What do these ratings say about Taboo?

What kind of game is Taboo?

Taboo is a mechanics-first experience where clean rules and systems lead the table. Expect focused gameplay with less emphasis on story or theme.

How interactive is Taboo?

Taboo features meaningful player interaction, with decisions that regularly affect the rest of the table. Competition, and table awareness are important throughout the game.

What is the presentation of Taboo like?

Taboo is visually straightforward and prioritizes function over spectacle. The presentation stays clear and practical, keeping the focus on decision-making.

How strategic is Taboo?

Taboo rewards long-term planning and sequencing. Players who enjoy deeper strategic arcs and optimization will likely find a lot to explore.

How hard is Taboo to learn?

Taboo is relatively easy to learn and teach, with rules that click quickly for most groups. It is a good fit when you want faster onboarding and smooth play.

These ratings reflect player feedback. If it doesn’t match your experience, add your rating to help refine it.

Taboo

Give clues, avoid forbidden words, and race against the clock in this party game.

1989 • 4–10

Average rating: 4.01
Players: 4–10
Avg time: 20 min
Age: 10+

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Overview

In the party game Taboo, you're trying to give clues to your teammates so that they'll guess a particular word, but you can't say just anything you like. Some clues are off limits!

When you're the active player, hold the deck of cards so that you and the opposing team can see the top card. At the top of the card is the word your teammate must say to score the card, and you can anything you want to help them figure out what to guess other than the word itself (duh!) or the five words/phrases listed on the bottom of the card.

For example, can you get your teammates to say "bacon" without saying "pig", "eggs", "breakfast", "sausage", or "eat"? If you do, you score the card, then move on to the next card, trying to guess as many cards as possible before time runs out. However, if you say a taboo word (or make gestures), the opposing team will buzz a buzzer and score the card themselves.

How well can you describe things without breaking the taboo?

Gallery

Mechanics

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Monikers

Codenames

Trapwords