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Cards Against Humanity – Spotlight on a Game for Horrible People

Cards Against Humanity is one of the most popular party games to be released in recent years. The game has become popular not just because of its outrageous cards and its pop culture cache, but also because it’s very easy to pick up and play. Today, we’re putting the spotlight on the game so you can see if it’s the right one for you.

Cards Against Humanity is a simple card game for parties. The Cards Against Humanity websites states, that it is a party game for horrible people. But mostly, it’s really a fun game to have a great evening with your friends.

Players complete fill-in-the-blank statements using words or phrases typically deemed as offensive, risqué or politically incorrect printed on playing cards. It has been compared to the 1999 card game Apples to Apples and originated from a Kickstarter campaign in 2011. Its title refers to the phrase “crimes against humanity”, reflecting its politically incorrect content.

 

How did it start?

Cards Against Humanity was created by a group of eight Highland Park High School alumni, including Ben Hantoot and Max Temkin. Heavily influenced by the popular Apples to Apples card game, it was initially named Cardenfreude (a pun on Schadenfreude) and involved a group of players writing out the most abstract and, often, humorous response to the topic question. The name was later changed to Cards Against Humanity, with the answers pre-written on the white cards known today. Co-creator Ben Hantoot cited experiences with various games such as Magic: The Gathering, Balderdash, and Charades as inspiration, also noting that Mad Libs was “the most direct influence” for the game.

After six months of development, Cards Against Humanity was officially released in May 2011. A month later, it became the number one game on Amazon.com. Since its release, CAH has gradually become more popular and has seen a rise of sales throughout the years. The Chicago Sun-Times estimated that CAH earned at least $12 million in profit, and according to the company, customers have downloaded the PDF file 1.5 million times in the year since they began tracking the numbers.

In October 2011, the game was exhibited as part of the “Big Games” area of the annual IndieCade games festival in Culver City, where the release of a first expansion was officially announced. In November 2011, the expansion was released. It sold out in three days. The first expansion contained 100 new cards and 12 blank cards.[14]

The game was financed with a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign and influenced by a previous crowd-funded campaign for a book on the design of the Obama campaign. The campaign started on December 1, 2010; it met its goal of $4,000 in two weeks. The campaign ended on January 30, 2011, and raised over $15,000; just under 400% of its original goal. With this additional money raised towards the game, the creators added fifty more cards to the game itself.

What do you need to play Cards Against Humanity? 
One set of Cards Against Humanity playing cards
A couple of friends at least 3-4 players are recommended

Specs:

  • 4–30 Players
  • 30 Min Playing Time
  • Age: 17+

How to play Cards Against Humanity?

The card game contains two staples of cards. One staple are the white cards, and the other staple contains all black cards.

The Basic Rules

To start the game, each player draws ten white cards.

The person who most recently pooped begins as the Card Czar and plays a black card. The Card Czar reads the question or fill-in-the-blank phrase on the black card out loud.

Everyone else answers the question or fills in the blank by passing one white card, face down, to the Card Czar.

The Card Czar shuffles all of the answers and shares each card combination with the group. For full effect, the Card Czar should usually re-read the black card before presenting each answer. The Card Czar then picks the funniest play, and whoever submitted it gets one Awesome Point.

After the round, a new player becomes the Card Czar, and everyone draws back up to ten white cards.

Pick 2

Some cards say PICK 2 on the bottom.

To answer these, each player plays two white cards in combination. Play them in the order that the Card Czar should read them – the order matters.

If the Card Czar has lobster claws for hands, you can use paperclips to secure the cards in the right order.

Gambling

If a black card is played and you have more then one white card that you think could win, you can bet one of your Awesome Points to play and additional white card.

If you win, you keep your point. If you lose, whoever won the round gets the point you wagered.

House Rules

Cards Against Humanity is meant to be remixed. Here are some variations found on the net towards the rules:

Happy Ending:

When you’re ready to stop playing, play the “Make a Haiku” black card to end the game. This is the official ceremonial ending of a good game of Cards Against Humanity, and this card should be reserved for the end.

Note: Haikus don’t need to follow the 5-7-5 form. They just have to be read dramatically.

