Partini is a group game from Parker Brothers. Cranium players will enjoy this game because of the similarities. Any number of players can participate, which makes this an excellent party game. Despite the name, there is nothing alcoholic about the game. Some game names have an adult twist to them, but overall, Partini can be enjoyed by almost any age. If you are playing with a younger crowd, consider changing some of the names of the games for appropriateness.
Contents
- Different colored coasters (35 total)
- Five plastic cups
- Two plastic balls
- Modeling clay
- 430 cards
- Two paper pads
- Pencils
- A timer
- One die
- Instructions
How to Play Partini
Setup is simple, and actual gameplay is simpler. You are guided by the game cards, so retaining a bunch of rules is nearly zero, unlike Chess. After getting the game contents situated, split everyone into teams of two. Minimum recommended players is four, with really no maximum.
Shuffle the coasters. The first team selects a coaster, which represents one of six possible games (see below). Successfully winning the round allows the team to keep the coaster. Each team gets to pick a coaster for a complete round. The team with the most coasters wins the game.
The Games
The games included in Partini are:
- Straight-up-In this game, you write down something about your teammate. This can be either humorous or truthful. The purpose of this game is to not hold back and to make people laugh at your team.
- Bouncers- This game is similar to beer pong, where you bounce balls into the cup. The difference is your team draws a card and the card tells you how you must bounce it into the cup. That way, the action is different for each team each time they draw a card.
- Mime Twist- Basically, this game is charades.
- What Not-Pick a card and try to get your teammate to guess what object is listed. You can't say what is on the card, you must say what it is not. For example, if "baseball diamond" is on the card, you say something like "batter's emerald".
- Hum Punch- In this challenge, you hum a song title. No singing or talking allowed.
- Clay Smoothie- With the modeling clay, you must sculpt what is listed on the card so your teammate can guess what it is.
At the Party
The game is tailored for the twenty- and thirty-somethings, but any large crowd can get excited about this game.
Positive Reactions
Partini has a few positive aspects to it:
- This game is a great icebreaker if you have a crowd of people who hardly know each other. Getting them paired up with strangers and answering questions about each other is a fun way to inspire friendship.
- Partini is an easy game to pick up and play. Within minutes, an entire group of people can prepare and play the game.
- Since game don't last more than 30-45 minutes, you can play a quick game to get rid of boredom.
- Just about any age can play this game because of the relative ease of play.
- You can vary up by only using one type of game, or making up your own "Mime Twist" categories or sculpting topics.
Criticisms
There are some criticisms about Partini:
- The game is too easy.
- Partini is too similar to Cranium. Many of the games in Partini, like "Clay Smoothie" is just like the sculpting game in Cranium. The only change is the name of the actual game.
For Your Consideration
Unsure about purchasing Partini? If you have Cranium in your household, and you enjoy playing that game, then chances are you'll like Partini. Other similar games:
- Scattegories
- Charades
- Any of the Cranium games
- Catch Phrase
- Loaded Questions
Any of the above games can be an indicator in purchasing this great game. The separate games in Partini are similar to any of the above games, so if you don't like any of the similar games, then you may not like this party game.
