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May 14, 2019 |
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C.J. Tuor
The Science of Creating a Quiplash Prompt
Quiplash and Quiplash 2 are Jackbox games that allow anyone to become a comedy writer. In Quiplash 2 (included in The Jackbox Party Pack 3) you can even create your own Quiplash episodes! Both are super fun party games and a constant terrifying reminder to the comedy writers who work at Jackbox that they are easily replaceable.
While some may try to sabotage the competition, this writing staff prefers to set up our successors for success. In doing so, we’ve discovered a few secrets for creating the perfect Quiplash prompt.
- Start with funny words
In Quiplash you’re given a prompt such as:
“What the boogeyman is afraid of”
Then the players get to create hilarious answers. Now, “Boogey” is an inherently funny word and it may surprise you to learn that the “Boogeyman” is not a real person. By introducing silly phrases, imaginary characters and ridiculous premises, we hope new players understand that their response should be equally whimsical.
Adding a funny word also allows us to just crib ideas from old educational textbooks:
“Why the T-Rex had teeny tiny arms”
- Reliving past mistakes
Like all writers, the staff at Jackbox Games are tortured individuals who transform our pain into art. For instance, I can take a particularly embarrassing Valentine’s Day memory and turn it into a chance for a group of friends to ponder how it could have gone worse:
“The worst song when stripping for a lover”
As long as you just have to imagine the scenario you can have a good laugh! Instead of defeatedly pulling your suspenders back on while the Baha Men play in the background.
- Specialty questions
A good Quiplash prompt should work with a variety of audiences, but sometimes we create games for very specific events. For example, the prompts we wrote for our Bachelorette Party edition were designed to create fun inside jokes among a bridal party and to help them plan their evening:
“Best thing to scream out of a moving party bus”
- Let’s change the world
Speaking of planning for the future. Quiplash can be more than just a drunken giggle fest, it can be the spark that ignites many intelligent conversations with prompts like:
“The worst thing to say during your Supreme Court Justice confirmation hearing”
Or
“The worst way to spell Mississippi”
As you debate the legal system and the intricacies of the Engish language, you can craft some clever bon mots and look up the meaning of words like “bon mots.”
- Stuff about butts
This isn’t so much a tip as just something I noticed going through our past games...
“Rename any famous work of literature so that it is ruined by the word ‘butt’”
“What aliens do the after the anal probe”
“The hit song from the Broadway show Fart: The Musical”
...we refuse to say we’re sorry.
- Things we authentically want to know
Finally, when crafting a Quiplash prompt, we writers may just pose questions and premises we sincerely want to know the answers to:
“A great opening line to start a conversation with a stranger at a party”
Of course, Jackbox Games doesn’t record what you type in because the company respects your privacy, but I don’t! Please invite me over to eavesdrop the next time you play Quiplash so I can finally learn:
“What are mannequins always thinking?”
Visit the Quiplash and The Jackbox Party Pack 3 pages of our site for more information on how to purchase and play this fan-favorite game. 
