Categories

Quick Pitch

Categories is a creative word game where players list words beginning with a specific letter for various categories within a time limit.

Hook

Everyone gets the same categories — Animals, Foods, Countries, Movies — and the same starting letter, say "C." You have two minutes to write one answer for each category that starts with C. The catch: if anyone else wrote the same word as you, you both score zero. "Cat" for Animals? Everyone wrote Cat. "Capybara"? Now that's worth a point. The real game is trying to find words that are clearly correct but just unusual enough that nobody else thought of them.

Equipment Needed

• Sheets of paper (one per player)
• Pencil or pen
• Timer (optional but recommended; typically 2-3 minutes per round)
• Optional: one die (to generate random letter) or spin spinner

Setup

1. Create Category List: Decide on categories before starting

   • Common categories: Animals, Food, Countries, Movies, Famous People, Cities, Adjectives, TV Shows, Plants, Brand Names
   • Can have 5-10 categories depending on time available

2. Draw Grid: Each player draws a grid:

   • Rows: One for each category
   • Columns: Enough space for writing words or a single "answer" column

Example grid for 6 categories:

Category        | Answer
Animals         | _____________
Foods          | _____________
Countries      | _____________
Movies         | _____________
Names          | _____________
Adjectives     | _____________

3. Choose Starting Letter:

   • Random: Roll die (1=A, 2=B, etc.) or pick from hat
   • Or decide on letter by agreement
   • Some variants: Each round uses next letter of alphabet

4. Start Timer: Usually 2-3 minutes

Rules

Objective

Write one word for each category starting with the chosen letter, earning points for unique answers others didn't find.

Gameplay

1. Setup Phase: Announce the starting letter and categories
2. Writing Phase: Players have set time (typically 2-3 minutes) to write one word for each category starting with the chosen letter
   • Words must fit the category
   • Words must start with the designated letter
   • Can skip categories by leaving blank
3. Time's Up: When timer ends, players stop writing
4. Scoring Phase:
   • Players read answers category by category
   • Compare responses

Scoring

Duplicates: If multiple players wrote the same word for a category, those players score 0 for that category

Unique Answers: If only one player wrote a word for a category, that player scores:

• Standard: 1 point
• Creative variant: Points based on word uniqueness (unusual words worth more)

Blank Categories: Score 0

Example scoring (5 players, letter "C"):

ANIMALS:
Player 1: Cat (3 other players) = 0
Player 2: Cat = 0
Player 3: Cat = 0
Player 4: Cougar = 1 (unique)
Player 5: Cheetah = 1 (unique)

FOODS:
Player 1: Carrots (shared) = 0
Player 2: Carrots (shared) = 0
Player 3: Cheese = 1 (unique)
Player 4: Corn = 1 (unique)
Player 5: (blank) = 0

Victory

Play multiple rounds (3-10), keeping cumulative scores. Player with highest total after all rounds wins.