With so much technology taking over the world in the form of video game consoles, tablets, and smartphones, sometimes the best way to have a memorable night is to go back to the basics.

When you’re surrounded by your friends in a local pub, or you’re bringing people together for a family game night, all you need is a set of dice to open up a whole new world of gaming potential.

Don’t believe us?

Today we’re going to look at some of the best dice games you can play anywhere, including a description of each game and instructions. 

These games are easy to learn, fun to play and, like any great game, hard to master.

Best Dice Games (Table of Contents)

Feel free to use the navigation below to scroll to a specific dice game in this list or keep reading for all the games. 

1. Bar Dice (aka Ship, Captain and Crew)
2. Bunco
3. Balut
4. Yahtzee
5. Liar’s Dice
6. Shut the Box
7. DAGZ

1. Bar Dice (Ship, Captain, Crew)

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What better way to start our list of the best dice games to play in your local bar, than with a game called “Bar Dice”?

The most common iteration of Bar Dice is known as “Ship, Captain, Crew,” and it’s played with a six-sided dice.

You don’t need to play this game at a bar, but you do need as many friends or family members as possible.

Also Check Out: How to Play Dominoes (Everything You Need to Know)

How to Play Bar Dice

In a game of Ship, Captain, Crew, each player takes turn rolling their dice to either collect points or out-do their opponents.

Everyone rolls five dice at a time, with three shakes to accrue points.

When you roll the dice, you’re typically looking for three numbers:

• Your ship – the number 6
• Your captain – the number 5
• Your crew – the number 4

You need all of these numbers before you can start building points, and you have to find each number in order.

In other words, you have to get your ship before you get a captain, and so on.

Once you have all three, you can collect points from the last two dice in your roll, meaning the highest possible score is 12.

If you get your ship, captain and crew in the first roll, then you’ll have two more shakes that you can use to collect points.

If you don’t get all three in your three rolls, then you’ll merely hand the dice over to the next player, and you’ll get no points for that round.

The person with the highest points wins!

Here’s our full guide on how to play ship, captain and crew. 

2. Bunco

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Bunco is a dice game that you can play with a lot of luck, and 9 dice.

The game is often played with a total of 12 people, which you split into three teams of four.

You can play with fewer or more people than 12, but you need everyone to be in a group of four to play.

How to Play Bunco

Bunco, like most dice games, is all about luck.

The competition aims to roll the number that corresponds with the round you’re playing. For instance, if you get up to round 3, then you need to roll three 3’s.

If you’re up to round four, then you want to roll four 4’s, and so on.

Every time you successfully roll the right amount of the number you need, you get a “Bunco” – which translates to a single point.

At the end of the game, the person with the most points wins.

It might be a simple concept, but Bunco can get very addictive over time – particularly if you’re drinking when you play. Bunco is one of the most popular dice games in the US!

3. Balut

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Want to play poker, but don’t have any cards? Try Balut!

This game was designed as an alternative to poker when all you have are a bunch of dice and no deck.

There is a traditional set of rules for Balut, but most people prefer to create their own rules as they go along.

Because of this, Balut often becomes a family favorite game that changes depending on where you play it, and who you play it with.

How to Play Balut

The basic rules of Balut ask for players to create a range of scoring combinations and assign points to those combinations.

You can also use the point strategy given by the traditional Balut rules.

Once you’ve got your combos sorted out, all of the players in your group will roll a set of 5 dice in turns, noting down the points that they’ve scored.

The idea is to keep rolling until every possible scoring combination has happened at least once.

When you reach that point, the person with the highest score wins.

Another fun rule in the game of Balut is that when any player rolls five of a kind, they need to shout “Balut,” like yelling at a game of Bingo.

Additionally, if you want to make it interesting, you can ask your pals to write down how many times they think a Balut will happen in the game.

If someone guesses correctly, they can either get extra points or win a special prize.

4. Yahtzee

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When it comes to popular dice games, you probably don’t need much introduction to “Yahtzee.”

This game has roots that connect all the way back to some seriously old pass-times, with one version of the game known as “Yacht.”

Today, Yahtzee as we know it is probably one of the most popular dice games in the US, and even across the world.

How to Play Yahtzee

In a game of Yahtzee, the aim of the game (First created by Milton Bradley), is to roll five dice and try to win points by achieving specific combinations.

You can roll your dice up to three times in a single turn to create the combos that you need, and you have to keep your dice inside the box.

Just one game of Yahtzee includes thirteen rounds, and after each round, a player will choose which category they want to use for that round.

Importantly, once you’ve used one of the thirteen categories available, you can’t use it again – so choose wisely.

Every category has its own scoring system, and you can save specific dice in a roll, choosing to re-roll other dice if you want to.

A “Yahtzee” is when you get five of the same number in one roll, and it’s worth 50 points.

As usual, the winner of the game is the person with the most points at the end of the 13 rounds.

Tip: Practice your Yahtzee skills by playing online. Check out sites like Freethedice.com to test your skills against other players.

5. Liar’s Dice

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Another of the most popular dice games in the world today, Liar’s Dice found fame again after the Pirates of the Caribbean movie series came to cinemas. Everyone wants to be a pirate!

If you watched the movies, you know you’ll need a set of five dice and a cup to play, to make sure that you can conceal your rolls from other players.

How to Play Liar’s Dice

To play Liar’s dice, everyone in your team will roll their dice at the start of the game. If any of your dice land on top of each other when you’re rolling, you’ll need to start again.

Remember, you shake and move your dice in a cup to keep them hidden from the other players.

After everyone has successfully rolled, they need to keep their dice hidden, while players make bids on the value of the dice in the whole team.

In other words, if you bet that there’s four 5’s on the table, and you only have one 5 yourself, you’re hoping that the other people around you have at least three 5’s to add to your wager.

After each prediction, your team can either continue playing, or one player can challenge another and call them a liar.

If someone is challenged, then all the dice on the table are revealed.

This game is particularly fun because of the deception involved but be careful you don’t play with any sore losers!

6. Shut the Box

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Shut the box is actually a traditional pub game. 

Also known as Canoga, this game is played with 2 dice in an open tray.

The tray has a felt surface with 9 numbers in a row along the top length of the box.

Each number can be covered with a flap that is flipped up or slid over, depending on the design. 

Shut the box is a dice game with a lot of variations on how to play. We’ll provide an overview of a common, and simple, game format, but make sure you check to see if the “house” has its own set of rules. 

How to Play Shut the Box

The game is played by throwing your dice in the box and adding up the numbers. You then cover up the numbers that add up the same sum. The numbers you choose to add must be uncovered.

So, as an example, if you roll 5 total, you can cover any of the following numbers that are uncovered: 5; 2 + 3; and 4 + 1.

If the numbers needed for your sum are not available, your score is the total sum of the remaining uncovered numbers.

For example, if you shoot 5 total, but 5, 2 and 1 are already covered, then you can’t make the sum of 5. Say 7 and 9 are also covered. Your total score would then be the sum of all remaining numbers: 3+4+6+8 = 21. 

