popsrocks's Full Review: Milton Bradley Pictionary Junior
My family has been into games of all sorts for years. Recently, I was given Pictionary from my children for my birthday. We immediately went to try out the game to relatively tame reviews.
It's not that it wasn't fun, it's just that we have been playing this game previously but in a way that generated much more laughs and overall fun. More a bit later.
The Game Box
Inside this odd shaped box, a long rectangle, that will not neatly stack with most other square shaped boxed games is the multi-coloured game board, a one minute timer(also good for watery eggs), a regular die, another die with categories , a stack of over 300 hundred cards and a box for them. Markers for up to four teams are also ....
Object of the Game
The object of this game is to win. Nothing new here. The way you win is by moving your marker around the game board. You get to move by spinning the die, moving the marker and then, by accomplishing a certain feat, continue by spinning again. This is a game of drawing and guessing what is being drawn. Thankfully it does not take incredible skills to get many ideas across, but you'll find that on some things that must be drawn it won't be your artistic skills that hold you back. It's trying to draw some concepts that is the killer.
The game has different categories you land on. Some are simple. There are objects like a TV, a cereal box, a pencil, a boat. Another category is pretty much equally easy with places like an airport or hospital. It's when you draw a card to draw that has something like sneeze or hug on it that gets a bit more difficult to communicate. The good thing is that most of the time we were equally stumped. The game can be simplified for younger kids by keeping to easier categories only.
Once an object is known by the drawer, the timer is turned and one minute is available for the team mate to try and guess what is being drawn. You get it correct you continue your turn. Wrong and you opponents go. Simple enough. Fun at times too. First team to the end wins.
One of the reasons why the game is better with a smaller amount of teams is because you are only actively in the game when you are drawing or guessing. It's not always easy to see across a table at what somebody is drawing on a 4"X5" pad. I suppose that's why the "all team draw" comes up pretty regularly. That helps keep interest in the game.
There can be some inside fighting in this game of just two to a team. It's easy to blame others for not making the clues easy or stating the other just doesn't understand you. These are some reasons why we like playing this game, but by the rules we always did before having a store purchased box.
Our Game
We have always played a game just like this with just a couple of different rules. First we would simply divide the amount of players in a room by two. Six players three to a team. Better yet 12 players and six to a team. Each team writes objects to be drawn by the other team on a piece of paper. Each team in turn has one designated drawer who tries to draw the object for his/her team. The team that does it in less time wins.
The one last change of the game is moving from pencil and a small pad to a large pad and markers. Use your head for this. A large paper pad placed on an easel as used in meetings is the best, though also the most expensive.
A dry marker board is the best in the long run.
We used to use dry markers right on a mirror in our living room. Anyways with larger teams and only two of them play goes much faster, everyone is included most of the time and the game does take on many more laughs. There used to be a TV show featuring celebrities that played the game this way too.
Adapting Pictionary to the Big Board
We never used a board at all. We simply kept score. The first team to complete the most pictures in a certain amount of time wins or each takes a turn and you simply keep record of how many times each team correctly guessed a drawing. Make your own rules but be consistent.
If you have the game you can still use the die and the cards. Just divide the people into two teams and use big paper and markers. Don't use permanent markers with kids fo drawing on paper taped to walls. Ha, if you happen to do that see my recent review of Zinzer Primer Sealer. Using the cards from the game simplifies having to make up words for the opposing team.
Final Thoughts
Pictionary is a fun game that can be played with four to eight people. Some of the cards have difficult assignments, others are ridiculously easy. It's all in the roll of the die. This game is limiting to younger children. It can easily be adapted by forgetting about the cards and simply writing down your own objects on a piece of paper.
The more people that play the regular rules on the game board, the slower it seems and less fun too. If you add the basic rules of this game board to a two larger team game with something large to draw on, you'll find a very successful and fun game.
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