Anomia (game)
Anomia is a party card game designed by Andrew Innes and published by Anomia Press. It is designed for 3-6 players and typically played in 15-30 minutes. The game focuses on quick thinking, category recognition, and dealing with social pressure.
Gameplay:
The game consists of a deck of cards, each featuring a category and a symbol. Players take turns flipping over cards from a central draw pile, placing them in front of themselves, creating a personal discard pile. If the symbol on a player's card matches the symbol on another player's card, a "face-off" occurs between those two players.
During a face-off, each player must quickly say an example of the category shown on their opponent's card. For example, if Player A's card shows the category "Type of Dog" and Player B's card shows the category "U.S. State", both players must simultaneously attempt to shout an answer for the other player's card. The first player to correctly shout an answer forces their opponent to discard their face-up card pile. The winner of the face-off then draws a new card to replace the one they discarded.
Face-offs can trigger chain reactions. If discarding a card creates a new symbol match between two players, another face-off occurs immediately.
The game continues until the draw pile is exhausted. The player with the fewest cards remaining in their personal discard pile at the end of the game is the winner.
Core Concepts:
- Category Recall: Players must quickly recall appropriate examples for a wide variety of categories.
- Pattern Recognition: Players must quickly identify matching symbols amongst the face-up cards.
- Social Pressure: The fast-paced, competitive nature of the game creates pressure that can hinder a player's ability to think clearly. This pressure is a key element of the game's entertainment value.
Editions and Expansions:
The game is available in multiple editions with varying card content and category themes. There are also expansion packs available that add new categories and gameplay variations.