Blogging for Books review: The PUNDERDOME

From the daughter-father duo that created Brooklyn's beloved live pun competition comes Punderdome, the "Punderful card game [that] will replace Cards Against Humanity at your next party" (Mashable.com).
One part game, one part conversation starter, you don't need to be a pun master to master Punderdome: the goal is to make bad jokes and have fun along the way.
A player (the prompter for that round) draws two prompt cards from the deck, and then reads the prompts to the rest of the group, who have 90 seconds to create a single, groan-worthy pun that combines the two prompts.     
When time is up, pun makers share their puns with the prompter, who awards the prompt cards to the player whose pun he or she likes best. The winner then draws the next pair of prompt cards and the process repeats. Players win by obtaining 10 pairs of cards.


My Review:

So, if you follow my reviews you know I'm big on promises vs. fulfillment of those promises. Is this game going to replace Cards against humanity? No. There are a few reasons: Take the card that says 'beatles' for example. My sixth grade teacher was a hippie. He liked beatles. That doesn't mean I care for them or know every song by heart. Making a pun with 'Beatles' and 'fighting' comes hard to me. But if I'm playing Cards against Humanity, I don't necessarily need any social context to participate. I can just mix and match to make a joke, and it ends up being a lot less pressure and more fun.

I also want to address implied promises. On the back of the box, there's an example of two cards. "colors" and "minor injuries". This is fairly easy. When I had a cold, I put a tissue against my nose and 'blue'. It's not the best, but I can play. But then if you get 'religious' and 'fighting' or 'drugs and alcohol' and 'drinking' I'm right back out of the game. 

I did see one suggestion for making this game worthwhile: throw out the rules. Just don't mind them. Can't think of a pun? redraw until you get something easy. 'Beatles' and 'Drinking'? My Water needs a little 'Lennon'. Bam. Fun night. 

All in all, if you're a stickler for the rules, making this game fun for everyone will be challenging. But if you're flexible, it can be a worthwhile time killer. Bonus: the deck also makes a good idea generator if you're a writer or participate in NaNoWriMo. linking two ideas together to fit into a plot is easier for me than making a pun with them.

(And no, I'm not going to address the jokes on the back of the cards mainly because they're a bonus and not part of the game itself.. If you want bad jokes, get a joke book.)