Best Moment
In our very first game ever, each of the players eagerly handed back their answer sheets to the Worge Master who gathered them, mixed them up, and started to review. About five seconds in, he full-on snorted in laughter causing contagious fits of giggling until he composed himself enough to declare the winning word. While the game is mostly family-friendly, this particular word mash-up was a clever combination of two words to make a very naughty-sounding word. =-)
Gameplay Overview
Worge is super simple: draw two cards of words, write down your best word mash-ups, write a clever definition for your very favorite, and submit it to the Worge Master for selection. If she chooses yours, you get a point! Rotate Worge Masters for the next round and continue until you get enough points to win.
Quick Thoughts
The satisfaction that comes from a well-thought, hard-to-craft mash-up is thoroughly rewarding. As you browse through the words on your cards, ideas will pop into your sub-conscience, but you won’t quite be able to put your finger on the mash-up until you spend a considerable amount of brain power. Look around the table during the two minutes, and you’ll see this process in action with players squinting and mouthing words to themselves!
At first, I thought the game would only be for adults as most of the words are fairly advanced (e.g., vigilante, sycophantic, transmitter, mandolin, orphanage, and orientation). However, there is a perfect mixture of easier words to play with like ban, animal, chin, storm, horn, and sword. This allows for mid to older teenagers to play with a group of adults which can be a blast.
You’ll find it fascinating to see the different types of Worges created by different types of people. A darker, brooding player will come up with some gloomy, somber mash-ups. A spunky, outgoing player will create more happy, cheerful words. There really seems to be an underlying personality influence at play which influences the types of words created.
For those of you who like a mental challenge when playing party games, especially word games, Worge will be right up your alley. It will push your brain and demand focus and concentration. I would not recommend playing while kids are running rampant! That was by far my worst game, and I won’t make that mistake again. =-)
Tips & Tricks
- Push those creativity boundaries! Really try to think outside of the box, and you’ll concoct some really clever word mash-ups that reflect your unique personality.
- While the vast majority of words provided are just fine for a family-friendly game with adults and teenagers, there are a few words sprinkled throughout that more conservative families may not appreciate. There are no swear words, but there are a few sexual innuendo words…not too much for this edgy family! =-)
Scoring & Wrap-up
Overall, as a medium-weight word game, I give Worge a solid 8 out of 10 (“Very good – enjoy playing and would suggest it” on BGG’s scale) for the following reasons:
Promoters
- Brain-stimulating gameplay
- Simple rules and mechanics
- Massive collection of clever words to merge
- Creates hilarious gaming moments
Detractors
- There seems to be something missing from the competition of the game especially since the Worge Master can usually tell which player submitted which Worge based on handwriting. Solution: I wonder if an anonymous voting mechanism could be integrated.
If you enjoy brain-stimulating word games, you’ll very much enjoy Worge. It is clever, mentally-exerting, and results in a lot of laughs! It’s an easy one to bring to your next family dinner or party night, teach in one minute, and get a few full games in.
Disclaimer: I received this game for free in exchange for my review, but believe me, I post authentic reviews every time and will be brazenly blunt if needs be.
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