Rabble is a fast-paced party game where you are trying to get your teammates to guess a word on a card. The debut game of Rabble Media, it was designed by two guys who were tired of having to go out to just have fun. And it is definitely a party game, as it can be played by anywhere from 4 to 20+ players. While the rule book is very simple and only 4 pages. You first split into two even teams. The game is played over three rounds. Each team gets 20 Rabble cards and 6 challenge cards. On your team’s turn, one person will be the clue giver and try to get your team to guess the word on the card without saying the actual card text. You have 45 seconds to do this and then it is the other team’s turn to do the same with their deck. The challenge cards come at the beginning of the turn of round the other team picks which one you do. You cannot reveal the challenge until after you are done giving clues. The teams go back and forth until one has guess all of their rabble cards. You score points based on the number of unguessed cards the other team has. The game was simple enough for me to teach to a group of six, including an 11-year-old. The game is for ages 17+, but inappropriate cards are marked with a devil emoji so they can easily be removed. Everyone knows their family and friends so just use your best judgment.
The Challenge cards are what set this game apart from similar games. The three most memorable moments of our game came from the challenge cards. One of the challenge cards was to do a push up after each card. This was the one my mother gave to me. She as on the opposing team. At that moment I began to wonder if I was her least favorite child. I was winded as my family laughed at me trying to lay on the floor and do a push-up after every card. It’s very hard to give clues and do push-ups in 45 seconds. The funniest thing that happened was to wave a wand and cast an imaginary spell on the other team. The spell Dingus-a-Mingus was cast onto my team and we all just died laughing. The last card that was a challenge to name a book after each card which was super easy but really nice to see how clever my younger was at coming up with different books that he knew or had read. I was really proud of how well this game brought out the competitive edge in all of us.
The modern cards include things like current supreme court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg all the way to popular music artists like The Weeknd, Kanye, and Madonna. Pop culture is currently in this game and that makes it more playable for people of the younger generation. I don’t see an age gap for older generations because of the cards including historic landmarks like the great wall of china and the statue of liberty as well as everyday items and actions everyone knows. I believe this is the most updated party word game on the market. It comes in a compact box so it is perfect to take to game night. It comes with a sand timer that you can use, but my group was too rambunctious for a sand timer, so we just ended up using the timer function and having the other team help reset it. This is the perfect game for your extrovert friends if they love to be the life of the party.
I find this game to be a new take on classic games (it felt like a modern Time’s Up to me, and my family agreed). but with a few changes that make it stand out in its own right. The challenge cards really make all the difference. Some are physical, vocal, mechanical, or even just silly. I love that the other team assigns them to the clue giver so you cannot just pick whichever one is easier. This game is very easy to learn and has a convenient startup guide on the back for people who just want a fast play explanation. This game was brought to the world via Kickstarter and if you like charades or know someone who does, you can recommend this game instead as a way to break them slowly into the hobby game world. Personally I played this game with my younger brother, both of my parents and two of my great aunts who came for a visit over the weekend. Everyone enjoyed it and was able to play without having any trouble understanding the rules or concepts. If you need a party game keep Rabble in mind!
You can currently pick up Rabble, both the standard and new “Fun Size” editions, on its website or on Amazon, where it retails for $25.00. You can also get a free Print and Play version by singing up for the Rabble mailing list, and college students can sign up for the Rabble College Program, where they’ll send you a “Cut and Play” version for absolutely free.
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Thanks to Rabble for the copy used in this review as well as the images used
