Last week, I gathered a few people to eat some grub, watch a film, kill some time, and, most importantly, play some board games. It’s always an uncertain method to see if a board game will be a successful endeavor. There has to be the right mix of people, a willingness to learn and fail, the right atmosphere, and the right game for the occasion. It can be a complicated process. Thankfully, last week’s game night was a fun and successful night.

While several games were played that night, the highlight of the evening was Poetry for Neanderthals. The basic premise of the game is similar to Taboo and other word guessing games with a slight twist. In Poetry for Neanderthals, two teams compete to guess a word on the card. The gimmick or twist being that the player can only speak in single syllable clues to try to get their teammates to guess the word. The concept being that cavemen would only speak in grunts and simple sounds, so modern equivalent would be single syllables. And as with other guessing games, when the player violates the rules there is a penalty; in this case, that happens to be getting bonked with an inflatable cavemen club.

Several rounds were played, much fun was had, and a group of board game newbies learned and enjoyed a new hobby, or at least an example of it. So, if you are in the mood for a simple, entertaining game that is easy to learn, quick to play, and will actually be engaging for several rounds, cannot recommend Poetry for Neanderthals enough.