CateGories
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[edit] How to play CateGories
Getting Started
On a sheet of paper, in landscape mode, draw a straight line across the top above which you will write the category headers. Draw a straight line down the far side of the paper for the point-total. Divide the remaining space on the paper into 8 equal columns. You could also download and print this template if you want . Then agree with your play-mates on 8 different categories. Write each one above the top line. For inspiration on possible categories, look here .
Playing a round of the game
A player randomly picks a letter of the alphabet. (This can be done in a number of ways. In Ellie's family the player opens a book at random and points to a letter; In Saul's family one player says out loud the letter A and then counts through the alphabet silently and to themselves until the player to their left says 'stop'; In the commercially available game Scattergories a player rolls a 26-sided dice).
http://chinabone.lth.bclub.org.uk/albums/things/scat_dice.thumb.jpg
All players then attempt to write words in each category that starts with the chosen letter (as quickly as you can). The first person to finish says Stop at which point all players stop, whether or not they have words in each category.
Much argument then ensues about whether or not certain words fit into certain categories. This is the fun part. Score points for each word (see below), often through trying to convince your play-mates that your word is more valid in that category than theirs is. Total your word scores in the column on the far right of the page, then play another round. Repeat ad infinitum (though 8 rounds makes for a nicely even table).
Scoring (Saul's family's rules)
- Only you have an accepted word in that category: 3 points
- You have a word in that category that no one else has: 2 points
- You have the same word in that category as another player: 1 point
- You do not have a word in that category: 0 points
Other scoring rules
If, for example, the category is fictional characters and the letter is B and you write Billy Budd (in other words, if you have a correct answer with two parts, both of which start with the required letter) you score double the points you would otherwise score.
Tips
Often the categories become refined or changed throughout the play of the game. For instance, if one of the categories is movie stars, you might decide it has to be their first name that starts with the letter, or their surname, or either. The adaptations may also be lateral and inventive. For example, if the category is 'Fictional Characters', it might start with 'real' fictional characters, but be cleverly adapted to mean fictional fictional characters; then the object is to invent characters with names and descriptions that amuse and satisfy the group. The more clear you can be about what is acceptable and not in each category when you first agree on them at the beginning, the less discussion and lateral thinking is possible. Decide, based on the psychological profile of the group, whether extensive discussion is likely to lead to enjoyment or degenerate into violence.
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