Fun with Words and Venn Diagrams: A Rapid Review of Anaxi

What is gigantic and bright? What about something that is bright and scary? Now can you think of anything that’s all three?

This is the concept behind Anaxi, in which each round three descriptive words are laid out in a Venn diagram, a one minute timer is set, and players must race to write down as many words as possible to fit into each section of the diagram. Any words written down by more than one player are disqualified. Any unique word you think of which fit two of the descriptive words, earns you one point — while a word that fits all three of the descriptions will earn you three points. The player with the highest score after five rounds wins the game. Simple, straightforward, and easy to learn.

But despite the simple rules, Anaxi often feels like a brain teaser, with some of the combinations of descriptive words being quite difficult — you get a satisfactory sense of accomplishment when you successfully come up with a three-point word. The components are lovely, with transparent cards placed on a base card that helps create the look and feel of a Venn diagram. The game includes seventy-five word cards, so there are countless combinations of words, and you don’t have to worry about replay value. If you enjoy a fun, brain-taxing game, Anaxi is for you.