Board games aren't always about what is happening in front of you, on the game board. Paying attention to the other players can often help a lot, for many games do require a bit of hidden information on the part of any given player. Keeping a poker face can be a very important part of playing a smart game and knowing how to read another player can help your chances of winning. However, this isn't the only case in which, during a board game, you will need skill at reading another player. Some board games are actually built around this activity. Physically getting your point across can become the skill in question.



Guesstures is a game based on acting different words or phrases out for teammates. In this game, players form into two teams and one player at a time is designated as the actor. During a turn, that player selects four cards from the deck. Each card has one easy and one difficult word on it, with the difficult words being worth more points. That player then has one minute to act out as many of those four words as is possible, scoring points for the team. After the minute is over, the points are calculated, and then the other team is given a chance to perform. Play continues back and forth between the teams until one team reaches a pre-determined amount of points, and all members of that team are considered the winners of the game. This game is a rather popular party game as it gives everyone the chance to participate and to laugh, allowing creative energy to flow freely through the room.

Another game that often requires its players to act in some fashion or another is the popular game Cranium. This game, first marketed in 1998, is billed as "The Game for Your Entire Brain." When you play Cranium, you are competing against another team to best them in four different areas. The Creative Cat area tests your artistic skills, while the Data Head category will quiz your knowledge of trivia.

If a Word Worm area is landed on, vocabulary skills will be tested. However, if you land on the Star Performer, you will be forced to act out in some manner or another for your teammate to guess the answer to. There are a few different manners of performance required with this option, however, making it a very diverse option. If you choose a Cameo option, you must act out a word or a phrase with no speaking allowed, much like a traditional charades game. If you happen to select a Copycat card, the game becomes a little more tricky. The performer must then act like a certain celebrity or character without being allowed to say any proper names, nor can any questions be asked of the performer. If the teammate can guess who it is that the performer is imitating, the team scores the point. Humdinger, however, tests the team by forcing the performer to hum a popular tune for the teammate to guess. Cranium is an interesting approach to the classic formats of acting games, for it tests players in a different manner than most. Because of this, it is a fresh approach for any player looking to stretch their minds and imaginations while performing with a game.