Party games are a unique fixture in the gaming world. There are only a select few number of party games out there and now North Star Games bring a new one for the whole family.

The game itself is very simple to teach and learn. The rules are barely three pages long and very simple: someone asks a question, everyone writes down what they feel the answer will be, the person who asked the question then secretly picks their favorite, everyone else then places chips on which one they feel is correct, the answer is revealed and points are properly awarded.

The points however don't really matter, its the fun of the game that is most important. North Star Games are bringing new life to the party game scene. First they had Cluzzle, then the award winning Wits & Wagers, and now their newest game.

If you like games like Apples to Apples or Attribute, then you thoroughly enjoy Say Anything! Go ahead and find out what your friends really think.

The guys who brought us Cluzzle and Wits & Wagers are at it again. They have produced another crazy party game that is geared towards gamers and non-gamers alike. So is it as good as those games? Read on...

What do you get with Say Anything? The contents of Say Anything include a nice big rulesheet, a score board, a stack of question cards, 8 dry erase markers, 8 answer boards in different colors, 16 betting chips in the same 8 colors, and one Select-O-Matic 5000. All the components are good quality and will hold up to repeated plays. And Northstar went the extra mile by adding a unique symbol to each color so that the game is 100% color-blind friendly.

How does Say Anything work? Gameplay is really fairly simple. Each player gets a dry erase marker, an answer board, and the 2 chips that match the color of their board. One player starts as the judge by taking the Select-O-Matic 5000 and a question card. On each card are 5 different question, and the judge gets to pick whichever question he/she prefers to read. The questions are fairly wide-ranging, for instance "What is the most overrated song of all time?" or "What would be the worst pizza topping?" Once the judge reads a question, the other players write an answer down on their boards and then place them face-up on the table. When all the answers are down, the judge uses the Select-O-Matic 5000 to secretly dial up the color of the board that has their favorite answer. Then the other players place their chips on the one or two answers they think the judge is most likely to choose (both on one or split them between two.) Then the judge reveals the selected answer. The judge scores one point for each chip that is on the selected answer, up to a maximum of three points. The players score one point for each chip they had on the selected answer. And finally, the player who wrote the selected answer gets one point. Players take turns being the judge and once everyone has been the judge once or twice the highest score wins.

What do I think of Say Anything? Say Anything is simply a fun game to play. It starts up a lot of conversations as players talk and discuss why one answer is great and another is terrible. A lot of the questions are very humorous in nature, so there often is a lot of laughter around the table. One of the nicest things is that, just like in Wits & Wagers, you aren't really penalized harshly if you fail to come up with a good answer. This makes it so that players who may get annoyed with their lack of creativity are still able to participate, and even win. This really is the ultimate goal of a good party game: No downtime, lots of laughter and conversation, and everyone has a chance to win.

Who will enjoy Say Anything? Anyone who is looking for a good party game. Obviously if you are seeking a deep strategy game, you should look elsewhere. Say Anything is one of those games where you can't care too much about who wins because it's really all about the laughter and the conversation. It is a smashing success with my non-gaming family members, and they even preferred it over Wits & Wagers.

Any parting comments about Say Anything? Make sure you approach this game with the proper mindset. This is a casual game that delivers light fun and conversation. It has a little less strategy than Wits & Wagers, but it still works with the same groups of people. I expect this one to quickly climb over 10 plays for me by the end of the year because of its very short play-time and really simple rules explanation.

If you've played Apples to Apples then you are familiar with the basics of this kind of party game. One person asks a question and everyone else provides the answers.

The best part about "Say Anything" is that you are not limited in your answer. You can write down anything that you feel would be the best answer for the person asking the question.

Example questions from memory include: Who is the most important person from the last 100 years? What would be the coolest thing to have in a mansion? What is your favorite place to spend time while in high school?

Once everybody answers the question (on dry erase pads), the person who asked the question privately selects their favorite answer. All the answerers use their chips to bet on which answer or answers they feel are the best. Then, everyone, including the asker, is scored for up to 3 points per round.

Everyone gets a chance to ask a question at least once (once for 7-8 players, twice for 5-6 players and three times for 3-4 players). Expect a half hour of laughing as the group really finds out how well they know each other!

I help run a monthly boardgaming event. After playing it one time, the regulars (primarily families with teenage children) keep asking us to bring it back! My close friends enjoy playing it regularly as well.