Encyclo-fraudia
| No. of Players: | 2+ |
| Type of Game: | written and spoken |
| What you need: | encyclopedia |
Goal
To guess the correct entry from an encyclopedia.
How to play
This game is similar to Fictionary, except that it uses an encyclopedia instead of a dictionary. The gamemaster selects an obscure entry from the encyclopedia and tells its title to the other players. If any player is familiar with this title, the gamemaster is informed and another entry is selected. While the gamemaster is writing down the actual entry, players compose a fictitious but credible entry for this title designed to fool the other players. Once done, they sign their entries and hand their paper to the gamemaster who shuffles all the submissions including the correct one. The gamemaster then reads aloud all the entries and the players vote which entry they believe is the correct one. Two points are awarded to the player who chooses the correct entry, and one point goes to any player whose fraudulent entry 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 entry (so as to encourage others to do so) or whether this is not permitted.
Example
Abigail opens the S volume of the encyclopedia and tells the other players she has chosen the entry for Sabines. No players know this title, so they compose their entries while she writes down the correct entry. Once completed, the players hand their entries to Abigail. She rewrites them in her own hand, while editing them slightly to ensure they read like genuine encyclopedia entries. After shuffling them together with the correct entry, she reads them out loud twice:
| (1) | The central rotor blades of a class 4 turbine prop. |
| (2) | A small, edible marine fish of the herring family similar to sardines. |
| (3) | A wealthy 16th century Spanish family which made its fortune from the spice trade. |
| (4) | An ancient people of central Italy who inhabited the Sabine Hills located northeast of Rome. |
| (5) | Grated potato paste rolled into balls and stuffed with minced pork, popular in Baltic countries. |
| (6) | The extinct (c. late-19th century) central African language of the Wahatu tribe. |
The players cast their votes. Boston guesses the correct entry (4) and earns 2 points. But the 3 points Cora earns from getting three players to vote for her fraudulent entry makes her the overall winner.
