What?!? Oh… Playtest & Interview with Creator! Contest Details Inside! (VIDEO)

What?!? Oh…

What?!? Oh… is a card game created by Chris Henderson, and it is currently on Kickstarter. A full game lasts about fifteen minutes, and it’s meant for 2-4 players, making it perfect for date night or double date night. We had a chance to sit down last weekend with Chris and his fiancee, Audrey, to see what this game was all about. If you don’t have a ton of time to read right now, but you still want to see what’s up, you can scroll down to our video playtest and contest info!

The simplified version of the rules is this: Each round, players turns over a “Starting Emotion” card which tells them how they are feeling, a “Starting Setting” card which tells them where they are, and a “Starting Comment” card which the starting player uses as the opening comment. All players then interject in any order using the cards in their hands to continue the conversation. You might be feeling twitterpated on at the park and find yourself somehow talking about catching your significant other looking up their ex on Facebook… Or ou might be feeling angry in a daycare center talking about how you should go to the gym. In either scenario, you might find yourself playing a card that tells you to sigh loudly or hug another player. You win by playing “Question” or “Demand” cards. If another player fails to respond to/act out whatever the card says, you win! Win three rounds, and you’re the What?!? Oh… champion (which just might earn you “little spoon” for the night)!

We know that there are a few questions you’re asking right about now, so we won’t hold you in suspense any longer. “Is the game any good?” Yes. This game is loads of fun! The fact that a single game lasts about fifteen minutes didn’t keep us from playing for–no joke–four hours. Chris and Audrey demonstrated by playing a game first, and then we got a chance to play a round ourselves. Things really picked up when the four of us played together. In a two-person game, players take turns. In a four-person game, you just have to interject when and where you can. Some of the cards you will play have full phrases laid out for you, but many of them have blanks for you to fill with as many words as you want. This is where it gets interesting. “This is the last time I will _______ for you,” could be filled in with “cook”, making it a household argument, or it could be filled with “rob a bank”, which takes the conversation to a whole new level!

On paper, What?!? Oh… seems like it could cause trouble for any friendship or marriage. In practice, though, it does the exact opposite. How exactly does this game help your relationship? Well, it almost always involves some sort of fictional argument or confrontation as you play, and the conversation cards are very well thought out, allowing you to say things that you would say normally anyway. During disagreements after our playthrough, we found ourselves laying invisible cards on the table and quoting a relevant card that we remembered from the game. It’s hard to be upset when you’re both laughing!

If you want a game that takes half an hour to learn and lasts for two hours then this might not be for you. If you want a game that you can pick up and learn in five minutes and play anywhere from fifteen minutes to forever (we only stopped because we had somewhere else to be!), then this game is definitely for you.

As of today, What?!? Oh… has officially hit the 100% mark, but that’s no reason to pass on helping this along. They are setting stretch goals as they go, the first of which has already been announced: If they get to $13k, they will also print an additional thirty “Create Your Own” cards which allows you to put your own twist on the game. The Kickstarter for this game ends on November 11th, and a pledge of $25 gets you a copy of the game, shipping included! On top of that, if you order the game through the Kickstarter campaign, your copy of the game will also include nine cards that only Kickstarter backers will receive as well as a “Kickstarter” stamp on your game box. Want to take a more involved approach? Pledge $200 and you can actually create some of the cards that will go into the game!

We actually had the chance to play this game with a ton of other people. We took it to our friends’ houses, onto the set of Dumb and Dumber To, and anywhere else we could justify breaking out the game. General consensus? The world loves it! Still not convinced? Watch the video below to see them explain the game, and then watch as we learn and laugh our way through a few rounds! This game is up there with Apples to Apples and costs less!

VIDEO PLAYTEST

CONTEST INFO

Want to try it before you buy it? On the Kickstarter page is a link to download the game with simplified art for free. BUT if you don’t want to spend all of that time cutting out 300 cards (which we have done), then fear not! We’re be giving away three print-and-play copies which have been pre-cut and assembled just for you! Simply share our Facebook post linking to this article and comment on the picture letting us know you did so (pesky Facebook privacy settings)! Don’t like Facebook? Retweet our tweet linking to this article on Twitter! We’ll randomly select three winners to receive a print-and-play copy!

BUT THAT’S NOT ALL! Send us a video of you and your boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife/mother/brother/friend/stylist/accountant/etc. playing What?!? Oh…, and one lucky winner will receive a FREE copy of the final game once it’s shipped!

Remember to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter so we can contact you when you win!

So what are you waiting for? Get bantering!