Guide to Guess Who

Guide to Guess Who

Guess Who was an unusual board game that many children of the 1980s will remember with fondness. In this entertaining game, two competitors face off against each other in a mental showdown to determine who can correctly identify the character card held by their rival. Here, we’ll explain how to play Guess Who for people who have never played or been introduced to the game. Discover the history of this classic board game, learn how to play, and peruse some of the most well-known variations with this helpful reference.

History of Guess Who

In 1965, brothers Theo and Ora Coster established Theora Design and created the original version of Guess Who. The Hebrew word for “gift” (Matat) was the inspiration for the company’s initial name in Tel Aviv. Early in the narrative, Theora Design began making toys, dolls, and other kid-friendly crafts and giving them away for free to consumers who purchased other goods from the company.

Continuing their foray into novelty creation, they came up with items that kids would find entertaining. The ICETIX popsicle and ice cream stick toy were among their best-selling creations. Borden Dairy saw the potential in ICETIX, so it negotiated with Theora Design to market the product across the United States. Theora Design and Borden Dairy collaborated to produce an ice cream stick that would sell 12 billion units over its 11 years on store shelves.

The ICETIX helped generate enough revenue for Theora Design to fund the creation of other toys and games, such as the Guess Who board game. One of the most prolific board game publishers of the ’70s and ’80s, Milton Bradley, brought the original version of Guess Who to the UK somewhere about 1979. Soon after, in 1982, the board game was made available in the United States.

A giant-sized game of Guess Who

Start of Guess Who’s Gameplay

Guess Who is a two-player game. Each participant must have their own Guess Who board before the game begins. One side of the board is often blue and the other red, depending on the game’s version. There are 24 character tiles on each board, and they must be flipped over so that their faces face you.

Players must shuffle the character card deck that matches the color of their board after setting up the boards and turning over the character tiles. After shuffling, the player must lay the deck face down on the table.

After then, players must secretly draw a card from the character deck, one at a time. If your opponent catches you looking at your card, you can toss it and take a new one from the deck.

Asking Questions in Guess Who

After everyone has placed a character card on the board, the first player to act is determined. Anyone who rolls the highest number on a single die goes first, or you may just flip a coin. Once the first player has been selected, he or she must try to deduce the identity of the opponent  based on the picture on the character card. It’s the first player’s job to pose yes/no questions. These are some samples of questions that can be used in the game:

  • Does your character have black hair?
  • Is your character a child?
  • Does your character have a beard?

By asking about details like these, you may get a better sense of the card’s character and narrow down your guesses. Remember that you may only give a yes or no answer to each question; queries like “What is your character’s hair color?” are not permitted.

In other words, if you ask a player, “Is your character blonde?” and he answers yes, you have to flip down characters that are not blonde. To determine which character your opponent is using, you can use the information shown when a character is flipped face down.

Scoring Points in Guess Who

After you have flipped over tiles, your opponent will pose questions about your character. The process begins again if no one has successfully guessed their opponent’s character card. Suppose a player has only one character tile remaining on the board. In that case, they may challenge their opponent by seeing if their character card’s name matches the one on the tile. Whoever makes the correct guess receives one point.

If the guess is incorrect, the other player receives a point. The person in possession of the board can keep track of their score by looking at the area of the board labeled “score,” which is oriented such that it faces away from the other players. Each player would return their character card to their deck, mix their decks, and draw a new card to begin the next round. Although the Guess Who game only needs one round to be completed, some people like to play for five rounds to ensure good interaction amongst all participants.

Understanding the Math Behind Guess Who

Knowing the arithmetic behind Guess Who can be a successful technique. The game “Guess Who?” revolves around probability. Just one of the available twenty-four cards has been dealt to your opponent. So, you’ll likely be able to guess your opponent’s character in the first turn, despite how slim the chances could be. Even if you could get rid of one card each turn, it would still take 12 tries to correctly predict your opponent’s card.

In card games, knowing the arithmetic underlying the game may indicate how near your opponent is to guessing your card and how near you are to predicting theirs. You may adjust your tactics accordingly and obtain an advantage.

The “Binary Approach” Strategy

If you want to win every game of “Guess Who?” without fail, the binary approach is your best bet, as it only just two questions to remove at least half of the board’s inhabitants. You should have 12 characters left after the first question. Asking the second question should leave you with six characters. You should have three characters left for the third question, then two, and ultimately one. If you can successfully employ this tactic, you have a high chance of winning Guess Who every shuffle.

“Guess Who?” was a huge hit in the ’80s because it’s an easy game that people of all ages can enjoy. Just like any board game, there are many techniques and tips available to help you improve in Guess Who. The game’s engaging mechanics will draw in players of all experience levels and provide them with hours of fun.