Ginger Fox Games

Ginger Fox are designers, developers, manufacturers and distributors specialising in a exciting range of books, gifts, toys, puzzles and games for both UK and international markets.

Based in the heart of Gloucestershire, UK; Ginger Fox have licenced many huge TV Game show IP's such as Taskmaster to create fast, fun family friendly games for all ages.

We take a look at some of our favourite Ginger Fox games, but first, lets talk with one of the lead Product Managers at Ginger Fox, Pete Gatling to find out what life at Ginger Fox is really like!

Emoji Action 8 years and up. 2 players and up.

Emoji Action is a fast and fun family friendly game which pits your reactions against your family and friends. Players will need to recognise certain familiar emoji characters and faces and respond with the right action themselves.

The aim of the game is to get rid of all your cards! But this is easier said than done! Each player will place a card, face up so all players can see it. Then, depending on what card is placed, all players need to react as quickly as they can and act out the appropriate action. For the Ghost, you must stick your tongue out. For the Pizza slice, you must shout “Pepperoni!” For the hand clap, clap your hands! It is so fun to watch your family and friends do all these crazy things, making judging who came last sometimes difficult! But really, who cares when your 80-year-old grandma is currently trying to copy the dancing lady emoji?!

Within the deck, there are many decoy cards to try and throw you. If you perform an action at the wrong time, then you must pick up the discard pile, and the last player to act out the right action when the action cards are laid must do the same.

This game works with all ages and can be used for larger number simply by one person turning the cards and shouting out the card shown. Perfect for kids’ parties!

Corks 6 years and up. 3-14 players.

The aim of the game in Corks is to be the first to collect a set of four cards of the same colour and then grab a cork from the centre of the table before your opponents do. In the box, are 15 high quality wooden corks, painted in different colours along with a deck of cards showing images of different coloured corks.

All players play at the same time, passing one card to their left, whilst in turn receiving a card from their right. This will continue until one player has a set and claims a cork meaning all other players need to stop playing and try and grab a cork for themselves. In the centre, corks will have been placed in numbers one fewer than players. The classic musical chairs rule! Claiming a cork when you have a set can be done very openly and brashly, eliciting a race from the remaining players, or in secret so that the other players may not immediately notice. Causing much hilarity for the winning player that round.

If you don’t get a cork, you are eliminated! Remove one cork from the centre and go again. Play continues until only two players remain, at which point, the golden cork will be placed in the centre of the table, and the final two players will battle it out for ultimate glory. Player elimination is not everyone’s cup of tea, but in this game as it happens so quickly, and you can be back playing within minutes, so it seems less of an issue. And being a spectator in this game can sometimes be more fun than playing!

However, there are a few variants available too which can help with this. 5-Lives Corks, which is my favourite version, makes one major rule change. Instead of being eliminated when you lose, you get a letter, ”C.” The second time you lose, you get a letter “O,” then an “R,” K” and finally an “S.” When you have spelt out “CORKS,” you are eliminated. This gives younger players or people with slower reaction times the chance to enjoy the game a little more before they are out. You can also play colour match Corks, which is much like the base game, but as the first person to make a set of four, when you claim a cork you must get the right colour cork based on the card in your hand rather than just any cork.

You could of course remove elimination entirely and just awards points to the person who collects their set first and have a race to five, ten or however many points as you like. There is a lot of variety here, but the fun to be had is endless.

Know Nine? 12 years and up. 2 plus players.

There are very few good two player party games. Know Nine? Works in two players and up, so can be enjoyed in larger groups, don’t get me wrong. But also works brilliantly in a two. This is rare for this genre of game which generally relies on larger parties, and a more boisterous atmosphere as well. Know Nine? Also benefits from working as a rather sedate game as well as a loud and active game. It can be enjoyed just as much in a parge party and whilst relaxing on a couch in relative silence. Either way, Know Nine? will still will bring forward a lot of laughter and enjoyment!

The rules are simple. Using the brilliant inlay in the box, you will lay out six words in a three by three grid. You then have one minute to find a word that matches each of the nine group of words when matching the words running along the horizontal and vertical axis. But you need to think creatively as points will be awarded for unique answers only.

You can add a double and triple token to the word you are most confident about being both correct, and also unique, to try and increase your scoring potential. When the time is up, players will then in turn, read out the word they have written for each answer. Justifying their choice if needs be, laughing hysterically at other people’s suggestions more commonly!

