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The team at Zatu messaged me a couple of weeks ago saying they had a new game for me to review.
Zatu: It’s called How Am I Weird. The tagline says it’s “a game for the weird and wonderful.” We think you’re the right person for this review.
Me: Awww, because you think I’m wonderful?
Zatu: *Awkward silence* Sure.
The ‘party game’ category has become quite congested over recent years. Games like Cards Against Humanity have become a staple of house parties and gatherings. The issue is that many of these games tend to be crass. What you want is something that brings high levels of laughter, but without having to explain to nan why your response is funny and not at all disturbing. There is a game that promises to be just that. Think Noel Fielding, but Noel Fielding when he’s presenting the Great British Bake Off.
How Am I Weird is a family card game for 2-11 players. It is less like cards against humanity, more like cards against normality. The aim of the game is to out-weird your opponents by giving the strangest responses to a number of scenarios. The person who does this the most times wins the game.
How To Play The game
Each player is given eight Comeback cards from a deck of almost four hundred. Each player is also given a blank Weirdo card which is individually designed. One player is nominated as the BWC (The Big Weird Chief) and chooses a Life card. This card has a scenario on it, which often strays from the normal and mundane. Every other player then picks their weirdest response to that situation from their Comeback cards. The BWC then re-reads the scenario and all the responses and decides who has given the best response.
So Far, So Cards Against Humanity, Right? Wrong.
As I mentioned earlier, each player is given a blank Weirdo card. This allows a player to create a response if they’re not happy with the cards they have in their hand. The Weirdo card can be used in every round if you want to. Not only does it give you a chance to show your true weirdness, but allows you to refresh the cards in your hand. You can swap up to five cards from your hand every time you play the Weirdo card. This extra bit of freedom allows you to really show off how wonderfully weird you can be.
At the end of the round, players take a new Comeback card to replace the one they’ve played. If you have played your Weirdo card, you take it back from the used pile. The next player then takes over the mantle of being the BWC. The game is played until all hundred life cards have been played. It can also be ended in the event of wanting to feel like a normal person again.
A Game For Low-Key Weirdos
I wanted to get a sense of how family-friendly How Am I Weird is. For that reason, I played it with my family. I thought it would be a great test for my dad, who is the most sensible person I know. He listens to Radio 2. His favourite ice cream flavour is vanilla. His favourite TV programme is the news. You can’t get more sensible than that.
I dealt the Comeback cards out and my dad looked at them. He rolled his eyes so hard I could actually hear them. The eye-roll of “I’ll play, but I won’t enjoy it.” I read the first scenario out and the weirdest thing happened. He started laughing to himself. It’s almost as if he was playing each resolution out in his head. Everyone played their cards. I re-read the scenario and everyone’s responses. My dad unexpectedly outweirded everyone else and won the round. He then went on to win the game. My quietly spoken and seemingly sensible dad is actually the weirdest of us all.
Being Weirdly Creative
What I really enjoyed about the game is that it allows creativity. Cards Against Humanity can cause you to be restricted. You can only choose a response that’s in your hand. Often, you’re left playing a card you don’t want to. How Am I Weird finds a very clever loophole: the Weirdo card. The Weirdo card allows you to take the scenario to a new level of weird. However, I would probably limit the number of times a player can use this card. The game would often slow down as players tried to think of something funny, rather than just playing out their hand. Really creative players may also just play their Weirdo card every round. This can make the Comeback cards feel a little redundant.
I also mentioned earlier that the game is for 2-11 players according to the box. I am currently trying to work out how this could be a two-player game. There isn’t anything in the instructions that explain how it can be a two-player game either. Like party games in general, How Am I Weird benefits from a higher player count. The age guidance on the game suggests ages of 14+. For me, I would advise parents to have a look through first before playing. They might feel that some scenarios or comebacks are inappropriate for their family.
Final Thoughts
How Am I Weird is a lot of fun to play. Some people may not be comfortable expressing their true weirdness at first. Those players can use the Comeback cards for that reason. As the game progresses, people tend to get more creative with their responses. This means the Weirdo cards get used more and give an extra level of weirdness. I love a game where caring about winning becomes secondary. How Am I Weird would be a welcome addition to any house party or gathering.