An ingenious language game – a review of the card game “Catch up on words!”

Michael Kiesling and Wolfgang Kramer are the authors of one of the newest, and at the same time quite interesting, card offers on the market, issued on the initiative of the Egmont publishing house. In Catch for Words , time is running out, and you have to come up with cheese varieties, words that start with a vowel, yellow objects … Fantasy and creativity are the secret to the success of this title!

 

For 3-8 players aged 10 and over

In a medium-sized box you will find 48 task cards with 480 tasks, 48 ​​point cards with numbers from 1 to 6 in eight colors, 12 difficulty cards, 1 start card, 1 finish card, 8 pieces, 1 hourglass and 1 notebook. Each player needs their own pencil or pen. Before the game, shuffle the cards of tasks and difficulties, then put them on the table in two separate piles. In addition, start and finish cards should also appear nearby, as well as 8 task cards and 4 handicap cards (they remain facedown while connecting the two piles). The hourglass should also be placed nearby. Each player chooses a pawn and puts it on the starting field, then places 6 point cards with numbers 1-6 in the color of the pawn in front of him, then takes one page from the notebook and a pencil. We are ready.

Game

The round consists of three phases: writing down words, suggesting points, and reading and crossing out words. The player leading the round not only starts the game (e.g. reads tasks aloud according to the previously selected number), but also turns the hourglass. All players, including the teacher, write down on their cards as many words as possible related to the read task. They have time until the sand in the hourglass runs out. Using point cards, each participant declares how many words he will give in a given round, then presents his suggestions. ATTENTION! You can bluff during this activity. The player with the lowest sum starts reading his words (only as he said). He can move a pawn if he has read all that were previously noted on a piece of paper. Remember that any number of pawns can stand on one field.

Good advice on layouts

If at the beginning of the round a player’s pawn is farthest ahead and he is standing on the field with an exclamation mark, the player reveals the highest handicap card and reads it aloud. Its content applies to his individual situation, unless there are more pieces on the field. During the game, we only write down words that are directly associated with tasks, sometimes they are simple associations, such as, for example, baker – bread – rolls – buns, certainly not an umbrella or a pie (ideas taken from the instructions …). If the words have the same root (teacher – teacher) we cross them out, we do the same with the variations of the same word, plural or abbreviations. However, we can give synonyms or words with the same meaning, but different wording (money – mammon – money). We do not duplicate the words many times (poppy – makówka – poppy seed – makiełki). If any of the players decides that the word is illegal, they must react immediately, which indirectly leads to a vote – without the player whose word is being discussed. By the term “things” there are physical objects, not customs or actions.

Through the eye of the reviewer

Even though the rules of the game may seem complicated, the gameplay itself is really simple. The authors made sure that the actions were intuitive and additionally enriched the title with several variants: different tracks, double points or veto. In addition, in the game Catch for wordswhole groups of players forming competing teams can participate – up to eight groups with more or less the same number of people (with more than twenty players, it’s good to have a separate judge!). The reviewed game will surely appeal to all fans of word games, although I must admit that such issues as: TV programs about politics, items used for fishing or politicians from outside Poland may turn out to be a bit too complicated for ten-year-olds. So think carefully before you complete the team to play or carefully review the cards with tasks before playing with children.

PS The series also includes a dice game and a card game for the backpack. Both have the same title as the reviewed proposal – Catch the Words !