How to Play Fictionary

In this word game, your knowledge of the English language is tested. Sometimes called Balderdash, it is as much a game of knowledge as it is a game of bluffing. Test your friend's vocabulary skills and imaginations when you play Fictionary.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Paper
• Dictionary
• Pencil or pen

Play Fictionary

1. Appoint one player as the picker. This person must select one word from the dictionary which no one else in the room is familiar with and announce it to the rest of the players. He may also spell it at the request of the other players.
2. Each player writes down the chosen word on their piece of paper and makes up a definition for the term. If anyone is familiar with the chosen term, she must tell the picker before the game proceeds so that another word may be chosen.
3. Be sure to write down the correct definition on your sheet of paper if you are the picker. You will be reading it aloud later with the rest of the players' definitions.
4. Gather the definitions from the other players if you are the picker and read them aloud. Each player will vote for the most credible sounding definition after hearing all of the options.
5. Don't vote for any of the definitions if you are the picker. Remember, you picked the word so naturally you know the correct definition.
6. Earn points for each vote you receive for your definition. You may also earn 1 point if you vote for the correct definition of the word. The picker wins 3 points if none of the other players select the correct definition.
7. Use a strategy such as picking short words without discernable roots to win if you are the picker. The definitions of these words are generally more obscure because they have little relation to more commonly used terms.
8. Use authoritative language to make your made up definition sound more believable and get more points. Read through the dictionary beforehand to get an idea of what a credible definition sounds like so you will be better equipped to fool the other players.
9. Play a game of Fictionary in a foreign language to sharpen your skills. Perfect for classroom test preparation, the words need not be as obscure as in the English version and may be drawn from classroom vocabulary lists to test the students' knowledge of their lessons.

Tips & Warnings

• An unabridged dictionary is the preferable choice for this game because the likelihood of finding truly obscure words is significantly increased.

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