Paper & Pencil Category Games

Category games are an ideal fit for those armed with a pencil and paper, as often the games are made easier to follow with the addition of paper or, at times, can only be completed without the risk of cheating by having players write their answers down. The great thing about pencil and paper games like these is that they can be completed with just a few pencils and sheets of paper and a way to keep time.

First Letter

The first letter category game may be one you are more familiar with in its commercial form, Scattergories, the popular board game from Hasbro; however, you don’t need a commercial set in order to play. A list of categories is created before the round begins, with all of the players supplying a few different categories on the list. The exact length of your list is up to you; however, anywhere from 10 to 20 entries usually makes for a fun game without being unreasonable for a 1 to 2 minute round. A letter is chosen at random. If you don’t have a random number generator for this, you can have each player write down a number from 1 to 26, add them up and divide by 26. Whatever the remainder is, use the corresponding letter of the alphabet. Each player then writes one entry for each category on the list that begins with that letter, while a timer runs. After time has run out, players receive a point for each category where their answer is unique.

Single Category

Single category is played similar to the first letter game; however, instead of a single entry in multiple categories, players are challenged to offer multiple entries in a single category. In simple scoring, the players are rewarded with a point for each entry they give, as in first letter. However, for a more strategy-packed game, and one which can also balance the field if somebody proves too proficient for the competition, players can be awarded a point for each unique point, and docked either one point for each shared entry, or one point for each player matched (meaning an answer made by three players would cost them each two points) making it beneficial to play a limited number of words. The game is played for a set amount of rounds or to a certain score.

The Long List

The long list is a game that can be played with or without pencil and paper; however, the latter makes keeping track of entries much easier. A single category is chosen, for which there are many available people that fit into the category (National Football League players, for example.) The first player starts off the list by naming a person that fits the category. The next player must add a name to the list, with the first letter of the first name of the new addition matching the first letter of the last name of the previous entry on the list. If somebody plays a name that has matching first letters of the first and last name (Steve Smith, in the prior example) the direction of play switches. Players are eliminated when they can not add a name in a reasonable amount of time (usually 30 seconds to a minute.)

References

• Hasbro: Scattergories