| Fib or Not? - Party Game | |
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My gaming group (and my family for that matter) has always had an affection for party games, so when a new one arrives, I always look forward to trying it out.
So when Fib or Not? (compare prices) arrived in my mailbox and my college roommates got together for a birthday party, it was a natural choice.
In Fib or Not?, players take turns telling stories -- true or false -- based on categories listed on the cards they pull (e.g. "an embarrassing moment"). If you can convince other players that your true stories are false and vice versa, you're well on the way to winning.
Game designer Frank Sobyak (he provided spectacular coverage of Toy Fair 2001 for this site), who grew up in a family which held a "Family Game Night" once a week, took some time to answer a few questions about his game.
When did you first think about designing board games?
The Fib or Not? game concept was first conceived on Thanksgiving day 1999 while sitting around the dinner table with family and friends. With us for the holiday was our grandmother, who now is near 90 years old, and whom we felt surely had all sorts of funny stories that we had never heard. But the challenge was getting them all to come out.
So, we decided to make up a game where we would all tell stories -- but with a little twist: the stories could be a fibs... or not. This twist seemed to make playing the game really funny and it added some suspense as we waited to learn the truth. We laughed at the true stories we heard, and we laughed at the silly stories our family members made up. Bottom line, we had a blast!
Then we began to play the game with friends, neighbors and other family members, refining game play along the way. After months of refinement, we brought a prototype to a party with people whom we had never met. They loved the game, and played it over and over and over -- in fact, until 4:00 in the morning. With all the laughter that was exchanged and the duration of play, we figured we had developed a fun and exciting game concept. Several months later I left my job at Sprint to pursue Fib or Not? full time.
Is Fib or Not? your first finished board game?
Yes, Fib or Not? is the first in a series of board games we are creating. Already in the development cycle is Kids Fibs, a game just for kids 8 to 13 years old, and Steamy Fibs, a game that will focus on a more mature audience.
There's also a Fib or Not? "On The Go" version that is in market test. This version is great for traveling or camping as it uses the same game concept but without the game board. Also released recently was a Palm Pilot version of Fib or Not? that uses an on-screen board and has the same flow and feel of the regular board game.
The concept was first conceived on Thanksgiving of 1999, and physical product was available in August of 2000. So it took about 9 months from initial concept to customer.
What was the most challenging part of designing Fib or Not?
Preparing and refining the game for the mass market. We wanted to deliver a game that all ages could have fun playing. During the initial stages of development we held over 150 focus groups with friends, family, neighbors and even strangers. We talked to everyone who would listen about the game to learn what they liked and how they would make it better. We constantly solicited content for story subjects.
It's much better to put this effort in on the front end of game development versus trying to fix problems later.
Initially, the subject cards were more specific with questions like "Tell a story about... a raunchy hotel room." But we found that being less specific gave people a broader range of experiences from which to draw. This card now reads, "Tell a story about... a hotel or motel experience."
What are a couple of your favorite game questions?
One of my favorite humorous questions is, "Tell a story about... a goofy family tradition." Every family has some funny traditions, and the question lends itself to making up some pretty outlandish stories, too. One of my favorite serious questions is, "Tell a story about... forgiveness." Some people have incredible stories of forgiveness, and some people tell the funniest fibs on this one, too. As a listener, you never know what to believe.
The great thing about Fib or Not? is that the players get to determine the tone of the game. They can tell a humorous story for a serious subject or a serious story for a humorous subject -- it's all up to them. Since the players create the content, the answers to the cards are different every time the game is played. So, favorite game questions can change as you play more and more.
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