Everyone’s talking about fun. Here is a board game that celebrates all things fun about being Pinoy. It was created a couple of years ago but I just received my game this season from one of the creators, Roby Alampay. Created by six Pinoy expatriates in Bangkok longing too much about too many things back home, Mismo! literally comes with its own supply of adjectives that capture every conceivable name, word, or concept in the Filipino psyche.
Spin the wheels, which spell out unique questions (“Ano ang Malamig na Malagkit?”, for example, or, “Ano ang Maalat na Matibay”, or, “Walang-kamatayan ng Pang-Araw-araw?”). Players then match wits and sharp humor to play the answer cards that remind of all things Pinoy: from “Lolo” and “Lola” to “Boracay”, “EDSA”, “Galunggong”, “Nora Aunor”, “Durian”, “Cory Aquino”, “ChocNut”, “Pagkakaibigan”, “Sinigang”, “Siopao”, “Aswang”, “Ati-Atihan”, “Bahay Kubo”… and the list goes on. Mismo! has no less than 600 of these answer cards — words invoking touchstones of popular culture and long-standing Philippine traditions — to deliver in every box guaranteed laughter, learning, memories, and a celebration of the big and small things that define the collective Philippine comedy.
On why they created the game: We miss the Philippines. We miss so many things and everything about it. We’re basically three couples here in Thailand, all OFWS, and everytime we get together we can’t help but just talk about everything that we had, tried, ate, etc. growing up.
From Roby – One day (more than one and a half years ago), we were joking around a table, and one of our partners couldn’t think of a word for some food. “Ano nga yun ulit?” he finally said. “Yung malagkit na matamis?” We kept guessing, until I blurted out: “Malagkit na Matamis — Pagtitinginan yun eh.” Everyone laughed, and that became our running joke everytime we got together. We kept asking/challenging each other: “Eh ano naman ang __________ at _________…” And invariably we were laughing at each other’s jokes. Pinoy eh. After that it was just a lot of brainstorming, a lot of research about boardgames, and then we scouted for a manufacturer in the Philippines. Needless to say, this took up way too many of our weekends over the last 18 months!
Mismo! is available nationwide at Hobbes & Landes, National Bookstore, Powerbooks, ROX @ The Fort, Papemelroti, Kultura @ MOA and Megamall, 1/of Gallery @ Serendra, Handog Gift Shop (UP Diliman Shopping Center), Little John’s Cafe @ Camp John Hay, and select branches of Books for Less. For more info email letters@mismo.ph
