Two terrible things can happen on Thanksgiving. One, the turkey ignites and burns down the house, the barn, and sweeps across the meadow toward the castle (wake the king!). Two, you try to get your family to play a game, nobody listens to the directions and then they get mad at you for not understanding how to play.
We can’t help with the fire situation, but we can with the games! The Jackbox Party Pack 7 includes five social, silly, engaging party games that you can play with your family and friends this Thanksgiving — in-person or remotely. To play, just boot up the game on your Xbox One and everyone can join by going to jackbox.tv on the browser of a web-enabled device (phone, tablet, laptop, 2004 iPod Touch).
You can start with any game you like, but if you want to ease into it with a group that’s never played before, here is our recommendation:
Start with Quiplash 3! This game is super simple and super funny. You get a prompt on your device and you write a silly response to it. It’s that easy! The game does the rest for you, taking your answers, pitting them against each other and awarding points to the favorite. This is a great warm-up game to get the creative juices flowing and to squeeze out some initial Thanksgiving ha-ha’s.
Now that your grandpa understands how to use his phone as a controller, it’s time to play Blather ‘Round! This pop culture guessing game has you describing prompts to each other using a very limited vocabulary. Think Taboo meets Charades meets Mad Libs. Or just think about how funny it is to describe a volcano as a “spicy mountain.”
At this point, you’re all warmed up, you’re having fun, and your cousin is on her third energy drink, so it’s time to hit ‘em with The Devils and the Details. This is a chaotic game of collaboration. Each player is a member of a devilish family trying to get through a day in suburbia. It’s a race against the clock as you balance completing family tasks (making dinner!) with your selfish pursuits (drinking a bottle of wine alone!). You win or lose as a family, which is sweet and frustrating, like making apple crumble with a toddler.
Okay, it’s time. Specifically, it’s drawing time. Champ’d Up has the same head-to-head creative energy as Quiplash, but this time you’re wielding a pen rather than a keyboard! Draw a character based on your interpretation of a prompt, for example “The Champion of Naps.” Then your character gets sent to another player, who has to draw the challenger, without knowing the original prompt! Battles ensue, favorites are chosen, cartoons get body-slammed.
Now that everyone is slaphappy, it’s time to finish off the evening with Talking Points. Talking Points takes public speaking (scary) and turns it into rambling improvised madness (fun). You give a presentation about a topic with slides that you’ve never seen before. The presentation subtly guides you along, so even if you blackout and can’t remember a thing you said, rest assured it was probably semi-coherent and mega-delightful.
Once you’ve played through all five games, go ahead and loop back up to Quiplash 3. Never stop playing! Thanksgiving doesn’t have to end! Ever! Just remember to take the turkey out of the oven. The Jackbox Party Pack 7 is now available for 25% off in the Microsoft Black Friday Sale!
The Jackbox Party Pack 7
Jackbox Games, Inc.
2) The collaborative chaos game The Devils and the Details (3-8 players). You’re a family of devils working together to survive in suburbia. Can you handle the daily torture of human life?
3) The drawing fighting game Champ’d Up (3-8 players). Create absurd characters that will battle over unusual titles. Can you take down the heavy favorite? 4) The on-the-spot public-speaking game Talking Points (3-8 players). Give a speech responding to picture slides you’ve never seen before or be the Assistant and approve pictures as fast as you can. Just keep talking whether it makes sense or not.
5) The pop culture guessing game Blather Round (2-6 players). Describe your secret prompt with a very limited vocabulary and hope that someone can figure it out in time. It’s a “GOOD” “FUN TIME” “EXPERIENCE.” Play using phones, tablets or computers. No extra controllers needed! NOTE: The Jackbox Party Pack 7 is in English only. NOTE: The game is local multiplayer but can be enjoyed over streams with remote players.