Description
Alias Original is a classic word-explaining game for teams. You have to describe a word using other words, synonyms or opposites, and your teammates have to guess it before the sand timer runs out. The more resourceful you are, the faster your pawn travels across the board towards the finish.
How to play Alias Original
Players split into teams of at least two. The team picks a describer, who takes a pile of cards and describes the words with the number of the space the team's pawn is standing on. When the teammates guess a word, the describer takes the next card. The exact word has to be guessed. When the sand runs out, the team counts the words it guessed, subtracts mistakes and skipped words, and moves forward that many spaces.
The describer may not use part of the word or a word with the same root, otherwise the team moves one step back. If the sand runs out right in the middle of an explanation, all teams may guess the last word. When a team crosses a word-stealing space, all teams guess at the same time on the next turn, and the word goes to the team that guesses it first. The team that reaches the finish first wins.
Why you will like it
- Everyone gets a turn as the describer, because the role within the team changes every turn.
- You can skip a word that is too hard, but it costs you a step back, so you have to decide quickly.
- On the word-stealing spaces all teams guess at the same time, so everyone stays in the game the whole time.
- The cards hold easy and hard words, from nouns to verbs, and you draw them at random.
Who is Alias Original for
The game is played with four or more players aged 10 and up and takes about 60 minutes. The rules are simple and can be explained in a minute, which makes it a good fit for family gatherings, parties and larger groups. Players like it best with four or six. This is the Slovenian edition, so the words on the cards are in Slovenian.
What you might not like
The game is loud and fast, and you have to explain in front of everyone. It may therefore not suit those who prefer calmer games with more time to think.
What is in the box
- game board
- 400 word cards
- sand timer
- 6 pawns
- rulebook
