Fictionary
| No. of Players: | 2+ |
| Type of Game: | written and spoken |
| What you need: | pen, paper, dictionary |
Goal
To guess the correct definition of an obscure word.
How to play
This game is similar to Encyclo-fraudia, except that it uses a dictionary instead of an encyclopedia. The gamemaster selects an obscure word from the dictionary and tells this word to the other players. If any player is familiar with this word, the gamemaster is informed and another word is selected. While the gamemaster is writing down the actual definition, players compose a fictitious but credible definition for this word designed to fool the other players. Once done, they sign their definitions and hand their paper to the gamemaster who shuffles all the submissions including the correct one. The gamemaster then reads aloud all the definitions and the players vote which definition they believe is the correct one. Two points are awarded to the player who chooses the correct definition, and one point goes to any player whose fraudulent definition was incorrectly chosen by another player. The player with the highest point total becomes the gamemaster for the next round. Players should decide whether they can vote for their own definition (so as to encourage others to do so) or whether this is not permitted.
Example
Alberto opens Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language and informs the group that he has chosen the word skean. No players know this word, so they write down their definitions while he writes down the correct definition. Once completed, the players hand their definitions to Alberto. He edits them slightly to ensure they read like dictionary definitions, shuffles them together with the correct definition, and then reads them:
| (1) | a residue left from metal arc welding |
| (2) | a kind of dagger or short sword formerly used in Scotland and Ireland |
| (3) | a length of thread or yarn, loosely coiled, and knotted |
| (4) | a type of trapshooting in which targets are fired straight up |
| (5) | a crustacean with a flat, oval body and seven pairs of legs |
| (6) | a bronze coin used in late-19th century Thailand |
After a second read, the players cast their votes. No player guesses the correct definition (2). But since Bryant earned two points – the highest of the group – because two players voted for his fictitious definition (3), he becomes gamemaster for the next round.
