Bluffing Games | Best Board Game Reviews

One Night Ultimate Werewolf Review

Matt Bluffing Games, Card Games April 3, 2019July 15, 2019Game for older kids, Halloween game, One Night Ultimate Werewolf

Basic Information

Number of Players: 3-10

Age: 8+

Time: 10 minutes

Price: Medium

Introduction to One Night Ultimate Werewolf

One Night Ultimate Werewolf is a fast paced bluffing game by Bezier games. Players are trying to use their deduction skills to find out who the werewolves are, while the werewolves try to bluff and convince the others to kill and innocent. One Night Ultimate Werewolf is the condensed version of the original Werewolf game, with no moderator no elimination, and no downtime. It’s the perfect quick party game that truly separates the wolves from the sheep…

How to Play One Night Ultimate Werewolf

The amount of players determines the roles that ate used in each game of werewolves. Each players receives a role card with three extra cards placed in the middle of the table within reach of everyone. Players look at their own cards and memorize their roles for game.

There are three main groups that these roles fall into; the werewolves, the tanners, and the villagers. The werewolves group includes all werewolf cards and the minion. They want to deflect suspicion away from them by bluffing and accusing other players, even the minion who will gladly sacrifice themselves for the werewolves to win. The Tanners are in a league of their own from the villagers as the Head Tanner hates his job and simply wants to die. The apprentice tanner wants the head tanners job and wants him dead as well. The villagers make up the rest of the characters and they each have different abilities that can help them to try and deduce who is who in this crazy game of catch the warewolf.

After each player has looked at their card they place them face down on the table in front of them and the night phase begins. The night phase can be spoken allowed by someone who is not participating in the game or you could use the free app that had the night phase recorded. During the night phase the wolves acknowledge each other and the other players also have some actions that they can also perform, such as swapping other players cards, looking at the card another player has or poking someone.

After the night phase deliberation starts and players try to deduce who each other are. Here the players bluff, accuse, state information that they have acquired over the night, and after 8 minutes everyone votes on who to kill.

If the villagers kill a werewolf, they win, if anyone else dies (including the minion), the werewolf team wins.

Notes on One Night Ultimate Werewolf

One Night Ultimate Werewolf is a fun fast talking bluffing game which is great for everyone to play. I mainly play this around Halloween with my older niece and her parents and I swear that I get the werewolf every time I play. I highly recommend this game for all player types, especially those who like bluffing games and games that they can play quick.

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Coup Review

Matt Bluffing Games, Card Games March 29, 2019July 15, 2019Bluffing Game, Coup, Easy Card Game

Basic Information

Number of Players: 2-6

Age: 14+

Time: 15 minutes

Price: Low

Introduction to Coup

Coup is a bluffing game where players are trying to eliminate other players out of the game by outsmarting them and staging ‘coups.’ Coup the card game is set in the same universe as The Resistance and Avalon as part of a series of games. In the context of the story, the poor and oppressed masses are trying to overthrow the corrupt government by staging a coup. The rules of Coup are fairly simple understand and game play is fast and full of plotting and intrigue.

How to Play Coup

The deck is shuffled and each player is dealt 2 cards. Each player looks at these cards then places the cards face down in front them. Going around the table, players take turns performing one action which is dependent on which role-cards they have, or which cards they are pretending to have. Each role and their abilities are listed as follows:

Catain: Steal 2 coin, blocks stealing
Duke: Take 3 coins from the stash, blocks foreign aid.
Ambassador: Pick up two cards from the deck and swap one in with the ambassador. Blocks Stealing
Contessa: Blocks assassination (important note! Contessa only blocks the player who ‘holds’ the card, cannot be used to block assassinations on other players)
Assassin: Pay 3 coins to assassinate a players card.

There are a few ways to make other players lose their cards. You can pay 7 coins to perform a coup action. A coup cannot be blocked and that player must lose one of their cards and place it face up in front of them.

You can accuse someone when they make an action as a character and you don’t believe they are who they say they are. If proven to be lying, they must lose one of their cards and place it face up in front of them. If they are telling the truth, you instead lose a card.

