This Time You Find Everything But Waldo

Scrutineyes is a game that plays to my strengths because it's largely about observation and knowing words.

The game comes with several laminated sheets with pictures on both sides. One side will be labeled as "Objects beginning with the Letter . . .", the other will describe some specific place or setting, like "School supplies". There are two teams, and each team chooses a picture. One member of the team names as many things in the picture as they can in the time limit, the other records. Then the teams swap pictures, and go again.

After that, both teams rattle off everything they came up with for both pictures. If both teams named something, neither side gets points for it. If you named something the other team didn't, you get a point. Simple.

Round 2 is the same as Round 1, except observer and recorder switch roles. The trick is not to name anything that was named by either team in Round 1, or you lose two points. The pictures are large enough that only half is used at a time, and since it can vary from top and bottom, or left and right, any given picture can be used in several games. Plus, there are different ways players will describe things. One might opt for the noun, another for the verb, but they're looking at the same part of the picture, and both are valid. There's some replay value there.

There will probably be arguments about whether certain answers can count or not. On a "Holiday" themed picture, the other team objected that my partner kept adding the word "Christmas" in front of whatever he was describing to make it count. Which makes sense when he's trying "Christmas fireplace", or something equally questionable. I'm not allowed to help him come up with stuff, just to write what he says.

My team cruised to easy victory, but whether that was due to my keen intellect, or the fact I was the only completely sober player, I don't know. I might advise, if any of the players have questionable hearing, that you get a larger table, or some space where the teams can sit farther apart. That way the observer can speak loudly enough the recorder can hear them without worrying whether the other team can hear it as well (since they could write it down to deprive your team of points).