Turn your emotions on for a wild ride with Hasbro's Moods.
Written: Jan 29 '06 (Updated Jan 29 '06)
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Pros: Hilarious phrases, great girls/guys party game, easy to learn, never plays the same.
Cons: Some people will refuse to play, must by somewhat willing to look like an idiot.
The Bottom Line: Moods can be a real hit with any mixed-gender group, although players have to be of the right personality for maximum enjoyment. Goofballs and show-offs recommended!
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| openroad's Full Review: Moods Board Game |
Moods
Publisher: Hasbro Games
Release date: 2000
Street Price: $20 - $30
Game Details: 3 - 8 players
Ages: Teens to Adults
Game Time: 60 minutes
Awards: GAMES Magazine Best Party Game 2003
----- I'm sorry honey, I'm not in the Mood -----
For the past few months I've been joining a group of friends for a dinner and game night once a month. This group usually includes 6-10 people and is a 50/50 mix of girls and guys. The first few nights we stuck with mainly well-known party games such as Apples to Apples, Pictionary, Balderdash, Taboo, etc. On the third official event everyone was invited to bring their own favorite party game and we could all try something new. I have to send out a quick disclaimer here, as I guy most of the games I like involve strategy and usually are wargames of some sort, these aren't generally enjoyed or played by my female friends. I was soon to learn that all you women out there have a few tricks up your sleeves when it comes to games, on of these is definitely Moods. As the giggling began and Moods landed with a thud on the table I stared at the bright green/orange box... this was going to be an interesting evening. I wasn't alone in my misgivings as the men stared at the game being set up. After convincing everyone to play the ladies explained the rules to everyone and away we went.
----- Setup and Gameplay -----
The object of Moods is to interpret how other players say catch phrases, not what they are saying. The active player attempts to speak his phrase in such a way the other players will know which of 10 moods he/she is trying to project. By guessing correctly you'll move around the board and finish ahead of your opponents. It takes about 5 minutes to explain everything and at least a game or two to master your style and cultivate you talent.
Setup: First of all you place the gameboard on your table and place the Mood cards and Phrase cards nearby. On the board are ten rectangles numbered 0 - 9, you'll draw ten Mood cards and place one on each rectangle. There are 60 Mood cards each with words on them describing a particular mood. Examples include: Silly, jealous, enraged, sleazy, scared, romantic, mellow, dazed, in love, contented, and many more. Each player picks one colored Mood Stone (isn't it dreamy... no Sorry style tokens here) which will act as their player marker on the movement track around the board. Players also receive four voting chips numbered 1 to 4. The only other playing pieces are a 10-sided die and a die rolling cup.
Gameplay: Each player rolls the die, highest player goes first. The active player shakes the die in the cup and secretly looks at the number, you cannot show the other players your number. The active player then draws a phrase card and reads the phrase with the vocal effect of the Mood card which matches their die roll. Only in Moods will you hear "Are those real handcuffs?" in a Contented voice, "Yes, I speak fluent Klingon" in an Arrogant voice, "It's not my fault, it just exploded" in a Romantic tone, or "Of course those are real!" in a Sneaky voice. Readers are encouraged to be melodramatic, act like crazy, and usually look and sound downright silly. The other players may request the reader to say his phrase once more, after this the reader says 3, 2, 1, VOTE!
Each player then takes one of their voting chips and places it on the Mood card they think the reader was trying to emote. Once all votes are in the reader displays the correct number and Mood. Players which voted for the correct Mood move their mood stones around the board the same number of spaces as their voting chip. The reader gets one point for each player that chose the correct mood. Players who chose incorrectly are not penalized, they just don't move. Once all players have moved all Mood cards with votes on them are removed and new cards are placed. The last step to each turn is to discard all played voting chips, players do not get their chips back until all four of their chips have been played on four different turns. This means you'll want to save your 3 and 4 point chips for those turns when you're quite sure of your vote, this way you'll have a better chance of moving faster than you're opponents. The game continues with each player taking turns as the reader until one player's mood stone passes the finish line and a winner is declared.
----- Bottom Line -----
I must admit I like this game much more than I expected to, however I am a bit a of ham and don't mind making a fool of myself for collective enjoyment of the group. The playacting is definitely the crux of the game, it's great while you're watching other players but it can hurt when you draw a deadly combination sure to embarrass the stoutest personality. The best thing to do is just go for maximum cheesiness, the crowd will love it and you'll hopefully get mostly correct guesses. If you're friends and/or family aren't extrovert, outgoing, and willing to laugh at themselves this game will be a complete flop. Many games can be passable with a somewhat apathetic crowd... Moods is not one of those games. Guys, I recommend you put your testosterone and pride on the line and give this game a shot... if you don't have fun you'll at least give your friends a good laugh. I can assure all you skeptical men that women love a guy willing to laugh at himself... you might not guess it at first but Moods is a great ice breaker at parties. If you have a couples night with husbands and wives Moods is a perfect game to see how well you can read your spouse.
Kids and younger folks might have fun just being silly but they won't get many of the double entendres that cause painful belly laughs to most adults. I'd really only recommend older teens and up for the best gaming experience. This game can be pretty tough to find now, it's not available in many stores and seems to be mostly unknown to most people. It's also on the expensive side for a game of this type, however I still say it's completely worth it if your often in groups of 5 or more people.
Note: If you want quick service, great selection, and fair pricing for online board game shopping, stop by Funagain.com Online Store and check out their website.
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Thanks for reading and feel free to comment!
openroad
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 30.00
Type of Toy: Board Game
Age Range of Child: Kids to Teens
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