No Blank Left Behind

Received a prototype copy of the game from the designer to test and provide feedback. It's similar in theme to Cards Against Humanity but you're not limited to the cards in your hand for a response. Each player has a dry erase board and marker that they write their answers on and thus the imagination is the limit in terms of just how twisted this game can be.

This one is basically a free-form version of Cards Against Humanity (which itself is basically just a completely irreverent and raunchy version of Apples to Apples). Instead of playing cards secretly each round for judging, the players write their own spur-of-the-moment answers on small white boards with dry erase pens and then share them to be judged. This is where the creative title (BLANK This Game... get it, like the whole game is the blank cards that are included with the two aforementioned games?)

Unlike in CAH and A2A, Blank This Game does not have secret answers. In other words, everyone (including the judge) will know which answers are from which people. This makes the game even more interactive, as each player is participating in each round as they reveal their answer, explaining it and perhaps making their case for how awesome it is.

If you think about it, that's one place where CAH and A2A is limited, because players have to refrain from letting on which answers came from them (or make any additional comments) until AFTER the judge picks the winner. Often times, people make comments anyway, and this can tend to give away the secrecy. BTG, on the other hand, lets go of the charade of secrecy (and to some extent the competition between players). Rather than sitting in silence and hoping you get your answer picked, you now get to publicly reveal your answer and showcase it. This opens up a much livelier discourse and emphasizes the light-hearted fun of a party dynamic, without the pretense of playing trying to "win". It's about playing, not winning.

There's also a lot of room for creativity and personality here. People who thrive on quick-witted snark, banter, and off-hand comments and innuendos will love this game. Each round is your chance to craft a real zinger and then revel in making everyone laugh (or cringe). There's no constraint of what cards are in your hand, nor is there any longer the randomness associated with drawing cards. It's more dynamic and way more communal. But it's also much less of a game, and a bit more of a "party activity". That's fine by me, but some might be turned off by that.

Another thing to keep in mind is that while some people and groups will thrive in the more socially active experience BTG provides, the shier, quieter, more reserved types may miss being able to hide behind their hand. Likewise, the less creative (or overly-inebriated) may not like having to stare at a blank board each round and come up with something on their own. There's safety and security in throwing out a card and just participating. There's nothing to hide behind here and nothing to play except what you can think of yourself, and I can see how some types might find that intimidating.

Really, this is a game best suited to the class clowns and office jokers of the world who will revel in the spotlight being on them each round, or at the chance to poke holes in the answers of others. That's actually my favorite part of the game Scattergories, and BTG brings a similar dynamic into the CAH style format, for a party game that really engages the participants.

So far, I find this a nice twist on a winning concept. I wouldn't say it's better or worse than CAH; I think it depends on the group and tastes, but I think it's a great marriage of simple concepts each of which I've enjoyed separately. Will need to play more to really get a sense of how well this works with my circle of friends.