Wise or Wisecracks History Page

Click on the game number to see the final standings

Click here for a list of current players

RULES(more or less)

The basic concept is:

You get an email from whomever is hosting the round on Tuesday that
contains the first half of a rare proverb... for example: "There is an
old Icelandic saying... "The denser the crowd..."

You then have until Thursday evening to email the host of the round
with a suggestion for what the 2nd half of the proverb may be...  such
as "The denser the crowd, the hotter it gets."

On Friday, the host sends out an email with several choices for the
2nd half of the proverb including those from other players, their own, and the
real 2nd half ...(which incidentally is "...the denser the stupidity")

You then have until Sunday to guess which is the *REAL* phrase....
On Monday, the host scores the round and I update the scoreboard...

2 points are awarded for guessing the right answer...
2 points are awarded for submitting the right answer originally....
2 points are awarded every time someone guesses your submission...
The first person to get 20 points wins.... The scoreboard is sent out
every Monday or so...

If you are interested in playing, that's pretty much everything you
need to know...

Hosting rounds is optional... If you want to host when your turn comes
up, read on for instructions on hosting....




-------------------------

Put "simply,"

You find a phrase, ideally an old saying from a country other than America...

On Monday or Tuesday, you email the first half of the saying to
wisecracks at googlegroups.com in this format:

------
There is an old XXXXX saying,
FIRST HALF OF SAYING...

Please send submissions to YourEmailAddress@whatever.com by Thursday
at 8:00PM CST
(or by midnight Thursday)

----
Then, Thursday after the deadline passes, (or friday morning) you put
together the list of all the choices and email them to everyone along
with the deadline (usually Sunday at midnight)  Be sure to include the
right answer too  with the user submissions... Also, include your
own submission... (which isn't part of the real rules)

Finally, sometime Monday you send out a list that shows who voted for
each thing, as well as what the right answer was....


Below are the "real rules," from the real board game... but they do
differ from our rules...






Object of the Game

Wise and Otherwise contains long-lost, unpredictable, and
often hilarious old sayings from all over the world. Players
are given only the first part of a saying, then everyone thinks
up and writes down their own made-up ending. The idea is
to make up an ending that will fool other players into thinking
yours is the actual old saying. You'll get points when other
players vote for your ending, and points when you guess which
is the real one. The player with the most points .at the end of
the game wins.

Look at the example saying on the back of the game box and
you'll see that your made-up ending can be as simple, wise,
witty, or wacky as you like—anything you think might fool.
other players.

Preparation

Each player is given a writing pad and a pencil. One player
acts as Scorekeeper. Players choose their pawns and place
them on the matching-color Start positions on the game board.

Start of Play or The Beginning is Half the Whole

Each player rolls the die and the player who rolls the highest
number becomes the first Reader. The Reader takes a card
from the front (the Wise and Otherwise end) of the card box.
Looking only at the front of the card, the Reader chooses one
of the sayings to play.

The Reader first reads aloud the line with the saying's origin,
then reads aloud the beginning of the saying. All players
except the Reader write the beginning of the saying on their
writing pads, then proceed to make up and write down their
own ending to go with the beginning.

Turning to the real ending on the back of the card, the Reader
writes down the entire saying on the writing pad and returns
the card to the back of the card box.

Guessing Which One or Everything With a Crooked Neck is
Not a Camel

Each player writes their name and pawn color on their
completed saying and passes it to the Reader, who looks to
make sure it can be read clearly. The Reader thoroughly shuffles
all the made-up sayings together with the real old saying, and
numbers them randomly, 1, 2, 3, etc.

.The Reader then reads each entire saying aloud by number,
making sure not to give anything away. The sayings are read
aloud once or twice more.

Beginning from the Reader's left, players state in turn which
saying they think is the real one. As each player votes for a
saying, the Reader writes that player's initials in one of the
scoring squares on the chosen saying. After everyone has
voted, the Reader reads the sayings aloud once more, revealing
who wrote each one and, in turn, the real old saying.

Scoring

2 points to each player for every vote their made-up saying receives

*Players don't receive points/or voting for their own saying.

2 points to each player who votes for the real old saying

3 points to the Reader if no one votes for the real old saying

3 bonus points to every player who lands on the 10th space on the scoreboard

The Reader and the Scorekeeper tally all points and the
Scorekeeper moves the pawns up the board accordingly.

Play continues with the player to the Reader's left becoming
the Reader for the next round.

Winning the Game or In the End It Will Be Known Who Ate
the Figs

As soon as a player crosses the Finish the game is in its final
round, but—the game is over only after all players are awarded
their points for that round. The Scorekeeper should write
down any score higher than twenty. The winner of the game
is the player with the most points at the end of the final
round. In the event that two or more players tie then it can
truly be said . . . All the Wit of the World is Not in One Head.