Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Low interaction
Scales well
Deep strategy
How it plays
How does it play?
A clever repackaging of the parlor game Dictionary, Balderdash contains several cards with real words nobody has heard of.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Read the full game description
A clever repackaging of the parlor game Dictionary, Balderdash contains several cards with real words nobody has heard of. After one of those words has been read aloud, players try to come up with definitions that at least sound plausible, because points are later awarded for every opposing player who guessed that your definition was the correct one. Versions of the game as a parlor game go back at least as far as 1970, although Balderdash itself was not published until 1984. Mattel, Inc. republished Balderdash in 2006 in a form that derives its gameplay from the sequel Beyond Balderdash. Re-implemented by: Beyond Balderdash / Absolute Balderdash Kokkelimonke Jubileum Re-implements: Beyond Balderdash* In a peculiar situation, this game was reimplemented by Beyond/Absolute Balderdash and then combined back into the original title (Balderdash) but with the rules and cards from Beyond/Absolute; while Tactic re-published their version of Beyond/Absolute combined with the original Balderdash and called it Kokkelimonke Jubileum.