As the assassin you can pay 3 coins to assassinate another players card, however they can block it with the contessa. If you think they are bluffing you can call them out on it and if you were correct, they lose both cards and are out of the game.

Play continues on until one person is left in the game and they win!

Notes on Coup

Coup is a great game to test your bluffing and deduction abilities. Its fast easy game play also makes it more accessible to casual players. I particularly like to play a round or two between big games when my friends and I are having our day of board games together. Highly recommend.

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Geek Out Review

Matt Bluffing Games, Card Games, Party Games March 6, 2019July 15, 2019Geeky board game, party game, trivia game

Basic Information for Geek Out

Number of Players: 2+

Age: 10+

Time: 30 minutes

Price: Medium

Introduction to Geek Out

Geek out is the ultimate geeky trivia game where players are asked to list a certain number of things based on the category and subject that was asked. There are 5 categories in Geek Out: Comic books, fantasy, games science fiction, and miscellaneous. The goal is to not only guess the amount listed on the card, but to also out bid the other players and win the card. Geek Out is a great way to test your knowledge against your friends and see who the ultimate Geek is.

How to Play Geek Out

Each round a player rolls the dice which has the 5 colors representing each category and a ‘wild’ where they get to choose. Whichever color it lands on is the category they are going to attempt. They pull the top card from the deck and read the list they must complete. For example. A player rolled a green and the card asks them to name 4 Brothers Grimm fairy tales. The player then can bid on how many they think they can name and the player who bids the highest wins the ‘auction’. They must then name the amount that they bid accurately, or they will lose the card. The player with the highest amount of won cards at the end is the winner.

Notes on Geek Out

Geek out is definitely ones of the more difficult games to play since it does rely so heavily on a players knowledge of the different geeky subjects. It’s similar to trivial pursuit in this regard, just with a higher level of knowledge needed for some of the categories. Regardless, I have a heap of fun playing with my partner and friends and it’s a create trivia game that keeps people in their toes.

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Secret Hitler Review

Matt Bluffing Games, Party Games March 6, 2019July 15, 2019Adult Party Games, Bluffing Game, Secret Hitler

Basic Information For Secret Hitler

Number of Players: 5-10

Age: 17+

Time: 45 minutes

Price: Medium-High

Introduction to Secret Hitler

Have you ever wanted to experience the political intrigue and betrayal of Germany’s political system in the 1930s? Well now you can with this fully historically accurate representation which pits the players against each other as liberals and fascist. The fascists, who know who each other are, try their best to sew chaos with the liberals and get their supreme leader Hitler elected as chancellor. The liberals must do their best to find and kill Hitler before it’s too late!

How to Play Secret Hitler

Each player is secretly given an identity of either Liberal, fascist, or Hitler. Each player then closes their eyes and another player, or the app voiced by Will Wheaton, goes through a night in Germany as the fascists wake and see who each other is while Hitler raises his thumbs to the heavens to let his followers know his identify without revealing who they are to him. Everyone closes their eyes again and then everyone wakes up and the game begins. Each round the position of President is moved around and they elect a chancellor. The players then vote on whether they accept this appointment and if the appointment is rejected, the role of presents passes to the next person and they then elect a chancellor and so on (with some limitations). If the appointment is confirmed, the president draws three cards, discards one and passes the next two to the chancellor. The chancellor chooses from the remaining two and placed the chosen card on the board. For the fascist to win, they wither need to get through Majority fascist policies or get Hitler elected chancellor (after the 4^th policy). The liberals need to get through majority liberal policies or kill Hitler.

Notes on Secret Hitler

Nothing says family like calling your brother a fascist or your sister Hitler, while you yourself are secretly for the cause. You really learn who is good at bluffing, or how to bluff better after a few games. Deceit and betrayal are after all the only way to get ahead in politics and this game perfectly encapsulates these ideals while being criminally fun. I hugely recommend this for any young adult who wants a fun game to play with friends (or the right family). Of course, Nazism is wrong, but making fun of it takes away its power and this game does just that!

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