Party Game Review: iMAGiNiff

A party game from Buffalo Games, iMAGiNiff can be summed up in the words “knowing people.” Unlike many party games which are about getting to know someone, iMAGiNiff is all about already knowing this someone to the point a player could answer a grocery store magazine-style quiz about him or her. While philosophers may argue that we cannot ever truly understand one another, iMAGiNiff counters with the principle of democracy — we may not know exact truth, but we can share it enough to get along.

The idea of the game is simple: those who agree get the points. Setting up a round is quite simple — everybody picks a token, places it a Start, and gets a deck of cards labeled one through six to lock in their votes. Eight names are written around the edge of the board and are the targets of the votes. The instructions suggest writing the names of each player in the blank then filling the extra spots with “family members, mutual friends, co-workers, celebrities, pets... whatever!” As with any game, there is room for house rules, and personally, we fill up the spaces with non-attending friends since nothing is as much fun as gossiping behind another person's back.

Evil aside, using the names of the sitting players has the advantage of learning what people think of each other. If a player imagines himself something of a “Chandler,” and he's really more of a “Ross,” this is an excellent time for him to learn why he is not seen as he thinks he is. It could be a great chance for improving self-perception and, where lacking, take up new actions to re-create oneself. Or, somebody could get in a huff and storm out, but that is probably not the friend to play party games with in the first place.

Once the spaces are chosen, iMAGiNiff begins its applause of democracy by stating that players “Decide who goes first by any democratic process.” At each turn, a player checks the deck to see whether the card is a Question Card or a Pick-A-Player Card. With the first, the player rolls the die, moves the question marker either way (potential strategy), and reads the quiz: “iMAGiNiff ____ were a card. Which would he/she be? 1. Birthday, 2. Sympathy, 3. Business, 4. Library, 5. Credit, 6. Trading” or “iMAGiNiff ____ were a famous captain. Which would he/she be? 1. Captain Kirk, 2. Captain Jack Sparrow, 3. Cap'n Crunch, 4. Captain Morgan, 5. Captain Hook, 6. Captain America.” Players choose a one thru six card, lock in their votes, then flip. Those who match move forward a space since democracy rules. Nineteen agreements later, a winner gets to the center space.

Article Author: Jeff Provine

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