Reboot the Universe:

At any time, players may trade in Awesome Points to return as many white cards as they’re like to the deck and draw back up to ten.

Packing Heat:

For Pick 2s, all players draw and extra card before playing the hand to open up more options.

Rando Cardrissian:

Every round, pick one random white card from the pile and place it into play. This card belongs to the imaginary player named Rando Cardrissian, and if he wins the game, all players go home in a state of everlasting shame.

God Is Dead:

Play without a Card Czar. Each player picks his or her favorite card each round. The card with the most votes wins the round.

Survival of the Fittest

After everyone hast answered the question, players take turns eliminating one card each. The last remaining card is declared the funniest.

Serious Business

Instead of picking a favorite card each round, the Card Czar ranks the top three in order. The best card gets 3 Awesome Points, the second-best gets 2, and the third 1. Keep a running tally of the score, and at the end of the game, the winner is declared the funniest, mathematically speaking.

Never Have I ever

At any time, players may discard cards that they don’t understand, but they must confess their ignorance to the group and suffer resulting humililation.

Age Range: 17 and up
With cards that touch on sexual conduct, racial issues, humanitarian crises, and a host of other taboo topics, this game is best played by people 17 and older. Unlike some other adult games, we don’t think it’s worth removing cards in order to make it safe for younger audiences. If you want a similar game experience for younger, more impressionable players, try Apples to Apples.

Are there any Cons to the game?

The only con  with Cards Against Humanity is that it has the possibility of getting stale. You use the same cards over and over again. This means you will start seeing repeats in a short amount of time especially if you are constantly playing with the same group of friends.

The Expansions

The positive side is there are a TON of expansions available. As with many modern card games, you’re not going to be limited by what’s in the original box. Expansions come from both the official creators and unofficial fan-made ones. The expansion packs keep the game fresh and hilarious for a long time.

Cards Against Humanity has a number of expansions, some of what are much better than others. Below are some brief thoughts on the expansion packs:

The Color Packs

The Red, Green, and Blue packs are all huge expansions to the game, each adding about three hundred new cards to the game. These are definitely the best expansion packs out there, as they’re composed of the older expansions and still tend to push the unexpected a bit more than some of the contemporary packs. Consider these expansions if you’re looking for more general jokes.

The Holiday Packs

The 2012, 2013, and 2014 Holiday Packs are among the cheapest expansions. With only about thirty cards, though, they are’t exactly a great deal. These can be good stocking stuffers, but they’re not worth your time if you really want to get the most out of the game.

Specialty Packs

Each of the specialty packs has a specific theme, some of which are going to be more useful than others to specific groups. If you’re into one of the themes, these small packs of thirty cards will add a little bit of group-specific humor to your game. If you’re not, though, you are’t going to have much fun. These themed packs include:

– Period Pack
– Pride Pack
– Sci-Fi Pack
– 90s Nostalgia Pack
– Weed Pack
– Theatre Pack
– …and several more.

Again, each pack only includes around thirty cards. These packs are only a recommended buy if you know that your group has a sense of humor dependent on a specific niche.

The Competition

Apples to Apples: If you’re looking for something with similar gameplay but no vulgarity, Apples to Apples is a great alternative. Both games come with around the same number of cards. Apples to Apples is ideal for family game nights, but if you’re playing with a group of adults who are expecting to cut loose with inappropriate, raunchy jokes, it will certainly be too tame.

What Do You Meme?: If your crew loves Cards Against Humanity but is looking for something new, What Do You Meme? is a solid choice. Players match caption cards to popular memes and the presiding judge decides which is the funniest. What Do You Meme? will run you a bit  more than Cards Against Humanity, but for a fresh take on the same kind of game, it’s a fun option.

 

The Verdict

What’s the verdict of this Cards Against Humanity review? In short, it’s a good game that’s worth playing at least once. If your sense of humor trends towards the raunchy or towards the absurd, you’ll have a great time with the game.

The expansion packs can help to make the game feel fresh after you’ve been playing for quite some time, but they’re not a necessity. While this is definitely a game for adults, you’ll have much more fun if you can bring a juvenile sense of humor to the table.

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