‘A clever game where clues and art overlap’. Nothing could be further from the truth. Laying down abstract and surreal art cards, you try to get others to point out the right words. Think, for example, of dandelions shaped like the head of a Bichon Frisé, a sheep eating a bowl of yoghurt while standing on a pillow or a mother sloth sitting on a brand new Vespa and her baby standing next to it in front of a cage with a sign ‘Betsy the Sloth’ on it. Let’s just say the creative part of the creator/artist/fantast’s brain was working overtime.
Back to the game. It can be played both competitively and cooperatively. For a competitive game, you need at least four players. Divide all players into two teams. Each team gets three circles to be laid out like a triangle (sounds complicated, isn’t the case). Furthermore, the teams each get a third of all double-sided art cards. The remainder is placed in the middle of the table. The word cards (three words on the front and three words on the back) and the number cards (three numbers on the front and three numbers on the back) are also placed in the middle. Finally, the score bar (from 1 to 12) and score markers should be placed on the table.
The setup is there. The game starts once there are four word cards next to the score sheet and each team has its own number card. The person from the team who is going to give the hints now knows which words to convey to his team members and is the only one to see the number card. The clue givers now go through their pile of art cards like crazy. If the clue giver finds a good card, the card can be placed in seven different places, namely in a single circle (because the card has to do with one word), in a place where two circles overlap (because the card has to do with two words) or exactly in the middle of the triangle (because the card has to do with all three words).
It may happen that a clue giver comes across a better card for a particular position, because, for example, the card with two meerkats (and graduation hat) being read by a green frog really does represent the word ‘story’ better than the card with two demonstrating tomatoes. The clue giver may then place the new card exactly over the old card so that the old one can no longer be seen. The guessing team members may deliberate and shout (only after a third card is laid down) ‘VENN’ if they think they know which three words belong to them. One point is earned for each correct answer and a bonus point if they are all correct. Then the other team gets a chance to guess, for them too there is a point to be earned per correct answer, but no bonus point. Twelve points? Win!
VENN is also very good to play cooperatively. Basically, the same rules apply, only there is a time limit of two minutes.
In VENN, you keep marvelling at the artistic level of the cards, while at the same time trying to find the card that seamlessly matches all your words. Because that’s cool. The game causes much hilarity and sparks bizarre twists in the players’ minds: ‘How can you think like that?’. Simple: it’s a very good party game.