Each player gets one turn. The object of the game is to have the LOWEST score after one round.

If a player covers all the numbers in one roll, he wins outright. That’s known as shutting the box.

Some shut the box games have 12 numbers, but 9 is the traditional set up. Either way, the general rules are the same. But keep an eye out for variations.

A simple game box with lots of potential for different games, shut the box would make the perfect addition to a house selection of bar games. 

Here’s a complete overview of How to Play Shut the Box.

7. DAGZ (Dice Angle Games)

DAGZ is one of the newest dice games for bars. And this one requires a special game board.

But DAGZ is a fun and high energy dice game that is a perfect indoor substitute for games like cornhole/bags, horseshoes and even bocce.

We have a whole article about how to play DAGZ, but here are the basics:

How to Play DAGZ

The game can be played with two or four players. Each team gets four solid colored dice to throw.

You play by tossing the dice towards the other end of the board, where there is a raised wooden barrier in front of a hole.

The hole is surrounded by a square scoring area. The goal is to bank the dice off the sides and get around the wooden piece and into the scoring area. 

This game uses cancellation scoring, just like cornhole. So only one team or player scores per round.

Each die that lands in the square area is worth one point. A die that lands in the hole is worth three points. 

Games are played to 21 points. And you must win by two.

DAGZ takes traditional game pieces (the dice) and adds them to a throwing and aiming format that many of us are familiar with.

Plus, the boards are handmade, and the bar versions come in custom crafted basin tables. It is a serious contender to go right alongside a pool or foosball table in a game room or pub 

——————————–

There you have it! Seven fantastic dice games that you can play at your local bar, at home – or just about anywhere you choose.

Remember, you don’t need much to have fun, a set of dice and some great friends is all it takes!

The post The 7 Best Dice Games to Learn How to Play appeared first on Bar Games 101.

This is considered a “deep strategy” game at certain cafes, like this one, and we felt it deserved a full review on our site for new players. 

Way back in 2002, one of the world’s favorite directors, Joss Whedon, introduced a new sci-fi world to viewers across the globe. Firefly was an incredible series that captured the hearts and minds of a huge community – even if it did only last a total of 14 episodes.

The Firefly game drags the magic of tabletop gaming into the Firefly universe, and places gamers directly into the Captain’s seat, where they can get an insider’s look at the world that they loved.

As wonderful as it is, the Firefly board game was designed specifically for one niche group of fans – people who love Firefly.

However, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t fun to be had if you haven’t watched the series. The variety of different gameplay options available and the unique storytelling aspect of the title make it a compelling choice for any game night.

You can either carry out standard legal shipping operations to gain money and win or go down the smuggling route and potentially get into some trouble along the way.

As you move through the board, you’ll draw cards that present unique challenges for you and your team to address. Additionally, as you travel further into the game, you’ll also risk encountering Reavers, which present an entirely different kind of danger.

The Firefly Board Game: Overview and Components

With a rapidly evolving and expanding board, the Firefly board game is a great choice for anyone who wants to spend a few hours exploring a vast sci-fi universe. There’s even a number of expansions on the market today, including the Blue Sun expansion, Pirates and Bounty Hunters and more.

The Firefly Board Game is based on the popular television series that Joss Whedon created, so it’s probably going to appeal most to people who are already in love with the series. Within the game, players captain their own version of the Firefly-class transportation ship. You make your way through the immersive universe with a crew of fighters, travelers and mechanics. Additionally, you’ll need to take on jobs to collect money and eventually win the game.

The mechanics of the game are simple enough, you pick up tasks and deliver on them. This idea corresponds with the theme of the show, which was all about the adventures of a team of miscreants working on a cargo transportation ship.

Hauling things around the universe makes sense in the game too. As you play, each player will take on the role of captain of their ship, hiring crew, equipping them with tools, and making decisions about which contracts to take, and which to abandon.

As you might expect, the most lucrative jobs will require players to misbehave from time to time and go against the law. You can win while following the law of course – however, that might not be as much fun.

The Firefly Board Game is brimming with bits and pieces to explore too. Components include everything from molded plastic ships to Reaver ships and more. There are cards to guide you through the game, stacks of paper money to make sure that you’re paid for your efforts, and cardboard tokens too. As you’d expect from a game based on one of the world’s most popular sci-fi series, the components you’ll find in this title are high-quality and easy to handle.

The Firefly Board Game: How to Play

Ready to start the game? Great!

To begin, you and the other players in your group will choose one of the 6 mission cards that they want to tackle. After that, everyone gets their own firefly class spaceship, a handful of starting cash, and a captain. Every captain comes with their own skills and abilities, so keep that in mind when you’re making your choice. You’ll also need to shuffle the various decks of cards before you begin.

When it’s time to take your turn, you can take two actions, with options like:

• Fly: Use this action to move your ship around the board: Either you can move one space for free, or you can use your ship’s maximum movement amount by spending fuel and taking cards from the travel decks.
• Buy: During your turn, you might also decide that you want to upgrade your ship, buy equipment, or hire new members of staff for your crew. If you’re at a location that has its own market, you can also choose to look through your discard pile or draw cards to consider buying. Every card comes with a specific cost to purchase or hire.
• Deal: Deal cards work similar to the buy action. Instead of getting just equipment and crew, you also take on jobs. There are five different kinds of contracts to choose from, ranging from safe but low paying, to dangerous but lucrative.
• Work: When you choose to work, you’re actually acting on a job. The cards you pick will tell you how to complete your job. Some will require you to pick up passengers and goods and deliver them to a different location, for instance. Certain jobs come with specific requirements – you might need explosives or a fake ID to get started.

During the game, you can also check your skills to ensure that you’re capable of a certain job.

There are three kinds of skills in the Firefly Board Game, including Tech, Negotiate, and Fight. To check your skill, roll a six-sided dice and add your skill points for each person with the appropriate skill symbol. If you have the required number for the test, then you pass.

While choosing high-paying but illegal jobs might get you the money you need faster, you’ll need to be careful. The more illegal jobs you take, the more immoral you become. Sometimes, crew members can also be disgruntled by immoral jobs. Some disgruntled crew members may eventually leave your crew entirely, making it much harder for you to win.

After each player completes their 2 actions, the next player takes their turn and so on. You continue playing until you achieve the goal that you picked at the start of the game.

Other board game guides you might like:

• Flick ‘Em Up
• Massive Darkness
• 7 Wonders Duel 

The Firefly Board Game: Verdict

The Firefly Board Game will be an amazing gaming experience for you if you already love the Firefly series. A lot of the enjoyment comes from being able to explore the environment that you loved from the shows in a new way. If you’re not a huge Firefly fan, then the game is still fun and worth a play, but it’s probably not going to blow your mind.

Additionally, it’s worth noting that the nature of the game means that you’re unlikely to finish a session quickly. If you’re looking for a quick way to break the ice on game night, this isn’t it. The average game will at least take a couple of hours to play.

