Ransom Notes

Get ready to enjoy some...

Sidesplitting 

Nonsensical 

Wacky

Outrageous

Comical

Entertaining

FUN!

Ransom Notes by Very Special Games Company is an enjoyable, let your hair down game that will appeal to both the young and wise with age. The game is suitable for players aged 15+ and can be played with up to six players. Each game includes six black metal player trays. In total, there are 840 magnetic word tiles. Laugh your way through 250 hilarious and entertaining Prompt Cards. To store your tiles, a black, velvet-like material drawstring bag is included. Also included is an easy-to-follow instruction sheet. This game comes in a sturdy cardboard box.

Everyone begins by taking a black tray. After that, grab three two-finger pinches of tiles. Each person will not have the same number of tiles. That's fine. Your tiles should be arranged face up under or around your tray. Stacks of cards could be placed in the middle of the table, or you could have small stacks more convenient for grabbing when it is your turn to draw. As for the rest of the word magnets, dump them in the bottom of the box. 

The game begins with a random player flipping over a Prompt Card and reading it aloud. Everyone then works on their own creative response. It is recommended that a time limit of 60-90 seconds be set. Utilize the timer on the phone to count down the seconds. Do not be afraid to be ridiculous, absurd, or plain crazy in your response!

There is still no judge at this point. Each person reads their response aloud. Whoever finished their response last goes first.This is the point at which a judge will be appointed. The bottom portion of the box will have tiles with the words, "you're the judge." written on it. Give the box a good twirl, just like you would with the "Spin-the-Bottle" game. The "Judge" for the round is whoever has their "you're the judge" side pointed closest to them.

The judge now picks their favorite sentence creation. The judge can choose their own, but all of the other players can overrule it by unanimous vote. Prompt Cards are kept by the winner. The game continues until one player possesses a total of five prompt cards. They have won!

My mother said, "Ransom Notes gets five stars from our family. Teenagers, mom of teenagers and a grandmother all played Ransom Notes  The game offers a lot of laughter when one player just can’t seem to complete his/her answer in the 90 seconds. Because we were playing as a family we could easily do a bit of cheery harassment to egg the “slowpoke” along. It didn’t take very long for the “judge” to make her decision. Some of the answers definitely made us all laugh and carry on because some of the answers were really bazar as to how bazar some of the answers were. 

I do have a suggestion for your game. Some of the Prompt Cards are definitely not appropriate for a young teenager. Perhaps the “X” rated Prompt Cards could be placed in a separate stack for adult players. I would have been very embarrassed and unhappy if a young teen drew one of the inappropriate cards. All in all, the game was fun. In today’s serious world, the ability to laugh is very welcome and much needed. Our family gives Ransom Notes a thumbs up. We will definitely play Ransom Notes again. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to spend a cheerful afternoon with my family."

My daughter pictured below is the witty one that won the game. This is what she had to say about Ransom Notes, "If you're not incredibly familiar with those you’re playing with, you will be when the game is over. Ransom Notes will expose grandmothers with a menacing nature and granddaughters with sugar daddy ambitions (you have to play the game to understand this one). It’s a simple yet enjoyable game. The only prep necessary is grabbing a magnet board and a handful of word tiles. Emptying your bladder might also be in your best interest because chances are you’ll be crying with laughter. Overall, I definitely recommend playing!"

This was a great game, and will definitely become a regular in our house. This game is simple with few instructions, which I like. Often times, games have so many rules and instructions that it takes forever to get through not only reading them, but also playing them several times before you really have the game mastered. Ransom Notes is the exact opposite!Instant fun can be had because players can jump right into the game. 

However, I did have one criticism of the game. During the game, my mother drew a Prompt Card that had a shocking prompt on it. The prompt said, "Ask your boss for a promotion in exchange for sexual favors." 

We played through the hilarious prompts until I drew a card that said, "Walk us through the masturbation process." Um, no! In my opinion, these prompts are inappropriate for anyone, but especially for someone as young as 15! What's the point of putting cards like this into a game? As I looked through the cards, I found 11 that I felt were highly inappropriate.In addition, more prompts are not worth including.

One of the questions in the FAQ section is, "Why is the game rated 15+? " Ransom Notes says, "Some of the prompt cards mention themes that are a bit adult, i.e. "Where do babies come from?" or "Write a commercial for cocaine." BUT, if you do want to make it entirely family friendly, pulling about 20% of the Prompt Cards should make the game totally PG and playable for all!"

As a whole, I would highly recommend this game. Visit the Ransom Notes website to check out other fun games now.

Disclaimer -The game was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.