Revisiting the Classic Party Game Say Anything: 10th Anniversary Edition

Which movie prop would be the coolest to own? What would be the worst idea for a themed wedding? Everyone has an answer. But who has the best answer?

Say Anything was first released back in 2008. We recently took a look at the 10^th Anniversary Edition to see if this game still stands the test of time.

Gameplay

Each player takes a colored player board and a dry erase pen. The score board is set in the center of the table and a player is chosen to be the first judge.

Every round, the judge draws a question card, chooses one of the five questions on it, and reads it aloud. All the other players then write an answer to the question on their player boards and place them face up on the table. If any players have written the same answer, the person who placed their board on the table first gets to keep it and the other players have to come up with new answers.

After everyone has answered, the judge secretly picks her favorite answer. The other players then attempt to guess which answer they believed the judge picked. Each player has two voting tokens. You may place these on the same answer or on two different answers (including your own answer). After everyone has voted, the judge reveals the answer that she picked.

The player gave the winning answer earns a point. Players also earn one point for each voting token they have on the winning answer. The judge earns a point for each voting token on the answer she chose, up to three points. The player to the left of the judge then becomes the judge for the next round.

Whoever is the first to reach twelve points, wins the game.

Review

Say Anything is a classic that combines everything you want in a party game. It’s super easy to teach and learn, rounds are fast, gameplay is humorous, and the scoring system is simple and keeps things balanced.

There’s a large variety in the question cards, and with five questions per card, it’s going to be a long time before you actually have to reuse a question if you don’t want to. On top of that, North Star Games does offer additional question card packs, and has even left space in the box for these additional cards, which is a nice touch.

We reviewed the 10^th Anniversary Edition of Say Anything, and we did find it to be a nice, sleek new edition, with attractive, sturdy components. The player boards are nice and thick, and are a solid upgrade. Not all the questions are new, but 180 of the 400 questions are.

If you enjoy party games, particularly ones which feature judges and funny answers, Say Anything is still a great choice. The voting mechanism adds an extra layer of trying to predict what other players are thinking, and sets it apart from similar games.

Pros: Upgraded components, voting mechanism adds a nice touch, simple and easy to play

Cons: Not all questions are new from the previous edition (upgrading may not be necessary if you own the original)

Disclosure: we received a complimentary review copy of this game.