The Mystify board game is a fun party game for 2 to 20 players, ages 12 to adult. All players race against each other to solve mystery scrambles of names, words, and numbers. Get ready for fun by checking out all the deets on Mystify.
What Is Mystify?
Mystify is a game that challenges you to solve word and number scrambles. Everyone plays at the same time - so everyone is involved in the game at every minute. No wallflowers here!
You could divide up into teams to play, but the real fun comes when everyone in the room is individually scribbling on their pad, trying to be the first to solve the scramble and yell out their success to the rest of the players.
How to Play Mystify
There are five different categories of scrambles, covering a wide range of subjects including name, numbers, etcetera, places and things, and clueless. Players don't have to be experts in any special category in order to solve the scramble. The scramble is a commonly known word or date. It could be a person, a place, an item, or an important date.
Set Up and Start of Play
Before getting started, everyone needs to have a pad, pencil, and game piece. The pieces go on the start position. One person in the group is chosen as the card reader. To select the category, the card reader rolls a die. The card reader calls out the category and then reads the scrambled letters or numbers on the card. The reader can also give a hint to the group such as:
- Literary figure
- Popular first name
- Brand name product
- Popular movie from the 1970s
- Living creature
- Part of the human body
The players are given 30 seconds to race against each other to unscramble the letters and solve the scramble. Each player can yell out his guess at any time. If a player correctly solves the scramble, he advances on the board. If players don't solve the scramble, the play continues and everyone races to find the answer before the 30-second timer announces the end of the round. Each player can have only one guess. A game usually takes one to two hours to play.
Winning the Game
The first person to make it to the finish square on the game board is the winner. Therefore, you have to be the person that answers the most scrambles correctly.
Game Pieces
Like most board games, Mystify has a few different pieces when you open the box.
- 1 game board
- 1920 scrambles
- 884 cards
- Playing pieces and die
- Notepad
- 30-second timer
- 1-page instruction guide
Mystify Game Variations
While you might choose to play the standard game, there are a few variations this party game offers depending on the number of people you have playing.
- 2 players - With only 2 players, you play head-to-head, taking turns being the card reader and solver. The first person to the finish square is the winner.
- 6 or more players - While you can play in teams and use the game pieces, for classrooms, you can also use a points system for the game. Therefore, every person's name is written on a piece of paper. The winner is given so many points and a scorekeeper keeps track of the points each person earns to a designated amount of points.
A Great Party Game
Mystify was published in 1977 by the Game Development Group, and it continues to be one of the favorite games for parties and game nights for several reasons.
- 100% participation - Everyone plays every round, and at the same time, so it is a great icebreaker and gets everyone involved in the fun.
- Easy to learn - There are no difficult rules or scoring systems as you might find at many game tournaments.
- Easy to play - Each player just needs a pencil and a piece of paper.
- No special interests or skills needed - Even if all party attendees are not into word jumbles or Sudoku-type games, they still have fun competing or watching the other party-goers compete to be the first one to solve the scramble.
Mystify Board Game
The Mystify board game would be a great game to take to a game night or party or to give to the party host as a gift. Now that you know the rules, it's time to enjoy the fun!