On the plus side, the Firefly Board Game is fun, interesting, and packed full of replay value.

Pros:

• Lots of different ways to play
• Solid game mechanics
• Thematic with lots of fun references for Firefly lovers
• High-quality components throughout
• Excellent for long gaming sessions

Cons:

• High reliance on luck
• Not a lot of player interaction
• Long games might be too much for some
• Specifically targeted at a certain set of fans

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Over the last couple of years, we’ve seen a massive surge in the number of adult-themed card games on the market. Today, players can enjoy raunchy games of everything from Cards Against Humanity, to “You’ve Got Crabs!”. However, though the number of fun and frivolous games for adults is growing, there still isn’t nearly as much variety on the market as many of us would like.

If you’re tired of whipping out CAH every time you’re having drinks with friends on a weekend, “Whatever” could be just the thing for you. This simple game got it’s start like a lot of the viral titles on the market today, with a successful funding round on Kickstarter. Let’s take a look at what it is, and how you can play.

What is it?

Whatever is a party game consisting of three types of cards: Challenge Cards, Showdowns, and Penalties. Players take turns with a spinner that lands on either a Challenge or Showdown card. If you complete a card successfully, you get to keep your card. If not, you must pull a Penalty card. The first player to collect 5 cards wins.

That’s the essence of this game. There are more detailed rules that come in the box, and we’ll review the instructions below, but you can start with the basics and just wing it.

It’s what’s written on the cards, and the ensuing penalties, that make this game so enjoyable.

We’ll give you some examples in the next section. (But note, I don’t want to reveal too much about what the cards say. You’ll need to experience the shock of learning what’s in store for you in a challenge, showdown or penalty to get the most out of this game.)

First, a disclaimer: This game is definitely not intended for children. Nor do we recommend playing with your in-laws, parents, boss, etc. If that’s the case, stick to something else (Bananagrams anyone?), unless you really don’t care about what they think of you.

If you want something you can just pick up and start playing without complicated rules or strategy, this is a (really) fun one. It will immediately have you smiling, laughing, and/or blushing in utter embarrassment (but don’t be a wimp!).

And, although we caution against playing this with people you don’t know that well or those who are easily offended, this is a game that can lighten up the mood with any crowd and break down some barriers in a social setting. 

Because you never know how someone is going to spin, or how cards will be picked, there’s also a lot of replay value in this game too.

The makers of the game recommend not playing it with children – and we definitely agree with that – although you can certainly act like a child yourself while you play.

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How to Play Whatever

The Whatever card game comes with three sets of cards and a spinner. There are 200 cards in total, which split out into 75 challenge cards, 75 showdown cards, and 50 penalty cards.

To start the game, lay all three decks facedown on a table, or your floor depending on where you’re playing. The person with the bushiest eyebrows gets to go first – unless someone in your group has a dimpled (butt) chin.

Once you’ve got all the cards laid out, spin the device provided in the box to determine whether you’re going to be completing a Showdown or Challenge card. A challenge is a dare that you’re forced to complete on your own.

On the other hand, if you get a Showdown, you compete against either one or multiple other players in the game. If you win the showdown or complete your challenge successfully, then you get to keep your card.

If you wimp out, fail the challenge or lose your showdown, you don’t keep your card. You’ll pick your penalty card from the deck and do that instead. And you won’t get to keep your penalty card towards your final score. 

Showdown Cards: Examples

And a couple more:

• Who can do the best Morgan Freeman Impression? Spin to find your competitor. Read this statement out loud in his voice “… and then the toilet wouldn’t flush and I got really scared.” Group picks the winner.

Or

• Cinnamon contest: Spin to find out who you’re up against. East a spoonful of cinnamon. Whichever sucker spits or coughs first loses. Good luck! This one actually sucks balls.

Challenge Cards: Examples

Here’s another fun one:

• Ever have the runs? Let’s hear the story. Don’t leave out any details. If the crowd isn’t satisfied, no card.

Penalty Cards: Examples

Also good:

• Any time you talk for 1 round, you must end your statement with ‘my lord’ in a British accent. You worthless POS.

Or

• Give back all your cards, you little choad.

The Verdict

If you want something you can just pick up and start playing without complicated rules or strategy, this is a (really) fun one. It will immediately have you smiling, laughing, and/or blushing in utter embarrassment (but don’t be a wimp!).

And, although we caution against playing this with people you don’t know that well or those who are easily offended, this is a game that can lighten up the mood with any crowd and break down some barriers in a social setting. 

Because you never know how someone is going to spin, or how cards will be picked, there’s also a lot of replay value in this game too.

The makers of the game recommend not playing it with children – and we definitely agree with that – although you can certainly act like a child yourself while you play.

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However, they can be a little bit awkward at first when you know you’re supposed to be having a “wild weekend,” but you’ve got nothing to break the ice.

Bachelorette party games are one of the best ways to make sure that you don’t end up with any dull moments on one of the most exciting adventures your Bride will have before marriage.

Whether they’re DIY bachelorette games that you download and make yourself or board games bought off the internet, there’s something for everyone.

To help you make your upcoming bachelorette party one to remember, we’ve tracked down the ultimate games to satisfy any squad.

Related: The best bachelor party games

1.     The Lingerie Guessing Game

Here’s a DIY bachelorette game that combines gifts for the bride with fun for the whole crew. To play, everyone buys a piece of lingerie that they feel is most descriptive of their personality to give the bride. When everyone’s gifts have been delivered and mixed up, the Bride has to guess who gave her what. It’s a fun way for the bridesmaids to show just how well they know each other and laugh together too.

To up the stakes, you can have the bride take a drink every time she makes an incorrect guess. By the end of the night, you’ll have giggled yourself silly, and your bride will have some new pieces of underwear to remember her friends by in the years to come.

2.     Never Have I Ever

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Never Have I Ever is a well-known staple of bachelor and bachelorette parties around the world. There’s a good chance that you’ve played this game once or twice on a drunken night with friends too. The great thing about this game is that it’s incredibly easy to play – you don’t need to prep anything in advance.

However, if you’re worried that you might not be able to come up with any good things to claim you’ve “never” done, then you can always invest in the “Never Have I ever” board game for some extra help.

The suggestion cards in this kit will take some of the pressure off the maid of honor’s shoulders and ensure that she can relax while the fun is taking place.

3.     Scavenger Huntress

Sometimes, to have some fun with Bachelorette party games, you need to come up with the idea that gets everyone up on their feet and doing something together.

A scavenger huntress game splits your bridesmaids and other attendees into teams and gives them a list of items they need to acquire.

Ideally, you’ll need to put some rules in place telling people what they can and can’t do. For instance, your players can scavenge materials and “borrow” them off people, but they can’t go out and buy anything.

A scavenger hunt is an excellent opportunity for the maid of honor to get creative. Try to come up with things that are meaningful to your bride.

For instance, you could ask people to get a selfie at the place where the bride and groom had their first kiss.

You can also use clues instead of telling people exactly what to get so that you can find out who knows the bride best.

