The Million Dollar Doodle Review

A hastily scribbled idea could be worth millions or at least should be presented as such, in The Million Dollar Doodle. This is a semi-cooperative party game, in which players create brands and then vote on which will get an imaginary, but no less deserved, million dollars to launch their business.

Everyone begins with two randomly dealt cards as an inspiration for their logo. The cards contain words or phrases that are generic but when added together inspire hilarity. It is up to the players to decide how to combine this into a single logo and, as the rule book warns, it is not about drawing skills but the idea. The logo gets passed to the next player to create a company name, then to another to create a slogan, then again to someone to write a review either praising or condemning the project. Finally, the last player will receive a complete package – logo, name, slogan and a review – and use it to pitch the company to the rest of the table. This is then followed by voting to decide the winner.

There isn’t a single winner of the game because multiple people around the table contributed to the brand creation to some extent. At the same time, although you are meant to judge the final pitch, it is not unusual for players to vote based on the catchy title or a pun-y slogan, so just a single person could be responsible for the brand’s success.

The most enjoyment of the game comes through players interpreting each other’s ideas and incorporating them into their own. It doesn’t matter if it was a misunderstanding or a clever turn of phrase as long as it is funny. Just drawing and writing on its own is enough, and pitching feels tacked on and tends to discourage players less confident in public speaking from participating.

The Million Dollar Doodle is as good as the players make it. It shines with a group that is up for a laugh and are ready to roleplay, yet with a less willing crowd it could be an entrepreneurial disaster.

ALEXANDRA SONECHKINA

PLAY IT? MAYBE

Designer: Molly Zeff

Publisher: Flying Leap Games

Time: 30-60 minutes

Players: 1-7

Ages: 14+

Price: £30

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