Let's Play That Again, Bob (Last Word)

The timer counts down, never revealing how much time you have left, but the ticking is still going.  Your mind races for something, anything to come up with.  Sweat glistens on your brow, and still the timer is going.  Suddenly, you shout "TETRIS!"  and the buzzer goes. The votes are tallied, and the announcement is made.  You have indeed gotten the Last Word.



GAME DESCRIPTION:  Last Word was published by Buffalo Games in 2005 for 2-8 players.  Each player attempts to get their word spoken before the buzzer goes off.

SET-UP:  Each player chooses 1 colored pawn, and is dealt 1 Subject card to be kept hidden.  Place the pawns on the start space of the scoreboard, and flip over the top Letter card.

SUBJECTS:  Each player tries to name something that matches the Subject card in their hand and starts with the current Letter card.  Once they name that thing, the subject is revealed.  Then, the timer is pressed.

TIMED:  Once the timer is hit, each player then tries to name a thing that matches the current Subject and starts with the current Letter. The last player who can successfully finish naming a real, matching word that hasn't been said before the timer goes off moves forward 1 space.  Then, flip the next Letter card.  The player who played their Subject card draws a new card.



HOT POTATO:  Hot Potato cards play similar to normal rounds.  The difference is that once a player names their word and plays their subject card, the next player sitting clockwise says the next word.

CHALLENGES:  Occasionally, someone will slip up and say something dubious or completely ridiculous, or even finishes their word just as the buzzer goes off.  In this case, all players vote on whether the word was acceptable.  If the challenged player wins, they get the point.  If not, the previous word is given to the player.

CONCLUSION:  This is another game published by Buffalo Games.  And just like the last one, it is incredibly simple, with the free-for-all being the thing that tips it from a generic game to something vaguely interesting. It's great for an ice breaker or for those groups that don't really play a lot of board games.  The difference here is that unlike the last one, there's a lot of energy going on through this game. It's a little more competitive, and becomes just that more compelling to play.  Now, I don't really like simplifying my reviews into numbers, but this definitely scores higher than Likewise, if only that its just a little more energetic.