Blank Slate is a relatively new game to the board game area, but it’s becoming quite popular for its ease of play and fun party vibe.
We picked it up in our family recently, and it’s become a common game for us to play.
I’m asked a lot of questions about this game (people seem to assume I know everything about all games), so I decided to research the answers and put them all together in this simple FAQ on Blank Slate.
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When Did The Game Blank Slate Come Out?
The game Blank Slate was released in 2018. It sits in the same vein as Codenames and Master Word. Since then, it’s risen to become one of the more popular board games with the wider public.
Every holiday season, the game hits a peak for the year as sales skyrocket. In 2018, when it was released, it was quite popular.
But then it went down for a couple of years.
Last year in 2021, it rose again in popularity, and it looks like this 2022 season, it’ll be the most popular yet!
Check out our official Blank Slate game review here.
Who Made The Game Blank Slate?
The Blank Slate board game was made by Robert A. Kamp and published by The OP Game Studio, or USAopoly. Their most popular games include Blank Slate, Telestrations, Tapple, Hues and Cues, and Venn.
Bob Kamp is a new game designer with a big future ahead of him. His new big game is called Ferret Out.
We haven’t had the chance to play it yet, but if it’s as fun as Blank Slate, I know it’ll be on the list before too long.
How Many People Can Play The Game Blank Slate?
Blank Slate is best played between 4-8 players. It’s possible to play with fewer, though it’s less fun as you’ll match words less often. It’s also possible to play with more. All they need is something to write on and keep track of the score!
Going above or below this amount of players will slow the game down, but that doesn’t mean it still won’t be fun.
With 4-8 players, expect the game to take between 20-30 minutes.
Learn more about the Blank Slate Rules in our guide here.
What Kind Of Game Is Blank Slate?
Blank Slate is a word-association party game. Players get a cue card of a two-word phrase with one of the words missing. They write down the word they think is missing on a “blank slate” or whiteboard. Players earn points by matching words.
There isn’t much to this game, but that’s OK! It’s quick and fun to play.
Get this quick and easy party game for hours of fun!
Learn and play the game within minutes.
Fun for the whole family!
How Is the Game Blank Slate Played?
To play Blank Slate, hand out a dry-erase marker and blank slate whiteboard. Select one person to track the score. One player flips a cue card and reads it out loud. Then, players write down the missing word. Compare answers to hand out points.
If one pair matches the word, they both get three points.
If three or more match the word, they all get one point.
When you match no one, you get no points.
Play continues in this manner until someone reaches 25 points.
How Do You Win Blank Slate?
You win Blank Slate by being the first person to reach 25 points. You earn points by matching other players as they guess words to fit the blank on the cue cards.
I’ve found the most success by keeping these two ideas in mind as I play:
- What word or words match the phrase best and most naturally?
- What word or words do I think a specific person playing the game will pick?
The intersection where these two meet is where I make my guess.
For example, let’s use the cue: Home Blank.
Some common words that best fit are:
- Home Depot
- Home Improvement
- Home sweet home
But if I think about my mom, who LOVES Tim Allen, I’m going to guess she’ll pick Home Improvement over the other options.
It doesn’t work every time, but it improves your odds.
How Many Questions Are In Blank Slate?
There are 250 cue cards in Blank Slate with a front side and a backside. This makes 500 questions in total. 250 are in a blank-first format, while the other 250 are in a blank-second format.
Download a complete list of the cues in the Google Sheet here.
Also, if you want some more Blank Slate Game Examples to extend your game, check out these 25 extra to add some variety.