4.     Drawing Without Dignity

Need something to get your crew in the right mood before you head out on the town?

Or how about something that you can play when you’re in the minibus on the way to your party?

Drawing without Dignity is a simple and compact card game that you can carry with you on the move.

It’s essentially an uncensored version of Pictionary, with 670 NSFW things that you can draw and laugh over with your friends.

Don’t worry about messing up your drawings when you’re going over speed bumps or turning around corners on a bus either.

The great thing about this game is that the worse your pictures are, the more hilarious the experience becomes.

If you have time before the party, we recommend going through and picking 50-100 cards that seem most appropriate for bachelorette fun.

5.     The Newlywed Game

There are two different ways that you can play this game, depending on the style of your bachelorette party.

The first option is to put your DIY bachelorette game skills to the test and bring the bride and groom together for a more “traditional” version of the game.

You can ask things with the bride and groom sitting back to back and ask them to write down their answers on a whiteboard.

For instance, a question might be “What’s your favorite part of her body,” or “What annoys her most about you?”

If you do explore this option, then it’s worth recording the whole experience.

You can either save the video as a memento for the bride and groom, or you could consider showing it at the wedding reception (as long as it’s PG enough).

The other option is to play the game with the girls in attendance.

Ask questions that all of the women have to answer about the bride and find out who gets the most right.

Either way, this is one of the easiest bachelorette party games to play and one that makes for great memories too.

6.     Dress the Bride

One of the main reasons why Bachelorette parties are so much fun is that they let you go a little bit wild.

After one or two bachelorette party drinking games, you’ll be ready to get a bit more ridiculous, and that’s where this game comes in.

Split your girls up into two groups and give them a collection of clothing to dress the bride up with before she goes out on the town for drinks.

Remember, the aim here is to make your bride look as silly and over-the-top as possible with glitter, feather boas, veils, and anything else you can think of.

When you’re finished dressing her up, make sure that you take plenty of photographs that she can add to her wedding album.

It’s also worth taking a spare outfit that she can change into when she’s sick and tired of feeling embarrassed by her clothes.

If you feel like getting crazy, and you’re sure it’s not going to rain, then you could even try making your Bride a wedding dress out of toilet roll and paper towels.

7.     For the Girls

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If you want all the fun of games like “Never Have I Ever” and “Truth or Dare” for your bachelorette party, but you don’t want the pressure of having to come up with endless ideas yourself, this is the complete package for you.

The “For the Girls” party pack contains everything you need for a fantastic night, including 100 best-of-the-best cards, 100 truth or dare cards, and 100 never have I ever cards.

The best way to use this kit? Sit down with it one night and pick some of the most exciting and outrageous dares that your friends will be willing to do. Then hand the cards out to the people in your crew before you go out drinking.

You can use the “Best of the Best” and Never Have I ever cards separately to break the ice when you’re first starting the night.

For the Girls is a fantastic game made by the producers of the world-famous “What do You Meme” boardgame.

8.     Prosecco Pong

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Bachelorette drinking games can make or break your Bride’s day.

Why not have a little fun, while showing off your classy side with a set of Prosecco pong? Based on the traditional game “Beer Pong,” all you need is a few bottles of prosecco to get started.

You can buy a set online which comes with 12 plastic champagne saucers and 3 pink ping pong balls.

If you’ve never played beer pong before, here’s how it works.

Working in two teams – perhaps the guests against the bride, you try to bounce a ping-pong ball into the other team’s prosecco glasses.

If the ball lands in one of the cups, the cup is removed from play, and the opposing team member needs to drink whatever is inside.

If nothing else, if you play this game as a group versus your bride, then you’ll find a quick way to get her drunk and ready for the craziness of the nights ahead.

What’s more, since the glasses are made of plastic, you don’t have to worry about making too much of a mess if things get out of hand!

The post The 8 Best Bachelorette Party Games to Suit any Squad appeared first on Bar Games 101.

We’ve got Cards Against Humanity, for those of you with a darker sense of humor, Fluxx for people who enjoy ever-changing rules with every deck, and now, even “Exploding Kittens”.

Like many of the most popular card games available now, Exploding Kittens started out as a Kickstarter campaign. The idea, launched by Elan Lee (Xbox Legend) and Oatmeal illustrator Shane Small started with a backing target of around $10k.

The card game managed to earn a whopping $8 million in funding during it’s time live on the internet, however. That means that not only do we now have exploding kittens, but we also have a bunch of exciting expansion packs for the game too, like:

• Imploding kittens
• Streaking kittens
• Exploding kittens (NSFW)

Today, we’re going to look at the Exploding Kittens rules for the basic game, so you can wow your friends with your ability to not suddenly combust.

Exploding Kittens Rules: Setup and Components

The components included with Exploding Kittens are simple enough. With each game, you get a deck of cards, and a little rules booklet. That applies to the expansion packs too. Because there aren’t any bells, whistles, or boards to worry about, setup is relatively simple.

To begin, you’ll need to remove all of the exploding kittens and “Defuse” cards from the deck. Once you’ve done that, shuffle the cards that are left and hand them out four at a time to each player.

Deal a single defuse card to each of the players at your table, so you know that everyone has a hand of five cards in total.

Every player needs to keep their hand a secret. Insert the exploding kittens back into the rest of the cards, so that you’ve got one fewer exploding kittens than the number of people playing. You can leave any extra exploding kittens out of the game and put extra defuse cards back into the deck.

Shuffle the deck and place it face down in the center of the table, this will become the draw pile and the heart of the fun. Then choose a player that you want to go first. The game suggests choosing someone with the most impressive beard, or a bizarre odor, but it’s really up to you.

The object of the game is simple, if you explode, you lose the game, if you don’t then you win!

Also check out: How to play Unstable Unicorns

Exploding Kittens Rules: The Cards

The game play of Exploding Kittens comes down to the cards that you draw on each turn.

You’ll have a deck of card that contains a handful of exploding kittens and a bunch of other things. The idea is to have one person draw a card until someone draws an exploding kitten.

The cards available include:

• Defuse: If someone draws an exploding card, then they can play their defuse card instead of being out of the game. They simply place the defuse card in the discard pile and put the exploding kitten secretly back into the draw pile – hopefully for someone else to pick up.
• Nope: The Nope card stops any action except for a defuse card or an exploding kitchen. For instance, if a person could create a special combo or attack another person with their cards, the other player could use a “Nope” card at any time before an action begins – even if it’s not their turn.
• Attack: Attack cards force you to end your turn without drawing, while forcing the next player to take two turns in a row. This means that the chances of drawing an exploding kitten is usually higher.
• Exploding kittens: The exploding kitten is basically what kicks you out of the game. If you pick up an Exploding kitten, you have to show the other people in your group immediately. If you don’t have a defuse card, then you’re dead, and you’ll discard all of your cards – including the kitten.
• Skip: If you pick and use a skip card, then you can immediately end your turn without drawing a card. You could play a skip card as a defense against an attack card, but it will only end one of your turns.
• Favour: The favour card forces any player of your choice to give you a card from their hand. They’ll be able to choose which card they give you.
• Cat cards: Some cards have no instructions on them. These cards are powerless by themselves, but they can sometimes be played in special combos and pairs.
• Shuffle: If you draw a shuffle card, then you will need to shuffle the cards and then draw a card without looking at them first.
• See the future: Take a look at the top 3 cards from the draw pile then place them back on the top of the deck in the same order. You shouldn’t show the cards to anyone else.

