To explain it more thoroughly, each player gets a metal tray and three “pinches” of magnet words, or around 75 tiles (but the rules state that precision isn’t that important). Someone flips over a Prompt card, reads it aloud, and everyone sets off to create their very own mini masterpiece. You’ll probably want to use a timer so that the game doesn’t drag on; 60-90 seconds should be enough. Once everyone is done, you go around the room and read them. EASY TO LEARN: Learn to play in under one minute, and even the shyest players will be creating laugh-out-loud word magnet responses right away. Just take a few handfuls of word magnets, flip over a prompt card, and start playing — no long instructions to explain! To determine who will be the judge for the round, spin the bottom of the box which you placed in the middle of the table. Along one of the sides of the box it says “you’re the judge”. The player that is closest to where this side of the box is pointing becomes the judge for the current round. The box has been spun. The player that the “you’re the judge” side is pointing towards, becomes the judge for the current round.

Protected: I’ll See Myself Out, Episode 61: Don’t be coming ’round here with no oranges November 25, 2018Rated 15+, but make your responses as clean or dirty as you like — it all depends on who you play with! With 250 absurd prompt cards and new word magnets each turn, Ransom Notes is tears-streaming-down-your-face funny every time you play. Regular readers will know I don’t have a problem with racy humor! There was just a slightly forced, smirky feel to it, and I wish they had just chosen more neutral words, and let the double entendres arise more naturally, because they’re funnier that way. I like deciding when I want to make a dirty joke, rather than getting buffaloed into it because we’re at a party and that’s how you have to act. Possibly I am overstating this issue, because I am a mom who was playing a game with several teenage daughters, and I may have been on high alert. The magnets seem reasonably sturdy, and the little metal boards on which you arrange your thoughts are pleasing. They are like miniature baking sheets and I just liked them. You can also add in your own collection of word magnets, if you happen to have some. The whole game comes compactly stored in a small, deep box.

The judge will consider all of the submissions and decide which one they think is the best. They can choose any of the submissions including their own. We enjoyed playing the game but it was quite fiddly and whilst I can see why the magnetic words were so small bigger would have been better for my clumsy fingers. 75ish words is a lot to look through when on a time constraint to make up phrases. This meant that some players, mostly me because I still wanted relatively perfect sentences, could take a longer time causing other players to be left waiting for them to finish. If you want a little bit of fun this could be the game to include in your evening… though the pieces are small so you may still be finding them weeks later if not properly accounted for during each phase of gameplay.

After all of the players have revealed their submissions, it is time to judge who provided the best response. Here’s a selection of cards I drew randomly, to give you an idea of what kind of prompts you might encounter: Something I noticed in playing Ransom Notes is that the more literal your response, the less funny it can be – some of the funniest responses sound like an 80’s sitcom character who doesn’t speak English trying to answer the phone. The random words make it a lot of fun to work with, and trying to piece together a sentence or complete thought is appealing to almost everyone. Hosts should keep in mind however, that this (like ALL games) is not a game you get out to play without breaking the shrink wrap and prepping the game beforehand – there are 756 words on 14 sheets that need to be broken apart and mixed together before game time. It took me about 20 minutes to do, so please don’t make your guests help you game prep – or worse, watch you do it. Always break the plastic the day before, people! Protected: Podcast 36: She googled THIS on a Friday night and what she saw made her lose her mind! September 2, 2017

PLAYERS: While the game is made for 3-6 players, it’s equally hilarious when larger groups team up together. 30-90 min play time. A few of the cards pretty explicit (“Walk us through the masturbation process,” for instance, and “Ask your boss for a promotion in exchange for sexual favors”). It’s easy enough to just toss any cards and magnets you don’t want in your game (the FAQs say about 15-30% of the cards are not PG), but it’s something to know about ahead of time, depending on who’s going to play.

Players are constantly engaged in creative, out-of-the-box thinking that makes even the shyest players immediately funny. The game has almost no rules, and no learning curve. It has our family in absolute stitches, and in amazement at the cleverness of people's responses. It's a bonding experience for the whole family (kids in their 20s). THE PERFECT GIFT: For birthdays, Christmas, Father's Day, or an anytime present for creative people. Bring it to Thanksgiving or your family / friend’s game night. The player whose submission is chosen as the best for the round takes the Prompt Card. This card will act as a point at the end of the game. The judge has decided that the middle response was the best. The corresponding player takes the Prompt Card which counts as a point. End of Round