Nigoichi (2022)

Overview

Each round in Nigoichi, your goal is to determine which word was not assigned to any of the players. More importantly, you want to make sure that no one votes for either of your two words!

To set up a round, lay out as many word cards as twice the number of players plus one, so eleven cards in a five-player game. Each word is assigned a number (e.g., 1-11), then each player secretly receives two number cards at random, with the final lone number being placed face down on the table. If you receive, say, 3 and 8, then you need to think of a one-word clue that links word #3 and word #8. Write your clue on your board.

Everyone reveals their words at the same time, then everyone tries to figure out which pair of words corresponds to each clue, with the long-term goal of figuring out which of the words was not assigned to any player. Once everyone has written their answer, reveal each player's pair of words as well as the lone number. If you guessed the answer correctly, score 20 points. For each player who guessed one of your words, lose 10 points.

After five rounds, whoever has the most points wins.