Taboo

Customer Reviews

Expensive, but repays in laughter Review by David

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Taboo should not be as expensive as it is, especially because it doesn't take THAT long to cycle through all the cards. Once you've done that, the game can lose its appeal--unless you play with different groups, in which case it doesn't have to. The price isn't entirely MB's fault. The buzzer is probably a large part of the reason Taboo is so expensive, but unfortunately it's an important part of the game.

That said, aside from price, Taboo is great. Among party games that reliably generate lots of laughter, this one deserves mention. It's just plain fun. It's not the kind of game you should play with the singleminded desire to win or work out the best strategy; it's the sort of game that you play to engage your creativity and get the most hilarious experience you can.

Don't play it all night, but play it once or twice every time you have friends over and you've all had a few glasses of wine. (Posted on 3/15/12)

Can't imagine a party without Taboo Review by Heero Fong

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Taboo is the first party game that I ever picked up and it is the still my favorite party game to this day. The game is essentially the opposite of charades in which players have to get their teammates to say the word on the card by somehow describing it. To make things a little more difficult, there are a bunch of taboo words (hence the name of the game) which you can't say to describe it. Saying any of the taboo words results in your team losing a point! The taboo words not only make it harder to describe the word, but they have a way of making you think in terms of the taboo words which inhibits any creative ways of describing the word which is perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of the game. This is exemplified by teammates who have prior experiences with each other leading to completely mysterious, and off descriptions of words yet lead to numerous right guesses!

I can't imagine going to any house parities without Taboo in my hand anymore. The game is just enjoyable, extremely hilarious, and incredible at breaking any ice at parties to get everyone involved. (Posted on 1/2/11)

A party game for adults Review by Jasmine

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Although you are essentially getting a huge amount of cards, the words written on the cards are well worth it. This game, along with Scattergories, is one of my favourite party games. Party games are great because they can accommodate any number of people beyond 4 players. In particular, I love to play guys vs. gals as the girls usually get really into it, especially if the guys are losing.

Like a lot of party games, even with the same cards, each session is different as individuality comes into play a lot. Misunderstandings and tense moments is what makes Taboo super fun. Even though I am now more of a serious board gamer, I still love this game and jump at the chance to play it with lots of people.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this game or a similar party game to anyone. Every collection should have at least one game that can be played by an unlimited number of people. (Posted on 12/18/08)

A great party and meta-game Review by Murray

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It's strange, but I don't even play this game in the way it's intended to be played anymore. That may sound bad, but I'm willing to bet that most people eventually abandon the competitive part of the game and still have lots of fun. Taboo is a game where players are split into teams. As such, a large group or party is usually required for the game.

A member from a team has a certain time limit to get his team to say specific words as many times as possible. There are cards with the target word on it, as well as several taboo words that the person cannot say. The player must try to get his team to say the word without using the taboo words or any part of them or the word itself. The other team referees the player on the hotseat, making sure that he/she does not go over the time limit or break the taboo.

Nowadays, I simply bring out the game to play with other people while our core game is being played. Anyone who has played with people who like to think out their moves like chess players will know that side entertainment is invaluable. It is fun to simply pull a card and to try to get the group to guess the word while someone is taking their turn.

There isn't too much to say about the components of this game. The set comes with a pencil, scoresheets, a small hourglass, electronic buzzer, cards, and a card holder. The card holder is very interesting because it is designed to readily dispense cards and hold them for a single player's turn and does that job remarkably. However, I have consistent problems opening and closing the holder, which does not manifest until the start or end of a gaming session. As well, I do not use the buzzer since it requires a battery and I can easily just use my own voice. The cards are very good quality and are extremely durable.

Overall, Taboo is a simple game, following a concept that can be found in other games like Outburst or Time's Up. However, I would recommend this for any party. The sheer number of cards you get in the box is worth it and each are well thought out and challenging. I'm hoping a more updated version of Taboo will come out since there are a few celebrities on a couple of cards that the young 'uns have trouble with. (Posted on 12/13/08)