True Colors
t was with great trepidation that I brought True Colors to our table for the first time. I had heard that the game could cause great dissension and was only for people with thick skin. Certain games have caused massive arguments in our group before, so I was worried that True Colors might be the H-bomb that could destroy a night of gaming…
So was I correct? The truth is, True Colors was one of the biggest successes at our game table, and it has since come there many times. I’ve found that it doesn’t work well in all situations, and I have become annoyed a little when I found out what others think of me – but it’s usually great fun! Let me tell you a little more…
First, let me explain how the game plays… (There are various editions, I’m discussing the 1999 version by Pressman Toy Corporation.)
Each player picks a color and takes a small clothespin of that color, clipping the pin to their clothing so that everyone can identify what color they are. Each player is then given three different cards with symbols (“+”, “0”, and a “+/-“). They also receive two cards for each other player in the game, with a large color dot on the card denoting that player’s color. A plastic ballot box is placed in the center of the table, and a deck of question cards is shuffled and placed within reach. The game consists of ten rounds.
In a round, a player draws a question card and reads it. Examples include: “You’ve got a million to spend for your own private art collection.”, “Who would you choose as your art advisor?”, “Who’s the biggest baby?”, and “Who has no problem whatsoever striking up a conversation – even with strangers?”. Everybody then determines what player(s) fit that description the best. If only one player fits the description in their opinion, they put both cards with that player’s color on it in the voting box. Otherwise, they can pick two players and put one card of each of their colors in the box. Votes are to be kept a secret, and players cannot vote for themselves.
Then, each player predicts how many votes they got by picking one of their symbol cards and placing it face down in front of them. After everyone has placed a card, the cards are flipped, all votes in the ballot box are tallied, and scoring commences. If a player has placed the “+” card in front of them, and they received a majority of the votes, they receive three points. If they received no votes, and placed the “0” card, they also get three points. If they received at least one vote (but not the most) and placed the “+/-“ card, they receive one point. If they guessed incorrectly, they receive no points. All points are tallied on a score sheet provided with the game. All the players take back the cards they used to vote (secretly if possible) and the next round starts. After ten rounds, whichever player has the most points is the winner!
Some comments on the game…
1). Components: The components to the game are quite nice, and all fit very well into the plastic tray that is inside the box. The box is nicely decorated, and fairly durable. The ballot box is of very good quality, and fits together easily, with the cards sliding in and out smoothly. The clothespins are smaller than I would have wanted, but are functional. There still is the occasion where a player strains to see what color another player is (and that, of course, gives away who they are voting for). The voting cards are small, about half the size of a normal playing card. The dark blue background makes the colored dots stand out well, and there’s no problem distinguishing between them. (I’m not sure about color-blind folk). The eighty-five question cards are double sided, with one side laminated. It doesn’t matter when shuffling them, as knowing what the next question is going to be doesn’t affect the game that much. A few blank cards are provided, but the 170 questions provided with the game should suffice. Good components for this party game!
2). Rules: The rules are on both sides of a single sheet of paper. They are short and simple, as is the game. There is an example, and after reading them, the game is extremely easy to learn and teach.
3). Irritation: The reason I was leery about the game was the irritation factor. Some people have a bigger problem with it than others, but it is a little annoying when you think that nobody will vote for you on a certain question – and almost everybody does! Or you think that at least ONE person (your spouse) will vote for you on a question, and nobody does! When the game asks, “Who is, by far, the sorest loser?”, the recipient of the most votes is probably not going to be happy. I found myself thinking several times during the game, “How can anyone think that about me?” So perhaps the game is a real eye-opener, but it isn’t always easy to digest others’ answers about yourself.
4). Ruining the Game: It’s also possible for someone to ruin the game by randomly voting or by voting for people in an attempt to try and win. For example, if the question is “Who is the most cautious person here?” and Bob is a crazy maniac – everyone knows it, he knows it, yet I vote for him anyway. He loses three points because he got a vote, even though everyone KNOWS he’s NEVER cautious. I am deliberately voting for him, even though it’s not true – just to make him lose points, and I’m destroying the game. Two things avoid this. One, the game should always be played with close friends, so that everybody knows everybody else, and don’t have to make random choices. Two, everybody must agree verbally and in their hearts that they will vote truthfully to the best of their abilities. (Of course, when you get all the votes for something that you don’t like – you can’t console yourself that maybe some of the votes were random. J )
5). Fun Factor: However, when everybody is playing correctly, and when nobody is getting extremely irritated, the game is a lot of fun! People who have extreme personalities will probably win, as they will usually get none or most of the votes. Guessing how many votes you got is sometimes a chore, but it’s fun (usually) to see how many people voted for you. Sometimes one person gets all the votes, other times it’s a close race between two people, and it’s fun to see who wins. The score isn’t really important (as with most party games), and after 10 rounds, we usually are up to play another game – as the games aren’t that long (maybe 30 minutes).
Therefore, I think quite highly of this game. It’s already one of the top-played games in our group this year, and I think it will come out again. With a fun theme not duplicated in many other games, and good components, it’s a great game to bring to the table. Yes, there are certain people I’d rather not play the game with because of their attitudes, or a “win-at-all-cost” philosophy. But I’ve found that with most people, this game can be an enjoyable romp. And how come I get the most votes for spending money on board games?
Tom Vasel
"Real men play board games"
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