Streaking Kittens Expansion Pack - Elevate Exploding Kittens with New Twists - Family Games for Kids and Adults - Funny Card Games for Hours of Rib-Cracking Gameplay

$7.89

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Exploding Kittens Rules: Verdict

Exploding kittens is a fun and fast-paced game which keeps you and your friends on the edge of your seat. Even if you’re great at strategy, a little bit of bad luck could be all it takes to mean that you end up combusting.

The fun and hilarious nature of exploding kittens has made it one of the most popular card games available today for all ages. What’s more, the game goes very quickly, so it’s a great way to break the ice too.

Pros:

• Easy to understand and play
• Games are unpredictable
• Mixture of luck and strategy
• Fantastic graphics
• Fun premise with expansion packs available
• Quick-fire games

Cons:

• Loses replay value over time (without expansion packs)
• Not ideal for those who don’t want a quick game

  

The post Exploding Kittens Rules: How to Play (without Exploding) appeared first on Bar Games 101.

This amazing title appeared on the market after a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign, where Cool Mini or Not (CMON) raised more than $3.5 million to bring their vision to life in 2016.

The game used the system from Zombicide as a starting point for its rules and gameplay, but then added all of the fun of a standard dungeon crawl RPG into the mix.

Unlike similar options on the market, there’s no demand for a game master for the control of enemies with Massive Darkness, which means that everyone can really get involved with the fun.

Since the base game launched in 2016, there have been plenty of great expansions, including Heroes and Monsters sets to explore. 

Massive Darkness Review: Setup and Gameplay

Massive Darkness is basically what happens when you bring all the fun of a dungeon-crawl game into a cooperative board game without a game master.

You can explore the darkness for loot, gain experience over time, and fight hordes of awesome miniatures – yes those come with the game.

The components included in the box are extremely high in quality, the rules are straightforward, and the mechanics allow for a variable range of player experiences and combinations.

All you need is a table, some friends, and a little bit of imagination to get started.

One of the first things you’ll notice about this game is just how gigantic it really is.

Inside the box, you’re getting a ton of things with the base version, including:

• 75 detailed mini figures
• 6 plastic hero dashboards
• 6 colour plastic basis
• 12 plastic pegs (colored)
• 12 custom dice
• 9 double-sided game tiles
• 280 cards
• 111 tokens
• 6 class sheet pads
• 1 rulebook

Phew – that’s a lot of stuff!

One really great thing about Massive Darkness is that those 75 minifigures that we mentioned aren’t just cheap lumps of plastic – they’re incredibly impressive items that are really well-designed.

The wide range of features included in Massive Darkness means that it can seem pretty complicated and overwhelming at first – but it’s actually quite a simple game to pick up.

Massive Darkness Review: How to Play

Now, there are different ways to play Massive Darkness depending on what you’re looking for in the game.

The first option is something called “Shadow Mode”.

This appeals to the dungeon crawler in you that wants to creep around dingy spaces looking for loot.

In Shadow mode, you get to access powerful shadow-based abilities. On the other hand, if you opt for “Cooperative mode”, then the success or failure of your character will be based on the performance of your team.

You’ll need to band together with other players to fight back against the minions of darkness.

At the beginning of the game, you create your hero, which will come with a set of natural starting skills to set you off. You can tailor your hero according to your needs with different weapons and skills as you gain levels too.

Each player will have a character board that they use to track all of their character info. The main slot holds the information on the character card, and the slots below refer to your character’s two hands, where you’re holding weapons or shields.

There’s also a slot to the right for your armor, and peg holes for your current health or experience.

As you progress through the dungeon, fighting enemies and monsters, you’ll gain experience, and this allows you to level up your character.

Importantly, there will be some monsters that are beyond your level that you’ll need to think carefully about fighting.

When you encounter a door in a dungeon, you will draw a door card to indicate the number of monsters and treasures that you’ll encounter.

Make sure that you’re the right level for each fight, or that you have the right support with you.

There’s also one other card that you need to be aware of before you start the game.

The lifebringer card will include the number of life tokens you have according to the scenario or game that you’re playing.

If you get overwhelmed in a dungeon, the lifebringer card means that you can respawn at the beginning of the room. If you run out of tokens, then your game is over.

Ultimately, the game is simple enough. You pick your character, get to know their suggested class, and work on leveling up your abilities as you go.

You can even mix and match classes to suit your playing style.

Once you have your character, you just make your way through the dungeon and try not to die, it’s as simple as that.

Eventually, you’ll want to find a key and make it to the exit to win.

Also Check Out:

• Betrayal at House on the Hill: Full Game Review
• The Best Mystery Board Games for Your Next ‘Whodunnit’ Game Night
• 7 Wonders Duel: Civilized Head-t0-Head Strategy

Popular Versions of Massive Darkness

Bestseller No. 1

CMON Massive Darkness 2 Hellscape Board Game | Tabletop Miniatures Game | Cooperative Strategy Game for Adults and Teens | Ages 14+ | 1-6 Players | Average Playtime 60 Minutes | Made by CMON

$109.99

Bestseller No. 2

Massive Darkness 2 Monks and Necromancers vs The Paragon Heroes and Monsters Expansion | Cooperative Strategy Game for Adults and Teens | Ages 14+ | 1-6 Players | Avg. Playtime 60 Mins | Made by CMON

$28.44

On SaleBestseller No. 3

Massive Darkness 2 Heavenfall Board Game Expansion | Tabletop Miniatures Game | Cooperative Strategy Game for Adults and Teens | Ages 14+ | 1-6 Players | Average Playtime 60 Minutes | Made by CMON

$49.99 −$5.21 $44.78

On SaleBestseller No. 4

Massive Darkness 2 Bards and Tinkerers Vs. Metal Angel Heroes and Monsters Expansion | Cooperative Strategy Game for Adults and Teens | Ages 14+ | 1-6 Players | Avg. Playtime 60 Mins | Made by CMON

$34.99 −$5.62 $29.37

On SaleBestseller No. 5

Massive Darkness 2 Gates of Hell Enemy Box Expansion | Tabletop Miniatures Game | Cooperative Strategy Game for Adults and Teens | Ages 14+ | 1-6 Players | Average Playtime 60 Minutes | Made by CMON

$29.99 −$1.61 $28.38

Massive Darkness Review: Our Verdict

If you love the idea of a dungeon crawler game that you can play on a board with your friends, then Massive Darkness is sure to appeal to you.

