Wits and Wagers is a game show in a box. A trivia question is read, each player writes down their answer, each player bets on which answer is right, and whoever bet on the closest answer wins. The game plays for seven rounds and the game plays in under half an hour. The game accommodates up to seven players (including teams). Like many party games, the questions are better suited for adults familiar with American culture. A family version of Wits and Wagers is currently in development.
COMPONENTS
The game comes with a set of questions, dry-erase markers and answer cards to record responses, betting chips and poker chips to keep score and bets, a casino-like felt betting mat to place bets, and a 30-second timer to keep game going.
Unfortunately, I wasn't too impressed by the components. Two of the seven dry-erase markers weren't working, and you may want to raid your own deluxe poker chip set for chips. The questions themselves are on nice coated paperstock. Contact North Star Games at NorthStarGames.com for replacement parts. They have good customer service and replied within a few days of my contacting them.
RULES
The rules are quite simple.
1. Read a question. Example questions include "How many time zones are in Russia?" or "How many spaces are there on a Candyland board?" The questions are intentionally difficult, and player are only expected to come up with a good guesstimates. All answers are numerical.
2. Each player writes down their answer. Using the timer, players have 30 seconds to write down their answer. The winning answer is the guess that is the closest without going over. Most players will quickly come up with an answer, and we often didn't use the timer.
3. Answers are revealed and sorted in numerical order. The betting mat has seven spaces, with different betting odds. The median (middlemost) numerical answer receives 2:1 odds, and the higher and lower answers receive higher odds. This step is tricky to learn at first, since the sorting involves accomodating duplicate answers, an even numbers of answers, and an odd number of answers. This step is my favorite part of the game. If some answers are way off, everyone has a good laugh. But when the answers are close, betting becomes more challenging.
4. Each player takes his two betting chips and bets on any one or two answers. In subsequent rounds, players may bet any poker chips they won in addition to their betting chips. Only the poker chips are lost, and a player may make no more than two bets. Again, the timer is used and each player had 30 seconds to make a bet. Yes, you can switch your bet at the last second!
5. The winning answer is the closest answer without going over. Players who bet on the winning answer receive their payout, so if you bet a betting chip on 2:1 odds, you receive two poker chips. Players then retrieve their betting chips. Poker chips bet on losing answers return to the bank. The player who wrote the winning answer receives a bonus of three poker chips. In play, the betting chips take awhile for players to familiarize themselves with.
And that's it! Whoever has the most chips at the end of the seventh round wins.
COMMENTS
Pros:
Fast play: The game has almost no downtime, and an entire game can be played in less than half an hour for a party game fix. The game's definitely a good fit for gamers who have "so many games, so little time".
Forgiving mechanics: Wits and Wagers does a good job in downplaying penalties for not knowing the right trivia answer (a player only needs the closest answer to receive a bonus), or losing a bet (the betting chip is returned).
Suitable for those with physical limitations: Any player with difficulty writing can simply state their answer after all the other answer cards have been turned in face-down, and have another player write the answer down for them. Vision-impaired people can have the numerical answers read to them. Color-blind people do not have to distinguish colors in this game. (The betting chips are only differentiated by color, but, in practice, how many chips are on a bet is as important as who is betting on what answer.) Some people have difficulty holding a hand of cards, and this is not needed in this game. If you don't mind the added downtime, you can play without the 30-second time limits. And, of course, this is not a dexterity or reflex game (cf. Jenga).
Components usable in other games: The dry erase markers and cards can be used in any game with a short answer (eg. Balderdash). The poker chips, of course, can be used in other games. You may want to throw away the Wits and Wagers insert and put a standard poker deck and your Balderdash question cards in the box.
Not-So Cons:
Gambling theme: Some families may not wish to play gambling-themed games. Hopefully, the upcoming family version will take care of this.
Questions possibly unfamiliar to young children and non-Americans: More than half of the questions involve American history or pop culture. Again, the family version will have different questions.
Not in-depth: Wits and Wagers does a good job for a general party game fix, but may not be enough for players who want a party game focusing on a single concept (eg. Pictionary's pictures, Balderdash's bluffing, Apple to Apple's matching, Jenga's dexterity, etc.).
Semi-intuitive rules: New players may initially stumble with the rules for arranging the answers, and retrieving betting chips. After the first round, the game should move smoothly.
Dried-out dry-erase markers: In practice, since you're only writing down numbers, it's easy to share the dry-erase pens. Contact North Star Games at NorthStarGames.com for replacement parts.
CONCLUSION
Wits and Wagers does a very good job in providing a party game "fix" in only half an hour. I've successfully introduced it to various groups of party gamers who didn't know each other, and had some experience with party games. Wits and Wagers is definitely a game worth considering for your party game collection.
