I remember when I first discovered Jackbox Games. It was the summer of 2019, and I was cast in the ensemble of Disney’s Beauty & The Beast at a regional theatre located in a Pennsylvania Catholic college. After a long day of rehearsal, one of our castmates took out his PS4 and fired up a Jackbox Party Pack in the dormitory living room.
After playing one round, I was enamored. The games were hilarious, and the smartphone controls were so accessible. I loved the idea that anyone could enter a four-letter code and join in the fun anywhere. I bought all the party packs not long after and still whip them out for game nights. So, I thought it would be fun to dream up some games I’d love to see Jackbox tackle in the future!
5 Quiplash: No Words Edition
Of all the Jackbox games to grace our TV screens and eat up our phone battery, Quiplash is arguably the fan favorite. After all, the game combines simple rules with wacky prompts and answers bound by the limits of the imagination. Turns out that “saying the funniest thing” is an ageless pastime.
Still, after three iterations, we will need some new ideas to revitalize the Quiplash series. Like other board games that rely on humor, Quiplash sometimes gets defined by its laziest answers. (For instance, we all know the friend that votes for any answer containing a filthy word that would get me fired if typed in total.)
Jackbox has already attempted new formats of the popular one-liner board game. For example, Earwax has players answer prompts using only sound effects. Still, it has not had the same staying power for some reason.
When re-imagining the Quiplash brand, I asked myself what would most drastically change the game. First, I pondered, “what if the quips were silent?” Pantomimed quips came to mind but made the game feel too close to charades. Then, I discovered a more straightforward option: funny faces.
I decided on two methods of gameplay for this new version of Quiplash. The first method would have players choose emojis in response to the prompt. However, the second method would have players take selfies with funny faces. Of course, anonymity would be lost in the second method, so voting would have to be run by an honor code. Still, the goofy possibilities would be endless!
Plus, facial expressions are reactionary! So, you won’t have to worry about crafting the perfect quip before time runs out. Now, isn’t that a huge relief?
Be careful not to get smacked in the back of the head while making a funny face. It will stay that way.
4 Drawful: Dance Edition
Tapping on your phone is well and fine, but the Jackbox Gaming experience can blend after a while. I think the solution to this Boardgame Monotony Syndrome (BMS, for short) is more engagement and movement. It’s about time game night got physical without becoming Twister. (Seriously, why do I want to stretch for a red dot and end up with my cousin’s ass in my face? Bleh!)
Drawful is one of Jackbox Games’ more popular offerings. Players draw pictures based on other players’ captions. Then, everyone attempts to deceive each other by making them vote for their own captions rather than the correct one. Think of it like Balderdash for sketching.
This version of Drawful I concocted is a considerable departure from the series. In the first phase, everyone would submit drawings that would get combined into a dance routine. These drawings can be literal, like stick figure movements, or metaphorical, like a single rose.
In the second phase, every player performs their own dance incorporating three random drawings from the sketches created in the first phase. In turn, everyone else applauds or boos each dancer. The dancer with the most applause wins the round.
I sincerely believe in the potential for this artistic groove fest! The laughs that these dances will lead to will be plentiful. In addition, creating improvised dances adds a layer of creativity never seen before in a Jackbox title.
3 LyricSwap
One of my new favorite board games is the recent launch, RiffTrax: The Game, which has players redub dialogue from old B and C movies. Players vote for their favorite dubs, and the player with the most votes wins. This game had me and my friends belly-laughing with joy at game night, resulting in hours of playthroughs.
One of the neat aspects of Rifftrax is the combination of seeing your own written dialogue played over a movie clip. It hits much differently than reading a quip on Quiplash. Furthermore, these dubs get even funnier when the redub and mouth movements line up perfectly!
Therefore, when brainstorming new Jackbox games, my mind immediately went to this title. Still, how could I add the quirky Jackbox spin to it? Then, it hit me: music videos! Music videos are filled with crazy metaphors that are uproarious out of context. Plus, parody lyrics are hilarious when done right.
I figured lyric swaps could get revealed in one of two ways. First, an automated voice could recite the new lyrics for those with stage fright. Or, for an extra fun twist, players would sing each other’s new lyrics. In this case, players can earn points for how well they perform other players’ rewrites and points for their own rewrites!
Karaoke, step aside! There’s a new embarrassing musical event in town!
Trivia Rom-Com Party is my proposed spin-off of another fan favorite trivia game, Trivia Murder Party. Trivia Murder Party is very popular, having launched a sequel in Jackbox Party Pack 7. Both iterations combine tricky trivia with hilarious send-offs of horror movie tropes. Unfortunately, only one player makes it out of the game alive after a barrage of tough questions and suspenseful elimination challenges!
A homicidal quiz game is tons of killer fun! Still, I think a re-imagining should bridge the gap between Trivia Murder Party 2 and a possible TMP3. What other movie genres would work well with trivia? Perhaps a romantic comedy would be a breath of fresh air.
A romantic comedy would be a huge twist from the hack and slashing encyclopedic question solving to which Jackbox players have grown accustomed. Plus, the mockery that could get made of classic rom-com tropes is plentiful. Still, this game needs a defining feature that makes it more than a trivia game with a Bridget Jones’ Diary coat of paint.
After considering the possibilities, I asked myself, “what if the goal was not to get the right answer?” That’s when I got the idea to make a game where players sought to match answers without conferring with each other. Whether the matching answer is right or wrong does not matter. However, if two or more players match the correct answer, bonus points could get awarded. The player with the most matching points wins!
I love this idea for one reason: you must consider whether your friends are smart enough to pick the correct answer. Plus, if they’re not, what answer would your friends pick? And on top of these factors, what if your friend underestimates you and picks a different wrong answer? In short, Trivia Rom-Com Party is a mind game about measuring other players’ potential. And that sounds even more diabolical than a serial killer asking me about geometry!
1 You Don’t Know Jack 2022
When it comes to Jackbox Games, we would not have any of our favorite titles without the signature trivia series, You Don’t Know Jack. This trivia series combined formidable trivia with hilarious antics to create one of the nineties’ most unique board game experiences. Furthermore, YDKJ’s staying power helped it thrive for decades.
Still, it’s been a hot minute since the last YDKJ title. The series’ latest entry, YDKJ: Full Stream, launched in 2018. Since then, pop culture has changed immensely! I mean, think about it, 2020 happened. That year alone has given us plenty of new zingers for Cookie Masterson to sling our way! That’s why I’m using my last list entry as an opportunity to beg Jackbox Games to bring back the GOAT!
Come on, Jackbox, it’s time for You Don’t Know Jack: Unmasked Edition!
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