Exploding Kittens — Original Edition

Card games · Ages 7+ · 2–5 players Draw a card. Hope it is not a kitten. Everyone takes turns drawing from the deck. Hidden in it are the Exploding Kittens — pull one without a Defuse card in your hand and you are out. Every other card exists to help you dodge it, or to make sure the person next to you doesn't. Last player standing wins, and the whole thing is over in about fifteen minutes. 56 cards 2 to 5 players Ages 7 and up About 15 minutes a game Original Edition How it plays 1 Deal everyone a hand, shuffle the Exploding Kittens into what is left, and put the deck in the middle. 2 On your turn, play cards from your hand if you want to — skip your draw, peek at the deck, or push the danger onto the next player — then draw. 3 Draw a kitten and you are out — unless you have a Defuse card, which lets you hide it back in the deck wherever you like. 4 Keep going until one player is left. Then shuffle and go again, because somebody always wants revenge. Why it comes out again and again Explained in two minutes Each card says what it does right on the front, so nobody has to sit and study a rulebook while everyone waits. Short enough for one more A game runs about fifteen minutes. That is exactly the length that turns into four games without anyone noticing. Goes anywhere One small box of cards. It fits in a handbag, a glovebox or a suitcase, and it works on any flat surface. Kids and adults on level ground Seven-year-olds beat grown-ups at this regularly, which is most of the appeal for everyone at the table. Printed on the box 20 million copies sold, and the most-backed game in Kickstarter's history. In the box 56 cards, illustrated by The Oatmeal Instruction manual, which most people skim once and never open again Details Players 2 to 5 — up to 9 if you combine two decks Age 7 years and up Playing time About 15 minutes Cards 56 Edition Original Edition, English Good for Family game night, guests, travel, gifting Questions about this game Is it suitable for children? The publisher recommends it from 7 years up. The artwork is silly rather than scary, and children usually pick the rules up faster than the adults do. Do we have to read a rulebook? Barely. The instructions come in the box, but each card explains itself, so one round is usually all the teaching anyone needs. Can more than five people play? Yes — shuffle two decks together and you can seat up to nine. Does it work with the expansion packs? It does. English-language expansions shuffle straight into this deck when you want more cards in play. Bring it out once and it stays in the bag for every trip after that. Safety: contains small parts. Not suitable for children under 3 years. Recommended for ages 7 and up.