So, let’s get one thing out of the way we aren’t talking about the two-player card game Snap. Snaps isn’t a card game at all! This is a fun party game that is ideal for a house party, work icebreaker, or any other occasion.
Snaps is easy to learn and play once you know the rules. This is precisely what we’ll be looking at in this guide. So, without further ado, let’s begin by examining what Snaps is all about.
What is Snaps?
Snaps is a social party game and a great way to get people relaxed. If you enjoy games like Cards Against Humanity, then you’ll love Snaps. In Snaps, one member of your group will become the Snapper.
The snapper will need to think of a name. You can set a theme for the game if you want, but most games begin with celebrities as the first category. Once the snapper has come up with the name, they can choose from two options.
The snapper can either spell the name directly or spell out clues. If they choose to spell the word directly, they must declare – “Snaps is the name of the game.” However, if they are spelling out clues, they must say – “Snaps isn’t the name of the Game.”
When it comes to playing the game, the snapper will need to give clues by using short sentences. For example, let’s say the celebrity you choose was Tom Cruise. Your first sentence could be, “Today is a nice day.”
Now the other players will know the name they must guess begins with a T. For any vowels in the name; you must snap your fingers to help the other players identify which vowel it is. You snap once for A, twice for E, three times for I, four times for O, and finally five times for U.
So, to use our earlier example for Tom Cruise, you’ll be snapping four times because the second letter is an O. That’s the basics of what Snaps is. We’ll talk more about the setup and gameplay below. But first, let’s look at what you need to play.
What You’ll Need To Play
To play Snaps, you don’t need anything apart from a creative mind and the ability to think fast! While Snaps is a fun party game, it can get surprisingly competitive much like Charades. But to be honest, that is part of the fun!
One thing you might like to do to make the game a little easier for beginners is to write out names first. You can think of the game a bit like Fishbowl with the clues ready for players to use, so they just need to be picked out.
By doing this, you make choosing a name/ word easier for players. Just make sure you put plenty of names in the pot if you do plan to do this. So, you won’t have an extra advantage when it comes to guessing.
You could use a fishbowl to hold the clues like this Koller Fishbowl. But any kind of container will do. We only recommend having pre-written clues if people are struggling to come up with their own. As it can take some of the creativity away from the game.
Snaps Rules and Gameplay
The Aim of The Game
The aim of Snaps is to simply have fun! There aren’t any points awarded or anything like that. If you’re bored of competitive games like Monopoly. Want a break from mental challenges like Chess or Shogi, then Snaps is just what you need.
Really the only aim is to make sure your word is fairly challenging. If your word is too easy to guess, Snaps won’t be much fun. To do this, you’ll need to think of clever and inventive clues to say. So, let’s now talk about how you get the game set up.
Set-Up
Setting up a game of Snaps is relatively easy. The game is perfect for larger group play of 6 or more people. But it can be played with smaller groups as well. The first thing you must decide is who will be the first snapper.
If you’re having trouble deciding, then players could flip a coin to decide. Once the first snapper is ready, you should choose whether they’ll be a theme or not for the game. To make Snaps more challenging, you could set a theme like sports.
Then every word will need to be sports-related in some way. We don’t recommend setting a theme for your first few games. But it can certainly be a fun twist to try later on. Once this is decided, the first snapper should have a minute or two to think up their word. Once this is done, the game can begin!
Snaps Gameplay
First, come up with your word for the group to guess. Then you’ll need to decide whether you’re going to spell out the name directly or spell out a clue. Both of these approaches use the same basic method.
However, spelling out the name is the easier option. If you want to make it harder for the group to guess, then spell out a clue instead. We’ve divided this section into two parts to make it easier to understand.
Snaps – Playing The Word
If you are spelling out the word directly, you must declare it to the group. This is done by saying – “Snaps is the name of the game.” You must then use a combination of short sentences and snaps to give the group clues.
Let’s say the word/ name you choose was Will Smith. You start by saying a sentence that begins with a W. For example; you could say, “Welcome to the game, everyone.” For the vowels, you use snaps.
We mentioned these earlier, but to highlight them again, A is one snap, E is two snaps, I is three snaps, O is four snaps, and U is five snaps. The second letter is I so you snap three times. You keep going using this gameplay loop till someone guesses the word.
Snaps – Playing A Clue
If you decide to play a clue instead of spelling out the word, you must say – “Snaps isn’t the name of the game.” Then you must spell out your clue word using short sentences for the consonants and snaps for any vowels.
Let’s say the name/ word you have chosen is Harrison Ford. Then your clue word could be Han Solo. So, you will start by saying a short sentence that begins with an H. Then snap once to show the following letter is an A.
What makes Snaps surprisingly tricky is that any space in the word/ name isn’t signaled to the group. So, while they might know the letters, they won’t know exactly how they go together.
Winning Snaps
So, now you know how to play Snaps when you’re the snapper. But what about if you’re in the group? Well, you work with the other players to try and figure out the word/ name the snapper came up with.
While you are working in a team, you’ll still want to be the first person to guess the word. As you’ll then become the snapper for the next round! The game can continue for a set number of rounds or simply until you’re ready to stop playing.
Snaps – A Fun Social Game!
While Snaps is easy to get to grips with, the gameplay can be surprisingly strategic. There are a lot of ways to make even the easiest word challenging to guess. If you like party games, then you definitely should give Snaps a try.
