We’ve seen Twitter feeds mined for quick-and-easy book deals before, but how about a board game?
Miami-based All Things Equal is banking on Rob Delaney and his 836,000+ followers @RobDelaney to put the party in its “Family and Party Games” site with the release of Rob Delaney’s War of Words™.
The game, available for pre-order now and shipping May 15, is purportedly the first-ever board game based on Twitter, according to the company. It’s not All Things Equal’s first Web-based board game, though — that would be the user-submitted site Awkward Family Photos. That’s awkward family fun. Delaney’s game is straight up Not Safe For Work.
How does it work, then? The game takes his Tweets — presumably ones like this missive from Delaney yesterday, “Not a fan of the term “MILF.” When I was a #teen, we called them “yummy mummies” & left it at that. #respect #imagination #lotion“ — and turns it into a questions and challenges for four-to-six players aged 18 and older. Game scenarios, per Delaney and the company, include:
- Reading aloud one of Rob’s tweets in a head-to-head challenge, with the other players deciding which tweet is funnier;
- Answering fill-in-the-blanks and open-ended questions related to Rob’s tweets;
- Correctly guessing which player wrote which answer to the above;
- And drawing a card from the unpredictable War Chest – a separate card deck that can help or hurt a player’s chances of winning the game.
Game pieces include a squirrel, coffee mug, ham sandwich, and van. There are two types of playing cards, voting chips, pads and pencils, custom die, and rules to help make your way around the game board.
As All Things Equal founding president Eric Poses said in announcing the game: “The best party games are fueled by creative, irreverent and laughter-filled discussion. Rob’s unique brand of humor provides the perfect foundation for a hilarious, memorable and perfectly raunchy game night.”
For his part, Delaney said: “I’ve been an avid board game player my whole life. Even though I’m a comedian, some of the loudest laughs I’ve ever heard or emitted myself have happened while playing games with family and friends. We thought my filthy storage locker filled with jokes would lend itself to a good game, so we made one, and we were right. War of Words™ also gives you the excuse to say things out loud that you should really never say to anyone, even a vice cop who does burlesque on the weekends.”
UPDATED (May 14): “I’m legitimately psyched about it,” Delaney told The Comic’s Comic. “I realize it’s “weird” that I’m doing it but I LOVE boardgames so when I got asked to do it I was like “YES PLEASE.” He also says as much in this promotional video he shot with Erin Gibson and Funny or Die. Plug your product!
Rob Delaney’s War of Words™ is available for pre-order on Amazon.com for $24.99 and starts shipping May 15: