Boards & Brews at Home: Wits & Wagers

Today we're back for a more relaxed home segment to play the classic 3 - 7 player party game, Wits & Wagers.  This is a trivia and bidding game.  Not a trivia buff you say?  No problem!  Wits & Wagers doesn't create the high-pressured environment that other trivia games do.  If you've never played Wits & Wagers, you should read on, because this party game is a lot more fun, engaging, and strategic than you think. 

In the game of Wits & Wagers, each player has a mini dry-erase board, a marker and two betting chips that correspond to the color they choose.  The active player reads off a question, and then everyone writes down a guess as close as they can to that question.  The question could be, "How many pounds make up a gallon of water?" or "How many men signed the declaration of independence?" and after each player writes down their answers on their tiles, the answers are then revealed face up on the betting mat based from the least, to the greatest.  Everyone then votes on the answers they think are correct.  This is done by placing your betting chips beside the answers that you believe are the closest.  After everyone has placed their bets, the active player then provides the answer to the everyone.  Wherever your betting token is sitting will depend on how many more chips/points you will gain for that round. 

One strategy that could assist you in this game is how you well you know the other players around you.  Are they experts based on the question that was asked?  What about the other way around?  You could vote against people because you know their answers are more likely incorrect.  The deduction you use is completely up to you.  This reasoning can definitely assist you with each of the questions during the game.  Set the score limit however high you want until there are no more chips to win.  The length of the game can vary, it just depends on how many people you have and how long you want to keep going.

The betting mat provides a unique design and functionality somewhere between a football field and a craps table from a casino.  This is all the more enjoyable though.  Trivia games can be really stressful especially if you're put on the spot in front of complete strangers.  While Wits & Wagers is a trivia game, it is much more of a guessing and bidding game than anything else.  You can win by simply making educated guesses and playing the odds, or by knowing the interests of your friends.  Everything about it is just good fun for everyone at the table.  At first glance, I thought it would be messy with the markers, but everything including the markers are dry-erase so it takes very little effort to erase and not worry about the mess.  It can be taught in a matter of minutes and on average played in 25 minutes or whenever the chips run out.  Wits & Wagers accommodates up to 20 players if you want to have teams.  It is an absolute solid game for family and friends on game night or a party.  We don't own very many party games, but Wits & Wagers is a long term investment for us.

Wits & Wagers
Overall Meeple Rating: 7/10


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