As expected, games last a minute, but the discussions afterwards can run on and on! There is so much fun to be had with this in large and small groups. But as I mention, rather uniquely to this game, it works brilliantly in just a two as well. It is the perfect party game to play for an hour or so with a large group. Or as a filler in a two at the start or end of a game night with one other player.

Ultimate Arrogance 12 years and up. 2 plus players.

Ultimate Arrogance works brilliantly over video call, which is advantageous in the current climate, and I cannot wait to play in a party atmosphere as I think it would be hilarious there too.

In the box is all you need to make many different party games of your own. The rules are simple but the fun, limitless!

Set up by dividing the Arrogance tokens equally. Give each players a pass/challenge token and spin the wheel. The first player will then reveal a card and say how many of that subject they think they can name. This is based on the wheel spin showing either the hard subject, which will give them 60 seconds to do so, or the easy subject where they have just 30 seconds.

If they think they can do four for example, they will place four tokens into the centre of the table. The next player will then have to up the ante if they think they can do more and add more tokens into the pot. Or pass by using their pass token, or challenge if they think the person before them has been too arrogant and they think they will fail.

The player who has been challenged will then have to do their best to name the required number of that cards subject. If they win, they get all the tokens from the centre as well as one for each player that passed and two from the player that challenged them. If they fail, the challenger wins all the tokens including one for each pass.

This creates a delicate game of bluffing, poker faces and knowledge!

The spinning wheel can also create a head-to-head situation where one player will go up against just one other player, using the same scoring rules, but in a straight battle with a player of their choosing.

Using a few select cards, the games can work perfectly for a younger audience. Or, with a few drinks, perfectly in a more adult environment! This game reminds me of the sort of game I like to play in a pub environment and can bring that type of fun into your home. Or why not take the game to the pub! Next rounds on the looser!

Richard Osman’s House of Games 12 years and up. 3 plus players.

Richard Osman’s House of Games is a highly popular and successful BBC quiz show that incorporates changeable trivia rounds in a varied and fun way. In the box are 140 question cards offering a lot of variety around several different themes.

Each round needs a gamemaster, but you change this each turn, and being the games master can be a lot of fun. Also, this works for players who maybe don’t want to get involved in the trivia, or younger players who maybe could not play on equal footing. This is a solo game, but there are team rounds, but you always score individually. But you could always play in teams permanently to make this more even with players of different ages or abilities. Or work more smoothly in a larger group.

In the box, there are six different types of round as well as the final Answer smash round:

“You Complete Me” is a team based game where you have to give answers to a question in a pair. One person has to give the first half of the answer and the other player the second. This requires joint knowledge and both players to know the answers, but of course the second player will get a huge clue from the first person’s answer. You may not know which of Henry VIII’s wives was beheaded in 1542 but if your team mate says “Catherine” it may then trigger you to say “Howard” as those old school songs come flooding back!

“Totes Emoji” is another team game where players will need to write out a short sentence using emojis on their phone. The other player simply has to guess what it is you are saying from seeing just the emojis. So make is clear!

“You Spell Terrible” is the final team round where one player will need to answer a trivia question, and the other player needs to spell the answer correctly. Typically, this ais a difficult single word such as “Tennessee.” Who has the best trivia knowledge? Who is the best speller?

“Rhyme Time” asks two separate questions which have rhyming answers. Players must get both right and can use the knowledge of one to help with the other. Knowing that the answer to the highest mountain in England rhymes with the 2012 film starring Channing Tatum can you help you out.

“Correction centre” asks you to replace one word in a sentence written on a card to make it a factually correct statement. The statement will have one word replaced with something inaccurate and usually ridiculous, so you know which word you need to change. Your job is simply to say the word you are replacing and the correct word that should be used instead.

There are also “House of Games Specials” which incorporates anagrams, questions that are read backwards and song titles showing only the first letter of each word of the title. All offering a lot of variety and fun.

The final game is “Answer Smash” where there is no host and everyone must play. You draw three Answer Smash cards and place them into the game selector sleeve. This will then just leave just a picture and a question visible. You need to combine the picture with the answer to the question to create the winning answer. For example, a picture of a mermaid and the question, “Which Irish actor plays the title character in the BBC drama series “Poldark?” Would lead you to hopefully say, “Mermaiden Turner.

This is the perfect trivia game for any fan of the genre. Especially if you enjoy the TV show.