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Firstly, the copy of Clickbait that I received arrived in an incredibly jazzy, holographic postal bag which already heightened my interest and enticed me for a game as soon as possible. Upon opening the package, the game lay neatly within a uniquely-shaped, arrow box. I really like how the designers have opted for something a bit different from the packaging.
All of the game components are well made and the imagery on the ‘product’ cards is very fun and entertaining. The game doesn’t require much and I think that Clickbait would be a brilliant option to take travelling on holiday or for those long road trips where space is limited. It only really relies on some custom dice, product cards, paper and pencils. First impressions are certainly good.
Clickbait Gameplay
For those unsure of the word, ‘clickbait’ is an internet phenomenon whereby exaggerated and embellished headlines are used to generate more website visitors, or ‘clicks’. Reiner Knizia’s Clickbait harnesses the notion of internet advertising clickbait and turns it into a highly entertaining board game which allows players to come up with their own ridiculous and misleading product statements.
Designed for between three to eight players, Clickbait pits you against your opponents in a bid to create the most alluring clickbait. To start a round, the five custom letter dice are rolled to establish which letters are being used. These letters are used to create your clickbait headline. The rules are simple, you can use each letter only once, but you can use any number of the letter (up to the maximum of five).
For each round, a player assumes the role of a referee. This referee determines who has the most enticing clickbait headline for the round and this in turn determines who gets the points. For every round, the referee rolls the five dice and reveals a product card. The referee leaves the product card face-up so that everyone can see it clearly. Players then begin to create their clickbait headlines to promote the product featured on the card.
The product cards are the true joy of this game. Upon every reveal there is a chuckle from all players when reading the outlandish and bizarre products; for example: a three day clown course, or hire-a-relative service.
Once all of the clickbait product headlines have been created, the referee decides upon who’s headline is the most enticing. This determines who wins the round and becomes the new referee for the following round.
Each round usually clocks in within a few minutes and overall, the game is quick-paced and has a short game length. Occasionally, I have played when a particular player consistently takes a while to create their headline, but nothing that gentle prodding can’t fix. Alternatively, if you find that some players are consistently taking too long to create their clickbait, you could introduce a timer to restrict how long people have to think of their headline.
To win the game, you simply need to be the first player to win three rounds of the game.
Final Thoughts on Clickbait
I really love a quick-paced, word-based party game and this is certainly those things. Each game usually lasts between 20-30 minutes and everyone is gripped with the hilarity throughout. Clickbait isn’t the main event at a games night, but is a fantastic party filler which I would happily player a couple of times in an evening.
There are numerous product cards and the dice vary the headlines for each round. No two rounds of Clickbait are exactly the same. Whilst players do the same thing over each game, the tools (product cards and letters) they have to do this change with every play. The headlines created vary so much from the completely bonkers to alluringly risqué.
Prior to playing Clickbait I did wonder why the age guidance for this game was 14+ years. However, after a few play-throughs, it is quite clear that when people can’t think of anything obvious, their headlines do tend to lean quickly toward the rude and raunchy. For this game to truly shine, you need free-reign to be a little bit naughty.
Overall, Clickbait has a place in my collection and is a highly entertaining word-based party game which never fails to bring a smile to my face.
