Game On

First you start with the clues: This person grew up in Warwick. He dropped out of MIT. He starred in the TV series Shark.

Give up? James Woods.

Rhode Test is a card-based trivia game, the latest creation of Roberta Mudge Humble, founding president of Westerly Armory Restoration, Inc., and the creator of Rhody Books and Games. A longtime teacher of technical writing, Roberta has an encyclopedic knowledge of Rhode Island history and geography. She’s written a small library of chapbooks about local heritage, such as The Right to Crow: A Look at Rhode Island’s Firsts, Bests, & Uniques.

But Roberta’s real party trick is the knowledge game, which comes in diverse forms: There’s Rhode Island for the Native & the Naive, a game-and-puzzle book, and Rhode Block, a themed card game based on Crazy Eights, among other variations. Her latest is actually a reissue: Rhode Test is a stack of cards packed into a transparent plastic box, first released in 2009. Distributed mostly in local stores – and available on the Armory’s Website – the original run of Rhode Test sold out.

While we’re at it, let’s add another one: “What’s easy to play, costs about $15, and is more fun than high school social studies?” Rhode Test is available at numerous South County stores.