Exploding Kittens

Why Exploding Kittens.

Exploding Kittens is a card game about not drawing the card that kills you. Every turn you can play a few cards from your hand, then you draw one from the deck, and if that card is an Exploding Kitten you are out unless you are holding a Defuse. Everything else in the deck exists to move that moment around: skip your draw, see the future, attack the next player so they draw twice, or shuffle the deck when you know a kitten is on top. The rules fit on one card and the first game takes about five minutes to teach, which is why it works with people who say they do not like board games. The art is the point for a lot of tables. It is silly, a little rude, and gets a laugh every time a new card is read aloud. It plays best at four or five, where the attack cards start to sting and alliances form and break within a single round. With two players it is thinner and mostly luck. Games run fifteen minutes, so a bad exit does not hurt and everyone plays again. It is not deep, and anyone looking for a strategy game will be bored by the third play. As a party card game for a mixed group, a family with teenagers, or a dorm room at midnight, it does exactly what it promises. The original edition is the one to buy; the many spinoffs are for people who already know they love it.

No paid placement. No sponsorship. We chose it on merit. The Amazon link funds the lights - if you'd rather buy direct from a local game store, find one via BoardGameGeek.