Remember the excitement of playing telephone in middle school—waiting to hear that “purple elephant” turned into “Ellie forgot her gym shorts” by the time your whisper made it around the circle? Well imagine that, but with drawing and pictures. I’ve definitely belly-laughed multiple times while playing Telestrations. This light hearted board game is great for some no-pressure fun with your teen.
Age
12 years and older (I think this could work for kids as young as 8, although I have not read all the cards so use your discretion).
# of Players
4-8 players
Play Time
~30 minutes for a round (but play until you drop!)
Game Play
All layers roll a dice to determine their secret starting words. Then (depending on if there are an even or odd numbers of players) you either sketch the word or pass the book to the player next to you. Then they either sketch or guess, then pass etc. until the book makes its way back to the first player. Then comes the best part: sharing what happened to your word as the book was passed around the table.
Pros vs. Cons
- 8 player maximum makes this an excellent game for large families
- The rules are extremely easy to learn and instructions are user friendly
- The games works with or without score keeping (and I’ve had a ton of fun playing both ways)
- There are suggestions to “twist things up” aka rule alternatives that make the game more interesting once you’ve played it enough times
- Easy to play when you have little brain power left from a long work day
- The markers dry out and will need to be replaced
- It’s not as fun with only four players
Well the pro/con list speaks for itself on this one! I’ve played this game with people ages ten to seventy-five and it is a crowd pleaser all around. My family always makes sure to pack it on family vacations for those rainy indoor days, too. Telestrations is a game for the whole family and is sure to quickly become a game night go to.
