Eugene T. Maleska

Many of these are difficult - really for avid word game buffs. Many can be easily adapted to be easier, but aren't well suited to a group of people of mixed experience. Otoh, there's bound to be something in here for everyone.

What's interesting is that it's a real book, but many of the puzzles are meant to be solved in situ. I advise having a scratch pad or tracing paper handy.

Two closely related road trip games were offered that I'm embarrassed to admit I've never thought of before. Using the initial letters of the other car's license plates, the challenge is to come up with 1) a word or 2) a sentence that uses the letters on that plate. For example VBL could be VERBAL, or it could be Victor Breeds Lemmings. To adapt 1) to be easier, the letters could be used out of order, for example making BELIEVE acceptable. 2) could be easier of more words could be added, giving Victor will Be my Lover. He calls the core of this set The License Game" but I'd rather come up with something cuter. Suggestions welcome!

A nice little party game he calls Alphabetics uses only pencil & paper, and is best with 4-8 players:

"Object: to make two-word phrases, names, or places. First words must all begin with the same letter. Second words must begin with all the letters of the alphabet.
Preparation: each player writes the letters of the alphabet down the middle of a piece of a full sheet of paper."

Randomly pick a letter for the first word. Perhaps use the die from Scattergories. Score as in Scattergories, too, so that points are given to unique nominations only. Part of his example w/ "C" follows:

"Charge A Account
Carol B Burnett
Chinese C Checkers
Christian D Dior"

I haven't played this yet - but I'm wondering if it might be more fun and 'fair' if the first words were chosen by the group first, so that there's a level playing field. But maybe not, because then most nominations would probably be redundant.

There's lots more fun in the book, and I do recommend it if you're good at word-play and vocabulary."… (mehr)