Games for Schools

Game Title

Hedbanz

Designer and History

Dan Glimne designed the game in 1991

Number of Players

3­10 players

Materials Needed

6 h eadbands and 75 cards

Random ­ Strategy Scale

50% random 50% strategy I decided that on the random­ strategy scale, Hedbanz would fall directly in the middle. When choosing your clue that you h ave to guess, they are completely random, chosen from a shuffled deck of cards. The strategy comes in when trying to ask questions to guess your own clue. You h ave to try to ask questions that will benefit you most in that situation.

Hedbanz RVS scale. Shaffer, Maeve. (November 21, 2016) Playing Mechanisms

Each player starts with a h eadband with a clue attached to it. They take turns asking yes or no questions while trying to guess which is on their h eadband. Other players must answer h onestly and correctly.

Winning Mechanism

Guessing your card before the other players will allow you to win the round, and you get a token. At the end of the game, the person with the most tokens wins.

Progress Tracking

For every one of your own clues that you guess correctly, you get a token.

Learning curve (1­10)

1 Very simple instructions and basic rules. Most people h ave already played some variations of the game, such as

20 questions or Guess Who?, so it would be quick and easy to relearn.

Difficulty (1­10)

4 Though some clues might be repeated, it might be h ard to come up with questions that will make it easier to guess, especially for younger students as in this situation.

Enjoyability (1­10)

8 For younger children, the bright illustrations and repetitious gameplay will be very enjoyable.

Strengths

Up to 10 players, social interaction, learning adjectives

Weaknesses

Not educational, unless altered, parts likely to be lost/broken, need multiple copies for a class, expensive

Photo of Gameplay

Boysville children inspired by 2015 All­ American bowl players. Fitzgerald, Cpl. Charlotte. (December 30, 2014) Wikimedia Commons. Web.

Name of game

The Scrambled States of America

Creator / Publisher / History

Designed by Mary Ellroy and Laurie Keller in 2002 Published by GameWright

# of players / Target audience

2­4 players 5­8 yrs old

What is needed for the game?

4 US maps 50 state cards 50 scramble cards

Random ­ Strategy scale

90% random, 10% strategic I think that The Scrambled States of America is about 90 percent random, because both the state cards, and the scramble cards are shuffled and pulled randomly. Though there is not much, there are still some strategic elements, such as your interaction with the other players. It is possible to make alliances with other players, or to trade your cards.

Hedbanz RVS scale. Shaffer, Maeve. (November 21, 2016) Brief summary of gameplay Match scramble cards with any state that the could match faster than other player.

How do you win the game?

Ending up with the majority of state cards when all of the cards h ave been used means that you h ave won the game.

Learning curve (1­10) and why

4 There are not many rules, but getting used to them may be h ard, because it is not very similar to any other game.

Difficulty (1­10) and why

6 It may be slightly difficult for younger students, but it increases reaction speeds and knowledge of the United States.

Enjoyability (1­10) and why

9 Each game becomes a new game because of the h igh random levels, and games run fast.

Progress Tracking

The number of cards you h ave won is h ow you track progress.

Weaknesses

Need 3­5 copies per classroom.

Strengths

Educational, because of the facts about the United States, fun, cheaper than Hedbanz, can still play if some pieces are lost, social interaction

Photo of gameplay

The Scrambled States of America. Shaffer, Maeve. (December 6, 2016).

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