Topix

£30

Race against your friends and family as you work to give as many examples as you can for your given topic – the only catch; all your answers must start with the same letter. With a wide variety of broad and specific topic categories to be faced with, Topix is great for all the family.

To play the first round all players or teams are given a topic answer sheet and pencil. They then get to choose a counter from one of the stacks to choose their topic. The blue topics are best for younger players as they offer a broader topic, while the red topics can be more specific and challenging. Once all players have a topic, they then pick a letter which every single one of their answers for their topic must begin with. Once all players or teams have a topic and have picked a letter, the timer is turned over and the player or team must write down as many related examples to the topic starting with the chosen letter.

Once the timer runs out, each team draws a line under their list and then the lists are passed to the team next to them. Once all the teams have swapped to a different topic, the timer is flipped over again, and each team then attempts to add more examples to this topic list. Words cannot be repeated, and should they be repeated, the repeating team will not gain a point from it. The lists continue to be passed around until every team or player has attempted each topic sheet.  Then the total number of examples given across all topics is calculated for each team, and this is how many moves you make across the board.

After the first round, each team or player’s topic (either blue or red) and the letter used are determined by the board based on where you land after each topic card’s correctly identified examples. The board also has star spaces which allow you to choose your own topic level and letter too. The winner is whichever player or team reaches the finish space first. Should there be a tie-break if two teams reach the winning space at the same time, a final topic and letter are given, and each team or player works to write down as many examples as possible. Once time is up, the teams read aloud their answers and cross out the ones that both teams have said. The team with the most unique examples wins.

At a recent family gathering, I brought out Topix to see how well the game works for all age ranges. The topics, even from the more challenging red stack, were not super difficult, so younger players didn’t feel completely excluded. However, the blue topics were definitely more accessible to everyone. Overall, Topix is a great game to bring out at family gatherings. It’s a fast-thinking game which gets everyone involved whilst still causing a competitive battle between the teams. I would definitely recommend this as a new addition to your game collection for family gatherings, especially for the upcoming festive season.

Pros:

• Great for all the family
• Fastthinking game with a competitive edge
• Easy to get the hang of