Although this is one of the slightly more expensive games in the dungeon crawler niche, it’s also something that’s well-worth the money when you consider how much you’re actually getting in the box.

The miniatures are incredible, the character boards are easy to use, and you’ll find yourself getting really involved in the game, to the point where you might convince yourself that you need to pause it whenever you’re going to the bathroom.

The fact that you can play in different styles is very appealing too.

However, it’s worth noting that this game does get a lot more difficult to play when you add more people into the mix.

What’s more, adding expansion packs means that you end up with more rules to follow and remember.

Pros:

• Huge sprawling game to explore
• Lots of amazing features included in the box
• Easy to follow once you get used to it
• You can play for hours
• Multiple game styles
• No two games are the same

Cons:

• May be complicated for younger players
• Hard to play with a lot of players
• Adding expansion packs makes the game a lot tougher

The post Massive Darkness Review: A Kickstarter Success Story? appeared first on Bar Games 101.

If you want to win the game and become the King, then you’re going to need to either win 20 victory points or destroy Tokyo – those are some pretty big demands, we realize. But it’s a fun game to play with groups that doesn’t take too long.

Here’s a break down of how to play, including the King of Tokyo rules you’ll need to know to get started.

King of Tokyo Rules: Setup & Gameplay

The game is designed for about 2-6 players, and each bout lasts around 30 minutes on average.

Created for people aged 8 and up, the game includes a bunch of different factors, like:

• Energy cubes and tokens
• Six black die
• A selection of monster cards
• Power cards

When you’re setting this game up, you’ll notice just how well-made the components actually are. This isn’t just your standard cheaply-made board game for kids. There’s real love in every design and every card.

So, how do you play King of Tokyo?

Well, the first thing you need to do is learn how to use the dice.

The dice mechanics are very similar to Yahtzee, where players get a handful of dice to roll on each turn.

You can keep as many dice as you want and re-roll the rest. You get one initial roll and two re-rolls per turn.

To score dice points, you need to roll three of a kind in order to get the value of the number shown.

This means that if you get 3 threes, you get three points, and so on.

Related: 7 Fun Dice Games to Learn

King of Tokyo: Special Dice Rolls

The Dice also include the option to roll a punch. And the number of fists shown on the dice indicates the level of an attack on another player.

You don’t have to roll multiples to successfully launch an attack. If you’re the current king of Tokyo, then your attacks will hit every other player, but all other players will be targeting you too!

Alongside the punch dice, you can also get a “heart” roll with your dice, and for every heart you get, you earn one point of healing.

Unfortunately, every heart scored as the King of Tokyo is a wasted die, because the king can’t heal.

There’s also the option to earn energy with dice rolls, which appears in the form of a lighting bolt.

Basically, when you get energy, you also receive one green energy cube, which you can use to purchase ability cards, or perform certain ability actions.

For instance, Fire blast takes 3 energy to purchase, and allows you to attack all opponents for 2 damage.

Another Board Game You Might Like: 7 Wonders Duel (Civilized Head-to-Head Strategy)

King of Tokyo: How to Become the King

On Sale

IELLO: King of Tokyo Power Up, New Edition, Set of Evolution Cards to Power up Your Monsters Included, 30 Minute Play Time, 2 to 6 Players, Ages 10 and Up

$20.99 −$5.00 $15.99

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The King of Tokyo game starts off with Tokyo completely free of monsters, much to the delight of its citizens.

However, the first player to score a punch in their roll will be able to move into Tokyo and become the king.

Every time someone enters Tokyo, they’ll receive one victory point, and every time they start a turn in Tokyo, they earn 2 victory points.

The game moves quickly, often with the title of King being thrown around rapidly from one person to another.

The potential for victory points is significant when you’re in Tokyo, but there’s also a good chance you’re going to be attacked too.

The good news is that every punch you deal as the King will hit everyone, which means that you can try to deal a lot of damage very quickly.

If the King is hit while in Tokyo, he or she can either take the damage and run or stay in the city. If the King retreats, the attacking player becomes the new King.

To win the game, you need to earn either 20 victory points, or be the last of the surviving monsters, meaning that Tokyo is yours.

That’s a summary of the basic King of Tokyo rules. Now let’s look at some other ways to play.

Also worth a look: A guide to the Boss Monster card game

King of Tokyo: Expansion Packs

As a highly popular and fast-paced games, the King of Tokyo has earned a number of expansion packs over the years, including things like:

King of Tokyo Power Up:

The Power Up expansion is a must-have expansion, intended to help you improve the game dramatically with new abilities for each monster.

As well as giving you 56 new cards, this expansion comes with one new monster, and a range of permanent new abilities for your monsters.

The Halloween Expansion:

King of Tokyo’s Halloween expansion adds another form of ability for the monsters, by allowing them to dress up massive Halloween costumes.

The costumes include thematic abilities and there are two new characters to play around with too, including Boogie Woogie and Pumpkin Jack.

The King of New York:

IELLO: King of New York, 6 Monsters, Enthralling Theme, Simple, Fast-Paced, Strategy Board Game, for 2 to 6 Players, Ages 10 and Up

$36.26

Buy Now on Amazon Affiliate link / commissions earned (read disclosure)

This game involves a different version of King of Tokyo rules, so it’s hard to class it as a basic expansion. Instead, it kind of feels like a standalone game that follows similar rules.

The good news is that both games are compatible with each other, so you can mix and match cards from different sets.

Destroying buildings also gives you new bonus points in this version of the game, which is a great way to ramp up the excitement in the game.

There’s also the arrival of the Superstar card status, which allows you to earn even more victory points.

If you just want to update your King of Tokyo experience a little bit, then you can opt for a monster pack instead of a full expansion.

These are simple small box expansion options that come with a single monster included.

Each mini pack, including monsters like King Kong and Cthulhu, comes with all the cards you need to use the monster in your standard game.

King of Tokyo: Our Verdict

King of Tokyo is an exciting dice game that allows you to try your luck as a monster fighting for survival in Tokyo city.

This game is fun, fast-paced and great for playing with people of all ages.

The Yahtzee-style rules make the whole gameplay experience easy to follow, and you can usually get through a bout of this game relatively easily within about 30 minutes or so.

Pros:

• Amazing artwork
• Quick games when you’re pressed for time
• Lots of expansions
• Easy to play
• Great fast-paced fun

Cons:

• Can get very competitive (maybe not really a con for some of us..)
• Games sometimes end quite abruptly

Top Image Credit: Flickr

The post King of Tokyo Rules: A Basic Overview of How to Play (Plus Expansions) appeared first on Bar Games 101.

Then you’ll need to learn how to play unstable unicorns with us first.

Unstable Unicorns is a card game designed by Rami Badie. Designed to appeal to the generation of card-game players in love with things like Fluxx and Cards Against Humanity, Unstable Unicorns is a unique approach to competitive gaming.

From the moment you open the box, you’re sure to fall in love with the cute and playful artwork, the fast-paced rules and the replay-ability of this modern title. We’d wager that you’ll want to share this game with as many of your friends as possible as soon as you can!

