutes the players are all quickly writing down their answers and contemplating the most unique term they can find (you don’t get a point if someone else writes down the same term you wrote).

Once the time is up, each player, following the category list, reads off their answer. Points are awarded for each point that no one else wrote down (it pays to use rare and creative words). The group can decide by vote if a word doesn’t fit in the category and throw it out.

After points are collected, play continues with a new category card and a new roll of the die. Play continues until you’ve run out of time – or you’ve run through all the cards!

I highly recommend the Scattergories party game for all ages. Youth can have a good time with the game just as much as adults – although some of the categories on the cards might not be easily understood by younger audiences. The pace of the game can be set by the group – shorter time limits for writing down terms help keep the game moving. Either way - enjoy a great family or friends game night with Scattergories!

Wholesale Board Games sells two versions of Scattergories - the standard Scattergories and the Bible Edition Scattergories both for up to 15% off retail prices. We also carry a complete line of other great Board Games, Party Games, and Card Games.

Looking for a way to save money this holiday season? Do your holiday shopping earlier and stretch that dollar further than ever before with the Wholesale Board Games Shop Early holiday promotion. This is the first time we’ve offered a special of this sort – and we hope you’ll like it. This sweet deal offers some great sale prices on some of our top selling board games, dice games, and card games in addition to the opportunity to receive up to $100 store credit on your next chess purchase as a gift from Wholesale Board Games.

It’s become more and more difficult to prepare for the holidays and keep within a budget and we understand that. This sale gives us the opportunity to help you save money on your normal purchase as well as offer a gift back to you as our way of saying thank you for your business.

The special started on the 11^th and will run until the 21^st, so you only have a few more days to take advantage of this limited time offer! Wholesale Board Games members and customers who spend $25 or more on board games will receive between $25-$100 store credit to be used during the month of December 2008.  The store credit received is based on the dollar amount spent at the online store.  Visit the promotion details page to learn more about the store credit amounts being offered and promotion details and restrictions.

This promotion has caught a lot of attention in the chess sets and board games world – Purple Pawn described the promotion in this way:

“Essentially, buy $X, and get a coupon giving you $X off your next purchase of $2X. So, if my math is correct, that’s about 33% off.”

Yes Purple Pawn – your math is correct. 33% off at Wholesale Board Games! (Remember – members can receive up to an additional 5% off all their orders!)

This is a continuation of information set forth in the “Help Us Write Game Reviews” post. Read on:

WHO AM I WRITING TO?
Members and customers of Wholesale Board Games – online shoppers mainly from the United States and Canada, but also from around the world. They are looking for a board game or other game to purchase, and are reading your article because they know very little about the game, or are seeking an honest second opinion.

BOARD GAME REVIEW GUIDELINES

Game Review Purpose
-Inform and entertain the reader,
-Explain what the game is all about & how it’s played,
-Includes both pros and cons of game, and
-Suggests if the game is of good value, and for whom.

In short, the game review is meant to help a customer decide whether or not that game is right for them. These articles will be posted on this blog for customers to read.

A Few Suggestions
-Game review idea must be approved before article submission.
-You must have actually played the game in order to review it!
-Content should be original and unique.
-DON’T include: strategies (submit as a strategy article), extreme opinions (I hate this game)
(quick note-if you have strong feelings against a game, feel free to review it on the product page at the store).
-Personal Photos or accompanying images are appreciated.

Samples of Good Product Reviews:
Apples to Apples Review (329 words $23.03 store credit - This article has an enticing heading, is personal, and explains the game).
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/314374. (While a little longer than we’d like, this article has a good heading that gets your attention. It adds a personal feel to the article, then goes on to explain the general setup and play of the game. The article finishes by giving opinion on the game.)

Love sitting down to a board game with friends or family?

Enjoy sharing your opinion with others in written form?

Then please accept our invitation to have your articles published on the Wholesale Board Games Blog.
EARN STORE CREDIT for well-written product reviews, white papers, and other miscellaneous articles.

HOW IT WORKS

1.  Choose a Topic
Want to write about your favorite board game?  Review a card game?  Offer suggestions for good games for educating children? Have a few game tactics up your sleeve you wouldn’t mind sharing?  Tips for beginners?  Share your opinion!  Check in the comments below to see if your game review idea hasn’t already been taken.
2.  Submit Your Idea for Approval
Submit your idea by leaving a comment below. Your idea submission should include your name and email address along with your article’s topic, a brief outline, and expected word count.  Don’t worry, your comment will not be posted - Using the comments to contact the blog editor is simply the easiest way to go.  We will let you know as soon as possible if your topic is approved. A topic may be declined if it has already been covered recently, or if it is irrelevant or inappropriate.
3.  Write Your Article!
Be sure to wait until you’ve received approval, so you’re not wasting your time!  The blog editor will email you (using the email you provided in your comment) to let you know.  Now write!  Make it informational, entertaining or both! Edit it well – authors who submit poorly written articles may not be asked to author again.
4.  Submit Your Finished Article
You’ll be given more instructions on how to submit the final article when your idea is approved.
5.  Your Article Will be Edited and Posted
Articles requiring too much editing will be sent back to the author for re-writing. We reserve the right to edit your submission in any way. Your style is important, and we will try hard to preserve that style. However, we may edit for grammar, clarity, organization, appropriateness, or liveliness – and we reserve the right to decide what entails the definition of each of those points. You will be notified once the article has been edited and accepted. The timeline for posting articles is entirely at our discretion.  Blog authors can choose whether or not their name appears as the author of their article.
6.  Collect Your Store Credit and Spend!
You will receive $.07 store credit per word. ($17.50 cash for 250 words, $35 cash for 500 words, etc). Payment will be received after the article has been posted. It is important to note that unnecessary words/fluff, run-on sentences, and wordy paragraphs will be edited and removed from the article, and payment adjusted.

Apples to Apples

I’ll never forget the first time I played Apples to Apples. I was with some friends, my oldest brother, and his wife - and my sister-in-law recommended we play this apple card game where you match cards. The minute we started playing, I starting learning things about my friends and family I’d never known before!

Apples to Apples is a party game for all types and personalities. There are two decks of cards: The red apple deck has noun or noun phrases (President of the United States, Elvis Presley, or Iraq) and the green apple deck of cards contains adjectives (lazy, clever, evil).

Each player takes a turn as “the judge” and draws a green apple card (i.e. funny) and the other players choose from their hand of seven red cards which card they think is the best match (i.e. Eddie Murphy, George Bush, or Canada). The judge then chooses which red apple card is the best match for his green apple card, and the player that played the winning card earns a point. Play continues until a player earns a certain amount of points.

The judge’s choice is 100% subjective - and in my family - is usually based on whichever is the most humorous or creative. If I were the judge, I might choose “George Bush” or even “Canada” - depending on if I’d heard someone say the word “eh” in a Canadian accent that day.

When I get together to play Apples to Apples with my close group of friends and family, it’s always a time full of laughing - and crying (sometimes we laugh so hard it hurts). It’s always a great time, because we’re a creative group - and full of nonsense. I’d say both young and old can enjoy the game - friends and even strangers (if you’re ready to break out of your shell). If you find yourself in the same category of personality, I’d highly recommend you buy Apples to Apples.

Wholesale Board Games sells several versions of the Apples to Apples game for up to 30% off retail prices. We also carry a complete line of other great Board Games, Party Games, and Card Games.