The whole table generally can decide that the next round will be the final, no matter what the score sheet says. If the tile revealed a “tier”, pick one letter from the appropriate row. Far out, man! Even at a low player count, we usually feel that we’ve played enough by the 5th round. Podcasts, reviews, and gift guides may contain links to purchase products on Amazon.com. Players take on the role of beatnik poets. We also separately bagged each of the 5 types of speed tiles, since every round needs exactly one speed tile per player, but with an even distribution of the available numbers (1-5). Overall, we’d recommend Poetry Slam to any hep cat. You begin the game with three beatnik tokens. The Snap tokens prevent the game from becoming overly competitive and reminds us to appreciate the cleverness of others. This is already deeper than most word games get. Make a word quickly (to get your choice of speed tile – do you want a low number with an easy-to-avoid letter, or a riskier high number? That’s not a huge problem, of course. As an Amazon Associate, The Family Gamers earn a small amount from qualifying purchases. For about $30, there’s a lot of game in the box, and it’s great for a mixed group of adults and older kids. Number of Players: 3-10Age Range: 10+ (we say 12+)Playtime: 30-45 minutes. The round continues until every player has recited their poem. We’ve found a word game that is thematic while being meaty enough for strategy gamers. For example, when combined with the prompt above (Second letter is N), “Heavenly beings in the sky / With wings and harps they fly” could be “angel” or “angelic”. For about $30, there’s a lot of game in the box, and it’s great for a mixed group of adults and older kids. Flip over your speed tile to reveal a letter or tier number (e.g. There’s one more phase to go before the round is over. We’re very impressed with Poetry Slam. But that’s not all! Each round, the player designated to be Wordsmith flips a Word Prompt card and one Letter card (sometimes two cards) to create a restriction. There’s one more way to lose points: SLAM tokens. Take an X marker and put it over that letter on your letter board. Continue creating words and crafting poems for a set number of rounds, depending on the player count (between 5 and 8 rounds). After the last round, tally your points and determine a winner! Players may start reciting their poems as soon as they are ready. Every player immediately works to write down a word that fits the restriction. Serious boardgamers are often dismissive of word games. Beatniks snap their fingers to show appreciation, and you can do the same. Unfortunately, if the poet’s word isn’t guessed, the poet receives 0 points. It seems like there are just a few too many moving parts here; perhaps we could skip the SLAMs (it’s just as easy to mark a -2 on your score sheet) and the letter boards for a more streamlined experience? It’s fun for strategy gamers as well as fans of more casual word games. You are no longer allowed to use that letter in future words, making Poetry Slam more difficult in successive rounds. When all players have written a word and received a speed tile, the Poetry phase begins! At any time you think a fellow poet’s poem (or created word) is particularly worthy of appreciation, flip over a token to the Snap side and give it to them. So far so good. ), As long as possible (to maximize “length” score), That you will be able to clue for your fellow players. This point difference rewards clever rhymes that take thought to figure out. It’s one of just a few word-building games that do more than give you a bunch of letters to create the “best” word you can, and it’s the only one I know of that incentivizes players to reward their opponents for making a great play. At the end of the round, players receive points in each round in 3 categories: word length (1-4 points), speed (1-5 points), and poetry (both for successful poetry and successful guesses). Overall, we’d recommend Poetry Slam to any hep cat. The Family Gamers received a … In addition, the setup is burdensome, with 4 kinds of tiles to be distributed in different ways, 2 kinds of cards, plus player screens, “lost letter” boards for each player, pencils, and so on. Anything from failing to match the word prompt, to incorrect spelling, to using a “lost” letter. It’s worth +1 point for them at the end of the game – but if you have any left showing the beatnik, each will be -1 for you. Since it supports up to 10 players, it would be a great option for a large group that wants something a bit deeper than the average party game. two lines that rhyme) that will act as a clue to let other players guess their word. Those select 10-year-olds had great vocabulary and at least passable spelling, but still often struggled to either come up with a word or a rhyme. It’s fun for strategy gamers as well as fans of more casual word games. If another player guesses the word correctly, great! Poetry Slam from Mayday Games hits just the right balance of brain workout without being too heavy for older kids or crossword fans. Each SLAM you receive subtracts 2 points from your final score. In some ways, it feels a lot like Scattergories (“quick, come up with a word starting with S!”), but requires a more robust strategy. But in keeping with the beatnik theme, Poetry Slam provides a way to reward cleverness. The Family Gamers received a copy of Poetry Slam from Mayday Games for this review. The biggest downside is that Poetry Slam feels just a bit too lengthy, like a houseguest that has overstayed their welcome. Because of this, we would not generally recommend Poetry Slam for kids under 12.