Let’s take a look at the basics of playing Unstable Unicorns

How to Play Unstable Unicorns: Setup

The Unstable Unicorns box comes packed with 105 cards in total, and a rule book to guide you through the game.

There are seven distinct types of card included in the bundle including:

• 13 baby unicorn cards
• 30 magical unicorn cards
• 22 basic unicorn cards
• 23 magic cards
• 8 downgrade cards
• 14 upgrade cards
• 14 instant cards

If all of those unique kinds of cards sound overwhelming at first – don’t worry; it’s really easy to get the hang of this game.

Essentially, you start with a baby unicorn in your stable and start building a unicorn army from there.

Every single unicorn in your deck will have its own special power – even basic unicorns have their appeal.

To win, all you need to do is get the right number of unicorns in your magical stable.

Once you’ve won, everyone else needs to bow down to you, as the Righteous Ruler of all things magical.

Once you’re ready to play, start by gathering all the baby unicorns from your deck, and giving one to each player.

That baby unicorn will join the player’s stable. You can place the rest of the baby unicorns into a stack known as the “nursery.”

The remaining cards then need to be shuffled, before you hand 5 at random to each player. The remaining cards are your draw pile.

The person wearing the most colors will go first.

How to Play Unstable Unicorns: Game Play

With your game set up, each player will draw a card, then either play a card from their hand or draw another card.

While a magical unicorn or a magic card can have immediate effects on the game, stable upgrades need to be in the stable at the start of a turn for players to see their benefit.

Additionally, it’s worth noting that there’s a hand limit of seven cards.

If you end up with too many cards, you’ll need to discard some.

Ultimately, the aim of the game is to collect 7 unicorns in total – but it’s more complicated than it seems.

You can’t have two of the same unicorn, for instance, and each card has its own unique effect to think about.

For instance:

• Instant cards can stop other people from playing their cards or putting down their unicorns
• Upgrade cards allow you to add positive effects to your stable
• Downgrade cards allow you to add a negative effect to someone else’s stable
• Magic cards create mayhem in the game. One might allow you to discard your card and draw a bunch of new ones, for instance.
• Magical unicorn cards: Magical unicorns count towards your total and have a magic power
• Basic and baby unicorns: These have no magic powers, but they still add to your total, and take you closer to winning the game.

If you run out of cards, the game can end, or you can reshuffle the discard pile and keep going.

How to Play Unstable Unicorns: Who Can Play

Learning how to play unstable unicorns is pretty easy.

The game is very basic and doesn’t require a great deal of strategy or skill to play. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t have a lot of fun with these cards.

The more you play, the more you’ll learn how to use the special abilities on certain cards to your advantage. You can even sabotage other players for a bit of malicious fun.

The simplistic nature of Unstable Unicorns makes us think that the recommended age limit of 14 years and above is a little bit dramatic.

Some of the cards have very subtle adult themes, but it’s not enough to shock and appeal your children in any way.

The content used on the cards and the simplicity of the game could make this title a great option for younger players too.

Another major benefit of Unstable Unicorns is that it comes with a lot of replay-ability.

Unstable Unicorns Expansion Packs:

Unstable Games - Unstable Unicorns Rainbow Apocalypse Expansion Pack - designed to be added to your Unstable Unicorns Card Game

$15.00

Buy Now on Amazon Affiliate link / commissions earned (read disclosure)

There are tons of expansions on the market today, including:

• Uncut unicorns: The NSFW expansion pack specifically designed for people who want to bring more cards against humanity shock factor to their games.
• Dragons expansion pack: The game that adds multiple high-power dragons to your game and gives each playing session a new challenge.
• The Unicorns of legend expansion pack: A selection of new and exciting unicorns to explore, each with their own impressive abilities.
• The rainbow sprinkles pack: A range of unique basic unicorns to add to your standard game. This pack is more for art appeal than anything else.
• Apocalypse expansion pack: This comes equipped with the four unicorns of the apocalypse, each of which has a huge impact on the way that the game is played.

Should You Play Unstable Unicorns?

On Sale

Unstable Games - Unstable Unicorns Card Game - A strategic card game and party game for adults & teens

$20.00 −$9.01 $10.99

Buy Now on Amazon Affiliate link / commissions earned (read disclosure)

Ultimately, Unstable Unicorns is a game that’s quick to learn, easy to play, and fun for virtually all members of the family.

The artwork is appealing, and the rules are compelling, so you’re sure to have fun if you’re looking for a quick way to laugh with friends and family.

It’s not the most challenging or strategic game in the world, so you’re probably not going to get hours of entertainment value out of Unstable Unicorns.

However, if you just want something that you can use to break the ice when people come over for drinks, or to help the kids wind down after school, this game could be a great choice.

Pros:

• Attractive artwork
• Easy to learn and play
• Fantastic range of expansion options
• Great for replay-ability

Cons:

• Not particularly challenging or unique
• Games don’t last long

The post How to Play Unstable Unicorns: Rules and Review appeared first on Bar Games 101.

Then you can’t go wrong with the Boss Monster card game.

I actually had an opportunity to play this game a long time ago, back when it was just released after a successful Kickstarter funding session.

I bought the game as a gift for my brother and loved the unique play-style, which celebrates both luck and creativity.

Boss Monster is a treasure trove of exciting experiences for today’s card game lovers.

With this title, you get to try your luck as a boss from a game dungeon.

Players defend their lairs from pesky heroes who attempt to steal their treasure with magic spells, monsters, and more.

Boss Monster Card Game Overview: Set-Up & Components

The Boss monster card game is all about making the most of the cards in your deck. As the monstrous boss of a traditional looter dungeon, you need to construct a lair that can be up to five rooms in size.

Each round, you’ll be able to play a new dungeon room, and attempt to entice adventurers into your lair.

If you manage to kill the heroes that come to your dungeon, you get their soul.

Sounds a bit morbid, but if you get 10 gem-encased souls for your dungeon, you can call yourself the winner of the game.

There’s not much to the game at first glance – just a deck of cards.

However, the Boss Monster card game crew did an excellent job with their artwork.

The box itself looks like a Nintendo cartridge – ideal for gaming nerds, and the layout of the cards is stunning too.

There’s something about the intriguing 16-bit style of Boss Monster that really appealed to me when I opened this kit for the first time.

Maybe it’s just because the game takes you back to your childhood, but I think that any gamer is sure to fall in love.

Additionally, the cards are well-designed, with instructions to guide you through how to play with ease.

Boss Monster Card Game: How to Play

So, how do you actually play Boss Monster when you’re ready to start collecting souls?

Well, as mentioned above, this is a card game, but there’s more to it than that.

In Boss Monster, you get to be the evil guy ready to destroy heroes who dare to enter your dungeon. Players gain points by killing heroes and building dungeons that specifically counteract the abilities of the people who invade.

In some cases, you can even manipulate strong heroes to invade the dungeon of an opponent so that you’re more likely to win.

