Tabletop Tuesday - Monikers

Welcome to another edition of Tabletop Tuesday - Your weekly exploration into games of dice, cards, luck and more of the Tabletop world.  While this blog is rated "E" for everyone's safe and enjoyable viewing, I should note that this week's game is intended for mature audiences / after-work scenarios.

This week's game...the game of inappropriate names to awkwardly explain that is Monikers.

Players: 4+
Time: 45-60 minutes
Genre: Party Game



Monikers is based on the public domain game that is Celebrities, where players would write names of famous people on cards and then try to guess those famous people in a series of three rounds with varied rules.  Monikers extends that concept however to a much broader range of categories and topics, many of which will have you furrowing your forehead and/or resisting giggles as you try to figure out how to describe these asinine words.

To start the game, players divide into teams and each select a number of cards with varied point totals.  These cards get shuffled into a collective deck between both teams, to which each team will then begin taking turns having one teammate try to get their teammates to guess cards within 60 seconds.  Once all cards in deck have been guessed, the round ends, of which there are three in the game.  In the first round, players may say anything to get the players to guess the card other than the word itself.  There are descriptions or illustrations with each card that can be used to assist, or players can choose to skip over a card if such seems too difficult.  In the second round, the same deck is used, but now players are only allowed to say one word per card to be guessed (not the word obviously).  And for the final round, players cannot speak at all, instead relying on gestures and charades.  So essentially, Monikers is a wacky, adult combination of Taboo meets Charades.  The interesting aspect when it comes to Monikers is the fact of repeated play across 3 rounds using the same deck of cards.  In this way, memory becomes an important factor and strategy, and loads of fun can be had developing inside jokes over the course of the game.  I recommend this game for those who enjoy creative word play and have outgoing personalities.

As an added bonus and in the spirit of the party games that Monikers is inspired from, this game is available for free under a Creative Commons license and can be downloaded from their site here.  It's a great way to try the game on a budget, and if you enjoy it, consider purchasing their official copy of the game and enjoy the fantastic artwork that accompanies it.

If you have any questions about Monikers, let me know in the comments below.  Otherwise, stay tuned to future installments of Tabletop Tuesday.  And happy gaming!