January 13, 2015

Show Me the Kwan

One shining development in the board game world is that toy companies have abandoned the expense and heft of unnecessary boards, not only saving trees but preventing hernias and shelf congestion. Our third word game, Show Me the Kwan, comes in a handsome carrying case smaller and lighter than most women's pocketbooks.

But the packaging isn't the only thing we like about Show Me the Kwan. We're fond of category game, and this one is different because you have to name words where the key letters are not just in first position, but second or last, as well. Kwan is faster-paced and more challenging than Scattergories, as the video above will show you. It is surprisingly difficult to come up with, say, a word associated with pasta with a second letter of G, especially when your opponents are grabbing other letters and shouting out words.

And there are two other bits of strategy that liven up the game. Some letters are worth more than others, but it is often unclear whether it is better to work on words with harder letters or grab the easier but lower-scoring letters. Also, any player can stop play by announcing "Show Me the Kwan." That player must use any one letter that was rolled in first, second, and last letters to form words that fit the category, you get the point value for all three words plus a bonus. It isn't that hard with most categories to form a Kwan, but it's more tenuous under the stress of play. And while you are working on your Kwan, you aren't busy scoring single words like the other players, and risk scoring zero for your efforts.

Show Me the Kwan is another terrific entry from Griddly Games. You can buy it directly from the manufacturer http://shop.griddlygames.com/product/show-me-the-kwan-case or from Amazon.