A FAKE ARTIST GOES TO NEW YORK

Designer: Jun Saski | Publisher: Oink Games

Pictionary, but fun, is a well-worn category for games on this list. Drawing games that don’t require too much beyond the skills of Ug and Zugg of 30,000 BC are usually elevated by some spicy wrinkle in their design. Telestrations asks you to whisper, and A Fake Artist Goes To New York asks you to fake it until you make it.

One player plays the part of the question master, who announces the general category, and then writes down the specific title of the piece that everyone is creating on wipe clean tiles. These are then distributed to everyone around the table. Except for one person, who gets a blank tile, and is therefore the fake artist. Everyone then takes turns adding a single line to a piece of paper, drawing the piece collaboratively. Except, of course, if you’re the fake, then you’re going to have to bluff it with a line. After a second round of lines have been added, players get to out the fake artist with a bit of pointing. If the fake artist escapes being discovered, or is discovered, but can name what the title of the piece is, they gain some points along with the question master. Artists only get a point for finding the faker.

And it’s a joy to sit there and giddily (on the inside) add a squiggle to the picture that you’ve really got little idea as to the subject of. Equally, it’s hilarious to be quite sure that your friend is the fake, because surely they don’t think that a seagull has a beak like that, right?

There’s plenty of versions of this game floating around (Drunken Sailor for example) but there’s nothing quite like the beautiful and tactile nature of an Oink game at the table.