Linkee

Four Little Questions, One Big Link

That is the tagline for Linkee and sums up this challenge perfectly. My wife had mentioned Linkee about 10 years ago, and like a somewhat arrogant fool, I didn’t think that there was much to this game. I put it firmly on the back burner. Now let’s go back to when I first played the game in 2020 alongside lockdown. Notwithstanding the horrendous global pandemic, Covid did bring some good things. Social media contacts, on-line interaction and quizzes became popular. During the first lockdown, a few of us represented Zatu in the Big Potato quiz. Modesty prevents me from revealing the winners. One of the rounds was Linkee.

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This is marketed as a team game although with a little variation it can be played by two players. Even with lockdown continuing, this game can be just as relevant. Every question card has a letter on its reverse. The aim is to win enough cards to spell the word Linkee. One person must be the question master. They are exempt from answering the questions and the role of question master may be rotated.

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Each card has four questions. These are read in turn and individuals or teams write down the answer to each. However, all of the answers have one thing in common. There is a link (hence the word Linkee). At any point a person or team may shout out the linking word or phrase.

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Once a team has called “Linkee” that team must give a word or phrase linking the answers. If the linked answer is correct then that card (and letter) is claimed. Give the wrong link and the team can take no more guesses for that round. If, after all four questions have been asked, no one is able to work out the link, the question master can give a clue. If still, no one can answer, then the card is returned and a new card is drawn.

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With each card won, so a team will try to spell “Linkee” however as more letters are claimed, unrequired letters may be used strategically. Hand in two cards and you can take one letter from an opposing team and remove it from the game. Discard three cards and that team can request a specific letter. Linkee can be played with two people. Each player takes a separate card and each asks a question in turn. The first to guess the link on the card will win that round.

The first team or individual to claim sufficient letters to spell “Linkee” is the winner.

Thoughts On Linkee

This is such a simple concept. Linkee is now in its third iteration and this pack comes with over 1400 questions. Some questions are relatively simple such as “Which colours make up the Canadian flag?” Others will require a more “left-field” knowledge such as “A steak cut from the thick end of a sirloin is called a ____ house?”

Some of the links are quite difficult. Whilst the first two answers might be linked, with the latter questions the common thread will change. Here is where the fun starts. Answer too quickly before the common link is clear and the card might be lost. However, a team may be inspired and be able to guess correctly. It is good that one does not need to know all of the answers to all of the questions. A team only needs to get the link. Then, having found a link, one can then reconsider the other questions to see if there are answers that will fit.

The scoring system is good. The claim cards by getting a link rather than winning a series of points is a welcome amendment to this game. This rewards the person or team who are good at lateral thinking rather than those with specific knowledge. The team interaction is a good addition. The ability to gain extra letters to help make “Linkee” or the chance to disrupt the other team’s letters is a good addition. Linkee is best played as a team game. It is unlikely that one person will know all of the answers to all of the questions. Playing as a group will mean some discussion and make the link more readily known. This will enhance the enjoyment.

After going through a global pandemic, we are often looking at ways to interact and play games in a safe, socially distant way. Linkee works so well online. The game is perfect whether with a couple or in a large group or played over zoom.

Final Thoughts On Linkee

Linkee is a good ice breaker game or a filler game. It does work with two players, but for the best experience, it is better played with a larger number of people in each team. This game shows that you do not need to be a “planet brain” to do well, just have an ability to make connections.

So did you get the sport that is the hidden link in the blog?

Editors Note: This blog was originally published on February 15th, 2021 and updated on 5th January 2023 to improve the information available.