If there is a theme to tread lightly when designing games, it’s probably relationships between men and women. Look at all the flak Relationship Tightrope gets, and it’s merely a light-hearted theme pasted onto a trick-taking game. I’ve learned quickly that jokes about one gender or the other tend to lead to ugliness in some form, and so usually avoid them. However, I have to admit that I smiled when I heard about the theme of Whipped (Self Published, 2006 – Mark G. Elwell, Michael E. Guenter, and Mark A. Groenewold). In this card game, players must attempt to hang onto their friends, while their significant other is seeking to get rid of them.

Well, I smiled when I heard the theme, but stopped when I got the game. The theme is over-the-top, while making women look like evil bullies and men like idiotic morons. The artwork is horrible, and the entire thing feels like something that was slapped together in a couple of weeks. I have a great deal of respect for those who self-publish their own games, but this one should have been tested more thoroughly, because beneath the bad art and tasteless theme lies a very bland and boring “take that” game.

Three “Friend” cards are placed in front of each player, with one more Friend card per player shuffled into a large deck of cards. Seven cards are dealt to each player, who must place down any Friend or Bond (cards that are placed on a Friend) cards that they are dealt. One player is chosen to go first, and then play proceeds clockwise.

On a player’s turn, they draw back up to seven cards, and then may play one card from their hand. Each card has a different category and color, delineating how it should be played.

Friend (blue): These cards are simply played face up in front of a player. As soon as a player loses all their friends, they lose the game. Friends are some extremely ugly people with names such as “Chad”, “Joe”, and “Biff”

Bonds (light blue): These cards may be played onto any Friend (no limit to the amount on one Friend) and must be removed before the Friend is. Bonds are things that supposedly bring men together, such as “Monster Truck Rallies”, “Online Games”, “Six-Pack Those Abs”, “Do it Yourself” and “Microbrewing”

Whip (pink): These cards are played against another player, removing one Bond from a Friend, or one Friend that has no bonds. Whips are things that women supposedly force upon men, such as “Interpretive Dance Workshop”, “Do Those Dishes!”, “Walk Her Poodle”, and “She Puts YOU on a Vegan diet”

Uber-whip (pink): These cards are the same thing as a Whip card, with an additional special effect. For example, the “Shop for Feminine Hygiene Products” destroys a friend, regardless of bonds; and the “Your Last Name Changes!” is like a Whip against all Friends.

Special (yellow): These cards cause a variety of effects. Examples include: “Dude, You are Never Home!”, which allows a player to steal a Friend; and “Join Women’s March”, which allows a player to play all their Whips and Uber-whips on one player at once.
There are also several green Special cards in the deck – these can be played any time, mostly when attacked by another player.

The game continues until all but one player have lost all of their Friends. This surviving player is the winner.

Some comments on the game…

1.) Components: I won’t say that this is the worst artwork I’ve ever seen in a game, but it’s certainly close (go to http://whippedcardgame.com for examples). The caricatures are more sad than funny, and everything is done in a black and white style that makes most other card games look good. The cards themselves are of a decent quality, although getting them all into the box is a real pain.

2.) Rules: Play good cards on yourself; bad cards on others. That’s really the game in a nutshell, and therefore, it’s easy to teach to others. A quick reference card with colors is included, and I will say that the colors make it easier to determine which cards do what.

3.) Theme: Many, many people will dislike the theme, with a few downright offended by it. Possibly the theme could have been done with a humorous tone that many would have found funny (doubtful), but the game insults pretty much everyone playing it. The men look like pusillanimous wimps, and the women like evil dictators. Several of the cards are so immature that I’m guessing the game must be geared at drunk college students or those who have no idea what a real relationship is. The parodies are simply dreadful; and if any laughing was done in our game, it was AT the game, not the theme.

4.) Take That!: The basic premise of the game is simple – play bad cards on other players. This can be done in a light, easy style, but it’s not done well at all here. It’s VERY possible that a player will be taken out on the first turn of the game, before they even have a chance to play! The cards are not even remotely balanced, and quite simply, the player with the luckiest draw will win, every time.

5.) Fun Factor: So if the game plays itself, and the theme is uninspiring and annoying, what fun is in the game? The answer is none.

I look back over this review and see that I’ve been a little harsh on the game. And perhaps that’s for the best. The designers mentioned on their website that they were tired of playing “lame” card games, when suddenly they had the idea of making this one. My apologies to the designers, but you’ve simply created that which you hate. Whipped is one of the worst card games I’ve ever played, and I can’t recommend it to anyone – of any age.

Tom Vasel
“Real men play board games”
www.thedicetower.com