Those of us “of a certain age” will remember the classic board game Guess Who? We will also remember those rainy days in elementary school when the weather prevented us from having a “real recess.” Instead our teacher would get out her battered assortment of board games, and these would become our recess time. Guess Who? was often one of these options. I loved the artwork, the different characters and their quirks, but I never felt like there was much to the gameplay. You just asked a series of questions, flicked down your little pictures, and, by luck usually, won by being the first to guess your opponent’s identity–not the most exciting gameplay.
But recently, I was excited to learn there is a way to make Guess Who? into a social deduction game for multiple players, which creates a much more engaging and strategic experience. Then during my recent experience adapting Alice in Wonderland into Reader’s Theater script-stories, I found myself charmed all over again by Lewis Carroll’s zany cast of characters–the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat, the Caterpillar, and, of course, Alice herself. These two inspirations melded into one, and the idea of a deduction game centered around one of the Mad Hatter’s tea parties started darting around my brain.
Mad Tea Party remixes the concept of multiplayer Guess Who? with the characters of Alice in Wonderland. In this game, you take on the secret identity of one of 20 characters from the classic novel–including fan favorites like the Mad Hatter, Tweedledee, and Tweedledum, but also deep cuts like Humpty Dumpty, the Walrus, and the Mock Turtle. Your task? To keep your identity a secret while discovering the identity of your fellow players. You do this by asking “yes” or “no” questions related to a set list of characteristics: Are you an animal? A human? Are you wearing a hat? Are you drinking tea? etc. If a player’s identity is discovered, the discovering player receives a point and play continues. You draw a new identity card and continue playing.
This might seem fairly straightforward except for the addition of Mad Mannerisms, which adds another layer of strategy to the game. These are special powers that your character might have, such as being able to answer “yes” when the answer is “no, answering “no” to every question, or fibbing at will. The result? Sheer madness!
The download includes two versions of the character sheet with original illustrations, printable character cards, and rules for regular and advanced gameplay.
Mad Tea Party is a lot of fun and can accommodate 20 players at once and takes about 15-20 minutes to play. It would make a great addition to your classroom, and the Alice in Wonderland characters are instantly recognizable to all age groups. I had a wonderful time doing the artwork for the game and revisiting a classic of children’s literature. I hope you enjoy it as well!
To find out more about Mad Tea Party, click here!
Trivia: The idea of multiplayer Guess Who? actually originates with a board game from the 1970’s called Whosit?