Balderdash

Balderdash, defined as senseless talk or writing; nonsense, is also possibly the greatest board game ever created. Never before has a family fun night lead to such an inordinate amount of hilarity.

I can still remember the first time I played. Oh, what a wild bacchanal that was! (I know you are already starting to appreciate how smoothly I throw in this fancy, new lingo.) As I unwrapped the box I was chary about what to expect. This could be one of those complicated games with the ten page long, enigmatic instructions that ultimately leave the players wondering why they got the game in the first place. It could be boring; an utter waste of time. It could have been childish and insulted not only my intelligence as a player, but my intelligence as a consumer. It could have been any one of these things. It could have been, but it was not. Instead, it was the best game I've ever played.

Balderdash didn't come to be a legendary family favorite without good reason. This game demands its players to think outside the box. The objective is to reach the end of the board first and claim your title as the olympian of B.S. To do this, a player begins the game by rolling a die. The number on the die correlates to a number on the playing cards: 1- words, 2- people, 3-movie, 4- acronyms, 5- laws, 6- choose your favorite. Words: a funky, seemingly fake word is said aloud and everyone must write down a made-up definition. People: the name of some notorious person is given and everyone must write down what they did. Movie: the title of a movie is given and everyone must write down a short description of the film. Acronyms: an acronym is given and everyone must write down what it stands for. Laws: the beginning of some ridiculous law is given and its everyones job to finish it. If you roll lucky number six you get to choose which ever topic you like best. Once everyone has written down their answer, the person who rolled the die collects everyone's responses. These are read aloud along with the real, correct answer. It's then everyone else's job to vote for which one they believe is right.

To someone who is unfamiliar with Balderdash this may sound dull or uneventful, but allow me to dazzle you with a real-game example. "In Idaho, it is against the law to go trout fishing if you are... riding a giraffe." I kid you not my friends, that is the real answer. Is this game magnificent or what?!

If my cameo has still not convinced you of Balderdash's eminence, then I exhort you to go out and play it for yourself. Only then will you truly understand the undeniable greatness of this game.