Setup
Players
- 5-10+
Materials
- 1 Game Board
- 280 Game Cards
- 1 Answer Sheet Pad
- 6 Movers
- 1 Die
Additional Setup Notes
- Each player selects a colored mover and places it on “Start.”
- Place the board in the middle of the playing area.
- Each player should have a writing utensil and several answer sheets.
Scoring
- 1 point is given to a player for each vote their answer gathered.
- 2 points are given to each player who correctly guesses the REAL answer.
- 3 points are given to the DASHER if no players guess the real answer.
- 3 points are awarded to any player who writes an answer very similar to the real answer.
Objective
Balderdash is a fun game of deception and creativity perfect for players of all ages. The objective of Balderdash is to brainstorm lies that will deceive your fellow players by reading a prompt and making up an answer. Rack up points by tricking your friends into believing your con, and meanwhile, do your best to spot the real answers amongst your friend’s lies.
Gameplay
Balderdash begins with each player rolling a die. The highest roller is named the first Dasher, the leader of each round. The Dasher will then roll the die to determine which category is played. There are five possible categories to roll, and if you roll a 6, you can choose from any of the categories. Game Card prompts include:
- Weird Words – Brainstorm a definition of this word.
- Peculiar People – Tell the group who this person is.
- Incredible Initials – Brainstorm an idea of what the acronym or initials mean.
- Marvelous Movies – Take a guess at what the film was about.
- Laughable Laws – Do your best to specify what the law entails.
The Dasher will then read aloud from the blue side of the Game Card whichever category was chosen. Excluding the dasher for the round, players will hear the prompt and then write down the best answer on their answer sheet’s “Question” section. Feel free to get creative, silly, or downright convincing in your answers!
As the players write down their bluffs, the Dasher will then write the actual answer to the Game Card’s prompt alongside the question, finding this intel on the green side of the card. After this, they’ll replace the card in the back of the card box.
Players must sign their bluffs with an initial on the bottom of the sheet in the space provided. All bluffs should be given to the Dasher, and don’t forget to hide your answers so no one can guess it’s your con! Once the Dasher collects all the answer sheets, the real fun begins.
Next, the Dasher will randomly arrange the answer sheets along with the actual answer so that everyone can see them. The Dasher will then read aloud the potential answers without giving any indication of which is the true answer among the lies. Remember: when answering prompts, it’s important to not reveal your own answer by laughing or making it too obvious.
Moving clockwise from the Dasher, every player must vote on the sheet they believe is the actual answer, with the Dasher keeping tabs on each player’s choice. As the votes come in, the Dasher writes that player’s initials on the answer sheet they chose in the “Score” section.
After every player has guessed which answer is the correct one, the Dasher reveals the answer. The scores are then added up and each player advances their mover on the board based on the number of points collected that round.
The player to the Dasher’s left becomes the new Dasher, and so on and so forth.
Endgame
Once you’ve played a few rounds, players will get closer and closer to the “Finish” space on the board. Everyone will take turns moving their mover until someone gets to the finish line. The player who bluffed their way all the way to the finish line becomes the champion!
Balderdash Strategy
Double Bluff- If you’re willing to forego a point for a round, you can vote on your own bluff to trick your friends.
FAQs
Can Balderdash be played with only 2 players?
If you’re playing Balderdash with only 2 players, you will alternate taking turns as the Dasher. Roll the die, draw a card, and read from the provided prompts. Before turning it over revealing the true answer, the Dasher needs to come up with an answer.
After they’ve guessed, the Dasher turns over the card and reads and copies the true answer. Read both choices to the guessing player. If the guesser votes for the Dasher’s bluff successfully, they can advance 3 spaces. If they fail to guess correctly, the Dasher advances 2 spaces. Continue till someone wins!
What happens if a player provides an answer that is similar or same as the correct one?
Occasionally, a trivia-savvy player might guess the actual answer. If this happens, the Dasher should set aside the answer sheet and read the answer copied from the game card. The player who guessed correctly automatically earns 3 points but does not participate in the voting during the round.
If this happens between two or more players, the round is canceled and the dasher chooses a new song. The players with those answers earn 3 points each.
