Beyond Balderdash: The Faint of Heart Need Not Apply
Written: Jul 11 '03 (Updated Jul 11 '03)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Durability: |
 |
|
|
Pros: It's an Extremely Addictive Adult/Teen game
Cons: Once All Topics Are Used Up You Can't Really Play Anymore
The Bottom Line: Beyond Balderdash Is One Of The Most Entertaining Board Games Available.
|
|
|
| jeremy1456's Full Review: Beyond Balderdash |
It was last year when I was first introduced to Beyond Balderdash, one of my friends had owned it for quite some time but waited until we were all truly bored to spring it up on us. Based on the description he gave of the game I wasn't all too eager to play; it sounded like too much of a trivia type game and I haven't really been down with those ever since the "incident". Well anyways after watching a few rounds I finally gave in and put my marker on the board, little did I know that for the very first time since I was a kid I was about to play a board game that brings out emotions powerful enough that I would laugh and cry at the same time. This game is Beyond Balderdash, and it is no mere board game.
What's Included:
► One Beyond Balderdash Game Board
► Six Differently Colored Game Pieces
► Somewhere In The Ball Park Of 500 Category Cards
► Note Paper For Writing Down Answers
► Instructions
Before you can begin to play you must round up 3 total people, as the game will not work with any less participants. Keep in mind though, each person must have a sense of humor to enjoy the game, as someone who can't take a joke will likely not enjoy this game. Oh and here's an important tip before you start playing; leave all drinks a safe distance away from all participants, trust me on this one.
How To Play
Once you've gotten a group of people together (remember, there needs to be at least three) you're ready to play. You begin by passing each player one of the sheets and a pencil/pen, you then select a person in the group to start out as the "Dasher". The dasher then selects a card from the stack and then chooses a category from the card, the categories area as follows: words, people, initials, movies, and dates. After selecting a category the card is flipped over and kept only in the sight of the dasher as he/she reads off the corresponding line to the subject chosen. The card contains the correct answer and the Dasher is to write it down on their sheet, while the other participants make their own answers by guessing and writing them down. The answers are shuffled and read off one by one by the dasher as the others are to guess which one of the answers are real.
Everytime a participant (besides the Dasher) guesses the correct answer they can move one space down the board, and everytime someone's phony answer is guessed to be the correct one by another person then they also get to move their piece down. The Dasher gets to move down one if nobody guessed the correct answer, but if someone writes down the correct answer when they guess they are also permitted to move. Lather, rinse, and repeat with the Dasher changing to a different person every turn. The player who's game piece arrives at the bottom of the board first is declared the winner.
Now after reading over that I realize that the whole premise of the game may sound a little on the lame side, but believe me, this game would definitely be one of the best games for entertaining older guests. Sure, so maybe sometimes me and my friends eventually start giving off joke answers about each other's mothers and girlfriends, but sometimes you just gotta let loose with some of your answers, as some of the topics are too funny to pass up on.
The Good And The Bad
I'll begin this section with the good. Beyond Balderdash is without a doubt the most hilarious game I've ever played in my life. Some of the topics are great, and it's really fun to make up a story about what so-and-so was famous for under the people category, or make a creative plot analysis based off of the title for a movie when the movie subject is chosen. The other subjects are contain some very imaginitive, but my favorite topic is initials; under this category you are given a set of initials which usually consists of three or more letters and you must decide what they stand for.
Also the game is perfect for the times when you have nothing at all to do. The game requires a fair amount of cunning, and it works well to prove that you are more clever than your friends. The more people you play with the more fun you'll have; I hate playing with just 3 people but when you've got a full house of six players you'll have an experience to remember.
Now it's time to describe what I don't like. People who have been playing the game for a long time aren't all that fun to play with, don't get me wrong, I mean the laughs are just as loud while playing with them, but it seems common to run into a card that someone has already seen/played before, and this takes away from the fun a bit. Also, it's sometimes difficult to talk people into playing because the basic premise "sounds dumb" to them, but with a little effort you can talk them into playing in no time.
Oh and I should warn you about why this game should be kept out of the reach of small children; the game pieces are rather small and thus could be choked on. Also you'll probably store pencils along with the game, which could obviously do harm to your child. Basically what I'm trying to say is that the various items used in this game could cause harm to your child, so it's a good idea to keep it tucked away where jr. can't reach.
This is a game that you won't want to play every day, because once the cards have been used they're no fun to go back to. Sure, there are more than just a few of these cards included with the game, but if you want to make the game last forever then you should only play it on special occasions or when guests visit.
Age Groups And Who Can Play
The box says the game is for people 10 and over, but personally I wouldn't play the game with anyone younger than 12 years old. Why? It's simple really, as handwriting and reading skills are an important part of the game, and it instantly gives part of the game away when the reader can't read the card because they haven't developed their reading skills or one of the writers has bad handwriting. With that said, Beyond Balderdash can be enjoyed by all of the older age groups; teens, adults, and even seniors will get a kick out of this game.
Final Recommendation
If you're looking to lighten the mood at a social event then just bust out with a game of Beyond Balderdash. The game may be a bit expensive at $24, but it's worth it trust me. Perfect for all adult ages and teenagers, this is one game that you should definitely have in your household.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 24
Type of Toy: Game
Age Range of Child: Other
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
jeremy1456
|
 in Games |
 - Top 50 |
|
Member: Jeremy
Reviews written: 461
Trusted by: 289 members
About Me:
Catching Up On Retro Game Reviews In the Near Future.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.