Game Review: Party Pooper

By Ted Cheatham & W. Eric Martin
April 23, 2008 (updated May 10, 2008)

Publisher: Out of the Box Publishing
Designers: Garrett J. Donner, Brian S. Spence & Michael S. Steer
Players: 4-8
Ages: 12+
Playing Time: 40 minutes
Rules Language: English

A bumped review as I’ve played again and revised my take on the game. See below for details.

Ted Cheatham is back for a quick shot at the newly released Party Pooper:

For those of you who skipped Ted’s presentation, here’s a recap of the rules: Try to guess which player the current round’s host will identify as the most/least likely to do some specified task or challenge, whether it’s singing karaoke, taking a dip with the Polar Bear club, or going dancing with your teenage daughter. Guess well, and you’ll score a point; have everyone guess what you’re thinking when you’re host, and you’ll score lots of points.

I’ve played the game one-and-a-half times and will mirror Ted’s conclusion that the game succeeds only when playing with those whom you know – and even then it might not be worth the time spent. When I attempted to play with people whom I knew only vaguely from online interactions – this person is a computer programmer, that person is from Texas, etc. – the game fell flat. Everyone was eager to bag the game after one round because we were swinging in the dark as to who might fall into which categories: “Well the host this round is a woman, and her husband’s playing as well, so she’s probably going to...”

Weeks later, I tried the game again with my wife, brother, best friend, and best friend’s girlfriend – that is, three people I’ve known for decades and someone who’s pretty much a stranger – and the game still felt dry. We read the cards, sometimes being forced to reread them a few times to figure out what was really being asked, then we counted off and pointed at our chosen target(s). Chips were claimed, cards were passed, the game was completed, and everyone kind of shrugged and asked what was next. (The answer? Cluzzle, which was much more successful at inspiring conversation and interaction. Alas, my tulip sculpture was too clever for my own good.)

When I read the rules to Party Pooper, the spirit of the game seemed to be one in which you’d laugh and be surprised and say, “No, really, him?!” and learn something about the nature of the people with whom you’re playing – but in practice the game was more like a bowl of candied yams at Thanksgiving. Everyone dutifully passed the bowl around and took their share, yet no one was enthusiastic about it and no one asked for more.

Here’s one more title for the Games for Animals page in which you can relieve me of review copies in exchange for a donation to the SPCA. Who knows? Maybe you’ll like the game better than me. In fact, I think I can guarantee that you will!

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