Bored? That's What Taboo is For!

Seriously, it’s hard to find a game more fun than this one. Despite the fact that its name might scare some people off, Taboo is great to play with friends or family. Especially for those of you who like word games or Catchphrase, this is a perfect fit.

The reason it’s called Taboo is because you can’t say everything that you want to in this game. Some words are “taboo.” Here’s how the game works:

First, everyone divides into two teams (you need at least four people, but the more the better). Then, the team to start picks a card from the deck. Every card has a word at the top, and then five words below. The word on the top might be, for example, “kid.” Then, underneath “kid” you might see the words “child,” “youngster,” “Billy,” “goat,” and “captain.” You want your team members to guess the word “kid,” and you can say anything except for those five words underneath to get them to guess correctly. Someone from the other team will be looking over your shoulder, making sure you don’t slip up, and if you do they’ll press the buzzer and you’ll have to move on to another card. You have until the timer runs out to go through as many cards/words as possible.

So, the game can go on for any amount of time. Usually, people decide beforehand that they want to play up to a certain number of points (each word correctly guessed gives you a point, any word you skip costs you a point, and a you get buzzed on doesn’t count at all), or for a certain amount of time. The team that wins, of course, is the team with the most points.

In my experience, this game is a great icebreaker, and also fun to play at family parties or when friends come over. It can be pretty hilarious listening to how people try to describe things!