BAFFLE
GAB
(Word
Salt, Inc., 2 to 4 players, ages 8 to 108, less than an hour; $29.95)
In today's world, writing seems to be a dying art. Baffle Gab seeks to restore that aspect of human communication in a game allowing parents AND children to sharpen their pencils and writing skills and still have a good time.
Baffle Gab
comes in a big square box which holds 300 word cards, 4 pads and pencils, a sand
timer, play money (called "Bone Bucks") and a sheet of instructions.
Each player receives a pencil and pad and the game is ready to begin.
Word cards come in different colored decks. They are combined and shuffled together and five of them laid out for all to see. Cards show a word on one side and its definition on the other. Words are valued at either 1 or 2 "Bone Bucks". With the 1 minute timer turned over, all players rapidly try to write a coherent story which somehow uses as many of these words as possible.
One Buck words may be used once, two Buck words twice (but only if you've used the other words first). When the timer runs out, players must stop writing immediately and, in turn, read aloud their stories. Unfinished sentences receive no credit at all! Players receive the appropriate Bone Bucks for words used in complete sentences. An opponent may challenge the use of a word by requiring the player to use the word - with its correct meaning - in another sentence. If unable to do so, the challenger gains and the player loses those Bucks. If the player successfully beats off the challenge, the challenger loses that amount of Bucks. This process continues until someone has earned 300 or more Bone Bucks.
The core of the game is solid but you have to wonder about the choice of game name and "persona". Baffle is defined as "to confuse, bewilder or perplex" and gab as "to talk idly, to chatter". But there is nothing confusing or bewildering or perplexing in the game (unless you want to say that linking words into a story is "baffling" but that's a stretch) and the game deals with WRITING, not talking. Evidently, the game's designer, Pamela Moore Dionne, has a strong affinity for dogs as one of her pets is named "Gabby". That accounts for the presence of "Bone Bucks" in the game and a picture of her dog on the box saying "Let's play". But this game has nothing to do with dogs or any other kind of pet. The only thing baffling here is the rationale behind these questionable choices.
The rules try to cover everything between one rules sheet and the back of the box and, for the most part, do. Ironically, for a game about communication, the rules do NOT specifically say that the separate card decks should be combined! This key preparation for game play, omitted from the instructions, could cause unnecessary confusion. Fortunately, the game manages to overcome these obstacles, partially because of its target audience.
Baffle Gab is strongly geared towards school kids, tipped considerably in favor of the 8 rather than the 108 age range noted on the box. The vocabulary words used tend to run on the basic side as the "educational" value of the game is heavily stressed. On that level, the game works well. But once you throw adults into the mix, some of the game play balance changes. For example, challenges tend to become non-existent. A set of cards with more sophisticated or adult words (and possibly, a two minute time frame for sentence construction) could remedy this and broaden the game's appeal. Still, as is, adults and children can interact well and have a good time doing it.
With the timer looming, Baffle Gab is both challenging and fun as you struggle to come up with a logical story using sometimes illogical word groupings. Baffle Gab proves that a delightful game can be educational AND fun. - - - - - Herb Levy