The Boss Monster card game isn’t complicated. You start with a random boss monster that comes with a few key abilities.

From there, everyone gets 5 random room cards and 2 spell cards. You’ll need to discard two of the cards in your hand, then you can begin building your rooms.

Since the Boss Monster game has been around for a while now, there are also a handful of add-on games out there too, such as:

• Boss Monster implements of destruction
• Tools of Hero Kind
• Boss Monster Rise of the Mini-bosses
• Boss Monster crash landing

You can even check out Boss Monster 2 if you love the first game enough.

Boss Monster Card Game: The 3 Phases

The Boss Monster card game works over a series of rounds broken down into three phases, starting with the build phases.

When you first begin the game, you reveal the heroes in the town (one per player) on the board, and each player starts to plan for the adventurers that are coming to their lair.

All players draw a room card and pick one to play. There are three types of room available: Monster, Trap or Upgrade.

Rooms need to be played either on top of an existing room, or to the left of a previously played room if you don’t have a total of 5 rooms yet.

Your lair can only have 5 rooms in total.

Once the build phase is complete, there’s also a bait phase. After all, most heroes aren’t going to come to your dungeon if there’s no reward in it for them.

Each of the four kinds of adventurer: Cleric, Rogue, Wizard, and Fighter, has a specific sort of treasure that they want. Each of the rooms you build for your lair will have a specific treasure attached to it.

The more symbols you have for a certain kind of treasure, the more heroes of a specific type you’ll attract to your dungeon.

If there’s a tie between the amount of treasure that you and another player has to offer, the hero will remain in town until the next round.

Finally, the third phase is the “adventurer” phase. During this stage, the heroes that were lured to a dungeon will attempt to make their way through the lairs, one room at a time.

Rooms usually come with a damage value or a special ability.

 If you do enough damage, you’ll kill the adventurer, and collect their soul. On the other hand, if the hero gets through your dungeon, you’ll be dealt a point of damage.

A dungeon with five points of damage automatically loses the game.

Also Check Out:

• Superfight: An Overview of Rules and Gameplay
• The Best Card Games for Adults

Boss Monster Card Game: Finishing Thoughts

The Boss Monster card game is a pretty basic way for gaming enthusiasts to have fun without having to use any electronics.

With this title, you’re sure to have hours of fun creating unique dungeon environments to kill off the heroes that dare oppose you.

Although the nostalgic appeal won’t last forever, the game itself is pretty immersive, and the fact that there are now plenty of expansions available to upgrade your gaming experience means that you won’t get bored any time soon.

Pros:

• Fantastic artwork and design
• Quick game that’s easy to play
• Lots of variety available through add-ons
• Can be played multiple times without repetition

Cons:

• Relies heavily on luck
• Not much player interaction

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Usually played in small groups of four to eight people, this game was originally developed in Japan, where it was called Diafugo, or Grand Millionaire.

Whether you’re playing with the traditional Japanese rules, or you opt for the modern American game, the object is to remove every card from your hand before anyone else.

Each player in the game gets a special title dealt to them depending on their performance throughout the game.

For instance, if you’re leading the way when it comes to points, then you’ll be the President.

On the other hand, if you’re losing, then you’re the “A-hole.”

Let’s take a closer look at the President card game, shall we?

How to Play the Presidents Card Game

What you need:

• A standard deck of cards (or two for more players)

One of the things that makes the Presidents card game so compelling, is that you don’t need much to play it – just a standard deck of cards.

The aim of the game is simple too, so you won’t have to spend a long time explaining the rules to anyone.

You could even play with kids if you got rid of the “A-holes” part of the game.

Starting on the dealer’s left, you deal out one card at a time to everyone who’s playing the game, until all the cards are dealt.

After that, the player on the left of the dealer starts by turning either a single card face up, or a series of cards if they have the same value (for instance, 4 aces).

Each player after this needs to either play a face up set of cards that beats the previous play or pass on their turn.

The rules are simple; any higher single card will beat a single card – for instance, four beats three, and so on.

A set of cards, such as three 4’s, can only be beaten by a set that contains the same number of cards, and a higher value.

For instance, if a previous player plays two 6’s, you could beat them by playing two 10’s.

You don’t necessarily have to beat the previous player but passing means that you won’t empty your hand as quickly.

At the end of every round, the cards played are turned face down and moved to one side, and the player that played the highest card last starts a new series with a leading card.

The first player to get rid of all their cards gets the highest rank and becomes the winner.

The last player to have any cards is known as the A-hole, scum, or any other word you like.

Also check out: King’s Cup Rules

The Presidents Card Game: Understanding the Terminology

Probably the toughest thing about playing the Presidents card game is figuring out all the new terminology included in it.

Some of the most common titles used are:

• President or Millionaire: The winner of the previous round
• Vice president: The person who came second place
• Secretary: The person who came third
• Average Joe: The person in the middle
• Vice A-hole, or Vice Scum: Second to last place
• A-hole, or Scum: Last place

If you want to make your game as child-friendly as possible, then it might be a good idea to consider a different range of terms too, which you can make up yourself.

You can also add new titles depending on how many people you have playing in a single game.

Other terminology to keep in mind when playing Presidents include:

• Single: When one card is being played by itself
• Double: When a pair of cards of the same value is played
• Triple: When three cards of the same value are played
• Quadruple: When four of a kind are played
• Bomb: When a single card clears the deck and lets the player win the hand
• Laser: When you have all four cards with a value of 2
• Quick Clear Play: When a player plays out a turn and clears the deck
• Clear: When someone plays a hand and every other player passes
• Collo Card: When someone makes a mistake or plays out of turn – at this point, they need to pick up a discarded card and miss a turn

A Joker card is the most common card to act as both a Clear and a Bomb.

Turning Presidents into a Drinking Game

So far, we’ve discussed the basic rules of the Presidents card game, and even how you can make this title more child-friendly. But what if you want to play with adults only?

Well, a lot of people love playing Presidents as a drinking game.

The additional rules available to add to this game if you want to drink don’t necessarily interfere with the main rules, they typically just act as extra punishments to dole out throughout the game.

The drinking rules are also flexible and change depending on who you learn the game from. Some common rules include:

• At the beginning of each round, the president can tell any player to drink
• When a player ends up with a Collo card they need to drink
• When a player passes on a play, they need to take a drink

Ultimately, you can come up with all kinds of drinking rules with your friends.

Is the Presidents Card Game Fun?

Presidents is the most fun when it’s played in groups of around 4 to 6 people.

 If you play with too many people, then you’re going to need an extra deck of cards – and that’s just exhausting to keep track of. 

While this game isn’t exactly the most creative option out there, it’s an easy card game to play with friends of virtually any age – provided you’re happy to get creative with the names that you use.

Pros:

• Great for customization
• Fast-paced and fun
• Easy to learn and play
• Make up your own rules for a different game each time
• Drinking rules available

Cons:

• Standard names not suitable for children
• Not the most thought-provoking game
• Best for 4-6 people only

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