So if I select the color K14, I might say “beach” because the color reminds me of a beachy blue. The players guessing will then take one of their pawns and place it on top of a color on the board they think best represents “Beach.”

In Hues and Cues, players are trying to guess a specific colour from a grid of 480 different colours based on one word and then two word clues. Once everyone has made their guess they get points for how close their guesses are to the target colour. Dead simple. Right. And there was great interest from a number of them, including some with an international presence. I felt strongly that I wanted a company that had its feet in both the mass-market and hobby game worlds – and there are very few that can claim both. Even then, word got around and we were being chased down and asked to demo it at no less than ten other booths! Dicebreaker is owned by Gamer Network Limited, a ReedPop company and subsidiary of Reed Exhibitions Limited.Hues and Cues is one of those games where I can’t help but wonder what took so long? The basic concept is so simple, straight forward and elegant that it’s hard to imagine that it took this long for someone to formalize it into a game. You may use more abstract color names for your cue though. This includes colors such as lavender. For this round the cue giver choose color 0 26. For their one word clue they gave the clue “turquoise”. They started placing their first cones and the questions immediately arose — the green of an avocado on the outside or on the inside once you cut it open? You won’t want to play Hues and Cues under dim lighting conditions, because you’ll experience some eye strain. The colors on the game board are presented in gradient fashion, meaning that colors are next to other, similar colors. The longer you play, the more those colors can blend together, making if difficult to see the differences between them. While fun I do have to say the game isn’t nearly as easy to play as I was expecting it to be. The basic concept is simple enough to grasp but coming up with good cues is surprisingly difficult. While coming up with something that fits a colour isn’t hard, trying to think of something that is uniquely that colour can prove to be much harder than you would expect.

Teachers can get creative with different ways to use this color game as a center during rotations. One idea would be to open the game board and post some cues for the colors you want students to guess. Then write down their coordinates and keep them a secret!Each player chooses a color of playing pieces. You will take the three pieces of the color you chose. You may not use a cue that references the color’s position on the gameboard. This means you can’t use a cue referencing the color’s letter or number. Then you’ll give a one word clue that you think will help players get close to where the square is. When we first opened the game, read the rules, and sat down to play, we thought it sounded super simple.

The colors described in Hues and Cues provide a great example of “local color”. Local color, or natural color, is the color we identify something as, such as a “red” apple. When seen in daylight, ignoring any shadows, shaded areas, and reflections, we would say, “This apple is red.” But in taking a closer look, the highlighted and shaded areas may be anywhere from a light pink to a reddish brown in actual appearance. Classroom centers Hopefully our experience with the game, and this review, will help you judge if Hues and Cues might be a game your family and friends would enjoy playing. I also heard of someone whose child played this game with a grandparent over FaceTime. Both players would need to have their own game board for this to work. But what a fun way to connect across the miles and across generations. A color game ‘icebreaker’ So it’s a case of identifying colours – and there are 480 on the board – without using obvious cues?Test your color knowledge and guessing abilities with Hues and Cues – a vibrant group party game of colorful communication where players are challenged to make connections to colors with words Scott, lovely to meet you. You’re the inventor of one of my favourite games at New York Toy Fair; Hues and Cues… In a round of Hues and Cues, the clue-giver will draw a card—giving them a color that they want to try to get everyone else at the table to guess. You’ll start by giving a one-word clue. Then everyone will place their pawns on the color they think represents the word you said.