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Banned Words box art
Rich game profile

Banned Words

Players in Banned Words need to get their teammates to guess five secret words or phrases while avoiding traps set up by the opposing team — but you can only guess what those traps might be! In more detail, the game lasts three rounds. At the start of each round, each team (red a...

Players

4-99

Time

?-?

Age

12+

Weight

1.33

Rating

7.03

Should this hit the table?

Quick read before the metadata.

Moderate level of interaction with a mix of direct and strategic confrontation, frequent interaction, and limited emphasis on cooperation.

Teach 2.8

Teaching signal

Replay 3.9

High replayability

Interaction 3.3

Low interaction

Scaling 4.0

Scales well

Strategy 4.5

Deep strategy

Control 2.8

Luck-sensitive

Table feel

Moderate level of interaction with a mix of direct and strategic confrontation, frequent interaction, and limited emphasis on cooperation.

Replay value

The game offers a high degree of variability with different experiences each time it is played. The expansions available add new content and gameplay elements, enhancing the replay value. There is ample room for players to improve their strategy over time, with deep strategic possibilities. The game scales well with different numbers of players without compromising its appeal or balance. It is moderately easy to learn, providing a good balance between accessibility and depth. Overall, Banned Words has a strong replayability score of 7.8.

Luck profile

Banned Words has a moderate influence of luck. While random elements like card draws play a notable role in the game outcome, players have substantial ability to mitigate luck through strategic decisions and planning. The game strikes a balanced mix of luck and strategy, making it suitable for players who enjoy a combination of chance and skill.

Overview

What ABG knows about this game

Players in Banned Words need to get their teammates to guess five secret words or phrases while avoiding traps set up by the opposing team — but you can only guess what those traps might be! In more detail, the game lasts three rounds. At the start of each round, each team (red and blue) receives a card showing five words or phrases. Team members then write down up to sixteen words they think someone on the other team might use while trying to get their teammates to guess these secret words. Once each team has written down their "banned" words, one person on each team is designated as the clue-giver, then they swap cards. The clue-giver on the blue team then starts giving clues to their teammates; if this clue-giver says any of the words that the red team wrote down prior to the start of the round, someone on the red team holds up the card holding the word and says it out loud. Once time runs out, the blue team scores 1 point for each secret word or phrase correctly guessed, and the red team scores 1 point for each time the blue clue-giver said a banned word. The red clue-giver then takes their turn. After three complete rounds, whichever team has scored the most points wins.

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