JAM SESH
Game Overview
In Jam Sesh, players collect musical notes and build chords to create a unique song. The player with the best song at the end of the game wins!
Components
- Note Cards: 35 cards (5 of each note: C-1, D-2, E-3, F-4, G-5, A-6, B-7).
- Chord Reference Cards: 15 cards showing examples of basic chords (e.g., C Major, D Minor, G7) that players can build using their collected notes.
- Song Sheet: A sheet where players write down their collected notes and chords.
- Dice: A six-sided die to determine actions.
Player Count
- Players: 2 to 6 players.
Setup
- Shuffle the Note Cards and place them face down in a draw pile.
- Lay out the Chord Reference Cards face up for all players to see.
- Give each player a Song Sheet and a pencil.
- Decide on the number of rounds to play (e.g., 5 rounds).
How to Play
Starting the Round: Players take turns rolling the six-sided die and follow these actions based on the roll:
- 1: Draw 1 Note Card.
- 2: Draw 2 Note Cards.
- 3: Trade 1 Note Card with another player.
- 4: Discard 1 Note Card to draw 2 new Note Cards.
- 5: Skip your turn and collect 2 Note Cards from the draw pile next round.
- 6: Draw 2 Note Cards and then immediately discard 1 Note Card of your choice.
Collecting Notes and Building Chords
After drawing cards, players can add notes to their Song Sheet. Each note can only be added once per song. Players can also build chords using the notes they’ve collected by referring to the Chord Reference Cards.
Chord Building Example:
- To build a C Major chord, a player needs to collect C-1, E-3, and G-5. They can write the chord on their Song Sheet as part of their song.
Creating a Song
After all rounds are complete, players create their songs using the collected notes and chords. They can write a title and describe the song’s theme or mood.
Scoring
At the end of the game, players share their songs. Scoring is based on:
- Variety of Notes: 1 point for each unique note collected.
- Chords Built: 2 points for each chord successfully built.
- Creativity: 1 bonus point for a unique song title or theme.
The Game Ends..
The game ends when all of the note cards have been drawn!
Winning
The player with the most points at the end of the game wins!
Enjoy making music with Jam Sesh! 🎶
Word Relay
Game Overview 🪐
“Word Relay” is a team-based or single-player team word association game where players take turns saying words related to a specific category. The goal is to keep the relay going without repeating words or taking too long to respond.🏁
Number of Players 🔢♾️
- 4 or more (can be played with larger groups)
Setup 🥱
- Divide into Teams(if needed) ➗: Split players into two or more teams. Each team should have at least two players.
- Category Cards ❓ : Prepare a set of category cards with various themes(Or use the 5 premade ones instead, this will affect the game time making it a shorter game), such as animals 🐸, food 🍱, movies 🎥, or countries 🇺🇸. Shuffle the cards and place them face down in a pile. (you have 5 minutes to make your cards if you dare 👹)
- Choose a Category 📄 : The first team draws a category card to determine the theme for the round.
Rules 📏
- Starting Player 1️⃣: Teams decide who will go first. The first player from Team A starts by saying a word related to the chosen category.
- Relay Turn 🔁 : The next player from Team B must respond within 8 seconds ⏱️ with a word that relates to the last word said. This continues back and forth between teams.
- No Repeats 🚫 : Players cannot repeat any word that has already been said in the current round.
- Time Limit ⏳ : If a player takes longer than 8 seconds ⏱️ to respond, their team loses a point.
- Challenge Rule 🟥🟦 : If a player believes that another player has said a word that doesn’t fit the category, they can challenge it. If the challenge is successful (determined by a vote or consensus), the challenged player’s team loses a point. If the challenge fails, the challenging team loses a point.
- Winning the Round 🎉 : The round continues until one team either fails to respond in time or repeats a word. The last team to give a word earns a point.
Points System 🌌
- Scoring Points:
- Winning a Round 🎉 : When one team successfully gets the other team to fail to respond or repeat a word, they score 1 point.
- Challenges 🟥🟦 : If a challenge is successful, the challenging team scores 1 point; if it fails, the challenged team loses 1 point.
- Bonus Points 🤯 :
- Creative Words 🧠 : Award an extra 1 point for unique or creative words (team votes).
- Speed Round ⚡ : If a player responds in under 3 seconds, their team earns 1 bonus point.
- Losing Points 💔 :
- If a player takes longer than 8 seconds ⏱️, their team loses 1 point.(womp womp)
- If a team repeats a word, they also lose 1 point. (double womp womp)
- Tracking Points 🐾 : Keep a visible tally for each team to enhance competitiveness.
Winning the Game 🥳
- Play until one team reaches a predetermined score of 10 points or play for a set duration (e.g., 15 minutes) and see which team has the most points at the end.
Enjoy playing “Word Relay” 🏎️
I played Jam Sesh 2 weeks ago. I loved the concept but wanted to be able to do MORE! What about sharps and accidentals? Could we make chords? can we make longer songs? what about the length of notes?
If you do choose to expand this game for educational purposes, I think their could be beginner, intermediate, and professional level with an increasing amount of options!
What all would you want to see in a second testing besides that? I was thinking of adding the Chord cards and having those for you guys to use and test but I don’t know what else could work.
Both of your ideas sound super interesting. I’m particularly interested in your Word Relay idea because I’ve played a lot of games like that. It reminds me of Tapple or Scategories. I look forward to see how you further refine your ideas
Would there be anything you would want to see in either of these games in the future?
I’m not sure, since I haven’t gotten to playtest either of these games yet. I just wonder if there is some mechanic you can add to your Word Relay game to make it different enough than other word games that currently exist.