My husband and I played FRIENDLY SKELETON: TRASH TALK THE BOARD GAME yesterday for the first time. It is easy to learn, fun, and unique. There may be other games like this, but I've never played one like it before. The concept is simple, and it works the same whether you're playing with two or more players. I do think "the more the merrier" applies when it comes to this game, but the gameplay is basically the same. One player is the raccoon, and all the other players are possums. All the possums are trying together to guess how the raccoon thinks. To do this, they have to figure out how the raccoon has matched cards, each containing a random word, to 10 pieces of trash. The game ends when the possums have guessed and successfully matched all 10 pieces of trash to the word the raccoon has selected for them. The 10 pieces of trash are provided, in duplicate, inside the game box. The trash consists of random items, mostly miniatures: a foreign coin, a plastic plant, a colorful rock, a drink umbrella, a bow, etc. A particularly nice feature of the game is that if you have two small items that are the same, you can essentially bring your own trash." This means the game can always remain fresh and interesting. The included cards are double-sided and contain random words. The game starts with three cards, which the raccoon matches in secret. The logic behind matching the cards can be different for everybody. Let's say you start with three cards that say "outside, "celebrate, and "root." For the "outside" card, the raccoon could conceivably match it to the rock, the plant, or even the umbrella. But if the plant has been matched to root and the drink umbrella is matched to "celebrate," the raccoon will have to use rock or a different piece of trash to match "outside." Being able to guess which words are matched to which trash items is the point of the game. The player who is the raccoon changes at the end of each round. A round ends when all 10 pieces of trash, associated with a word card by the raccoon, have been successfully guessed by the possums. I think this game has all kinds of possibilities. I think it's a fun concept and fun to play. It is more cooperative than competitive, and I think little kids and adults would both enjoy this. It fosters creativity and imagination. It's a good activity for families to do together. The cards and the trash objects are of good quality. The screens that you hide your selections behind are kind of meh, but we didn't even use them when we played. How much fun you have playing this game is going to be largely up to you. The game itself is amusing, but you're going to have to inject the fun. I gave it four stars because, even though I like it and I'm looking forward to playing it again, there are always going to be games that I like better. It's a good game, but it's never going to be one of my few favorites. I could, however, easily see this becoming a favorite of some game players and families. I think most kids will enjoy it. It's unusual enough that I would definitely recommend it as a good game to round out and diversify your families games collection.
