Looking for a New Party Game?
Blank Slate is a new party game from USAopoly. The game is designed for 3 to 8 players, and intended for players ages 8 & up. This is a simple and fun “Fill in the Blank” game that is played in about 25 minutes. It has the feel of the “Match Game” TV show, but without the corny puns. I played this recently at Gen Con and enjoyed it. I snagged a copy and then played the game with some friends once I got home.
What’s Inside The Blank Slate Box?
- A Card Box with 250 cards (500 total clues)
- A Dry Erase Scoreboard (9.5 inches by 9.5 inches)
- 8 Dry Erase Markers with Erasers
- 8 Dry Erase Slates
- and a 4 page Rule Book
What’s the Objective of Blank Slate?
The goal of Blanks Slate is to be the first person to score 25 points. Every player is given the exact same “Fill in the Blank” Word Cue. You write down the best answer that you think will match exactly one other player at the table.
Scoring:
- If exactly 2 players write the same word, each of them earns 3 points
- If more than 2 players write the same word, each of those players earn 1 point
- All other players get 0 points
How to play Blank Slate
- All players take a Dry Erase Slate and a Marker.
- Someone selects a Clue Card from the box, reads it aloud, and then places it on the table for all to see. In the sample above, the clue is “_____ House”
- Each player does their best to come up with an answer that will only match one other players at the table.
- Once everyone has written down an answer, everyone reveals the word one by one starting with the person who selected the card.
- Tally up the scores and assign points on the score board
- Put the Word Clue back in the box
- Pass the Clue box to the next selector
- Rinse and Repeat until someone scores 25 points!
Any other Rules?
- Single letter additions to the card blanks are no good. You must add at least one syllable as long as you can hear the root word.
- Two word phrases and/or compound words are okay
- Proper Nouns are okay too.
First Impressions and Review
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Easy to Teach – Party games need to be fairly simple. This game is very easy to explain to new players. You can explain the rules to anyone within 1 -2 minutes, and then you are off to the races!
- Age Friendly – The game plays fine with younger players and seniors as well. You might have to think like a kid if you play with kids.
- Turns go quickly! – You don’t need a timer as people are only writing down one word answers.
- The Dry Erase Slates are nice and solid. The are also fit nicely in your hand.
- Fast Overall Game Time – This game plays through nice and fast. You will be done in 20-25 minutes. It can be hard to hold everyone’s attention for very long during party games.
- Price is fair – The game has a retail price of $25. That seems just fine for a party game of this level.
- Good Box Design – The box is a standard game box that fits nicely on your shelf, and the insert holds all the components nicely.
- The Rule Box is nice, clean, simple and easy to understand.
Cons:
- Not Deep Enough? The only con that comes to mind is that many strategy gamers might find this game too simple. There really isn’t a whole lot of depth here.
- Dry Erase Markers always seem to dry up quickly. This isn’t particular to this game. I’ve seen it with other games that use dry erase markers. You might want to invest in back-up Dry Erase Markers to toss in the box. It’s a bummer when folks get stuck with a bad marker.
Final Thoughts
I like this game. It is what it is. It’s Simple, Easy, and Fun! This game is easy to break out after Holiday Dinners or During Game Nights. You can honestly be up & running with 7 new players within 5 minutes! There are not too many games you can say that about. I have a lot of game nights with friends, and we’re always looking for new/different party games, and this one is a great a great addition at $25.
There is a little bit of strategy here too depending on your game group. Do you fill in the blanks with the first word that comes into your mind? This can be dangerous, as if everyone else is doing that, you will only earn one point. But your second choice might be obscure, and you might not match anyone else at the table.