Danger The Game

Merging your tricycle onto a the highway, or attending a costume party where the guests are actually real monsters?!? If this sounds like the kind of trouble you might find yourself in, a danger preparation kit is a necessity.

Enter Danger The Game, a storytelling party game for three or more players, age 12+. Danger The Game was designed by Phillip Blackwell and published by Origami Whale Games. A game lasts about 30 minutes.

The object of Danger The Game is to concoct a daring rescue plan to help a victim escape or avoid peril. The victim is the judge, and they will ultimately decide which rescue plan is best. The player with the best plan wins the Danger card from that round. The first player to collect three Danger cards wins the game.

Setup

Shuffle the Danger, Tool, and Skill decks separately and deal three Tool and three Skill cards to each player. Whoever lives most dangerously is the first victim. Everyone else begins as a rescuer.

There’s also a Plot Twist deck for those wanting to sabotage another player’s plan mid-turn. More on those later.

Gameplay

The victim draws a Danger card and reads it aloud. They may embellish the text to spice up the scene. Rescuers then pick a Tool and a Skill card from their hand to use in their masterful rescue plan, placing them face-down.

Once all players have made their selections, it’s time to reveal their rescue plans to the victim. One by one, each rescuer takes turns explaining their plan to save the victim from the current Danger.

This is their chance to be as creative as possible. Really sell it – because the victim’s life depends on it!

After hearing the plan, the victim and the other players may object, trying to poke holes in the plan. Every objection must be handled before the next player pitches their plan.

After all rescuers have had a turn, the victim picks the best plan and awards that rescuer the Danger card. Discard all cards used during the round and redraw until everyone has a hand of three Tool and three Skill cards again.

The first player with three Danger cards wins!

More Game Modes

Danger the Game includes two extra ways to play.

Plot Twist

Use Plot Twist cards to sabotage other player’s plans. To include them, deal one to each player at the start of the game. Plot twist cards have a colored border, corresponding to Danger, Tool, or Skill cards. Only one of each type may be played on a card.

The game flows as normal but players may sabotage a rescuer by playing a Plot Twist before they’re done explaining. The card is placed next to the card it’s impacting and the rescuer must include the details of the card in their story!

At end of round, rescuers not awarded the Danger card draw another Plot Twist card. There are no other changes to the game.

Dastardly Variant

This is a fun mode that flips the script with villains and heroes! In this mode heroes (rescuers) play a Skill card face-down (their superpower). Then, the villain (victim) hands a different Danger card to each player.

Heroes choose a Tool card, then explain how they’d use their cards to thwart the villain’s Danger scheme. The villain picks who best outwitted their evil scheme and awards them the Danger card. Once again, the first player to collect three Danger cards wins.

Impressions

Danger The Game is surprisingly family friendly! Whenever I see party games like this one, I immediately assume it won’t be good for all ages. However, the content here is completely clean – if you want it to be.

There are a few cards younger players may not understand, but in these cases, just draw another one. It’s perfectly safe for a game night at church or with grandma. It’s also a game your teenager could play with friends without supervision.

Danger the Game outshines many other mass market games of its genre, like the infamous Cards Against Humanity. There’s just a lot more imagination here and opportunity to do some creative thinking on the fly.

What’s the Hook?

Much like Rory’s Story Cubes, this game gives you the scaffolding to build a story. Cards take the place of green army men – the tools to use for your story.

The fun in the game is creating these short little narratives. You can craft a meticulous, soulful tale, or be silly and outrageous! Tailor your story to the victim’s tastes for the best chance to win.

How Replayable?

With 270 cards in the box, a family could enjoy this for some time. But if you burn though the cards quickly, Origami Whale Games has two expansions available. The base game even includes some blank cards so you can incorporate your own ideas.

Adding Plot Twist cards raises the variety and challenge as well. Force players to change up their rescue plans on the fly!

Have a family of superhero fans? The Dastardly Variant will be right up their alley. Doctor Octopus dropped you into a vegan flash mob while holding a burger and milkshake! How would you thwart his evil scheme and escape?!?!

Find Danger The Game at your local game store or online at Amazon.

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Origami Whale provided The Family Gamers with a promotional copy of Danger The Game for this review.

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