Welcome to the party game that never ends, with no barrier for entry other then your own Wits & Wagers! For many, Wits and Wagers is a modern day classic party game that brings people to the table by lowering the knowledge barrier of entry by making the wagering the real star of the show. Yet, like many party games, the game has probably lost much of its luster and I would wager your copy like mine is sitting in a closet collecting dust. North Star games is seeking to change that with their upcoming releasing of their new Vegas Wits & Wagers, which is a limited edition mat that will be pre-released through Kickstarter on August 19th, 2017. We received an early release of the mat and I have been dropping it on tables all around town.
The first thing you’ll experience with this neoprene mat is that once dropped on a table, you’ll draw a crowd with its large and colorful display. The actual gameplay is pretty simple, which boils down to odd trivia questions, hilarious blind guesses placed in numerical order, and wagering on the best bet.
Now, as I said earlier, Wits aren’t as important as the Wagers as the vast majority of the answers aren’t common knowledge, but players compensate by gaining the range of numbers they get between player responses. The mat is double sided, with one side having the standard setup and the other the Vegas side offering additional options for betting.
My favorite parts of the new mat is the long shot spots that are 10-1 odds as well as the two neoprene mat slips that close off non bidding areas. Players can also bet on “Red” or “Black”‘ which seems a little cowardly to me. Seriously people, play like you’re in Vegas! The 7 answer boards, additional dry-erase pens, extra poker chip tokens, are all generic fare but the mat really shines.
