Jack Be Thimble
Our family likes to party. Sometimes we need a game to kick things off or break the ice, and sometimes we need a game to keep us goofing late into the night. A new favorite in both categories is Jack Be Thimble, a dead simple game that will have even the crankiest cranks laughing til they cry.
How it works: The gameplay is pretty simple. The chosen player picks a category card, writes down a secret clue, and fills a thimble with water (yes, water). The categories range from simple things like "Colors" or "People in this room", to more varied like "US Presidents" or "Superheroes".
One at a time, the thimbleholder goes around the circle, and each player guesses a word to match the category. If the player can't think of one, repeat an earlier answer, or are unlucky enough to say the secret answer on the card, they get splashed with the thimble of water. That's it, that's the game. It's amazing, and you'll have endless laughs and how creative you family and friends get with the splashing.
Why it's clever: We've played this with groups north of a dozen people, with all ages, and it's always been a hit. It has an uncanny way of making people participate, even if they aren't really a "game person", or are tired, or don't think they will be any good. Everyone plays this one.
There's scoring (though we've literally never kept score), and you can easily find ways to make the game your own (custom category, new rules, etc). The cards are always dry-erase and the marker has a built-in eraser, perfect for travel. From now on, Jack Be Thimble is always coming with us to the family reunion.
Price: $14.99
You can also buy the game directly from the publisher, Gooroo Games.
