Games Games Games
January 2000, Issue 139
Carol Johnson
United Kingdom

Underwear is Masculine?

Carol Johnson makes a match in Apples to Apples

Which of the following thing do you think is the most sensual?

• My first Kiss
• Marilyn Monroe
• Rain
• Puff daddy
• Olive Oil
• Eyes
• Getting a Hug
• Paris, France
• Leather

I’d be willing to bet money no two readers will pick the same item (at least not for the same reasons). Whatever your choice (for whatever reason), you have now played your first round Apples to Apples.

Apples to Apples is a new party card game from Out of the Box, a small American company based in Madison, Wisconsin. Apples to Apples is Out of the Box’s second game, (Bosworth, a War of the Roses chess variant was their first), and it has won them several accolades in the gaming world including the Games 100 Party Game of the Year, the Mensa Select Award, and American National Parenting Centre Seal of Approval. Now awards aren’t everything, but Apples to Apples has proven itself in the field (we can’t stop playing it) and is well worth extended and repeated exploration.

The premise of Apples to Apples is simple. Each player has a hand of 7 ‘red apple’ noun cards (often a very eclectic selection of persons, places and thing). Players take turns revealing a ‘green apple’ adjective card and that player acts as the judge for the round. Each player selects one of his ‘red’ cards that he thinks will be the card most likely to be chosen by the judging player as being the card that most closely matches the ‘green’ card. All cards are placed face down in the middle of the table, mixed up a bit so the judge cannot tell who played which card.

Judging is entirely subjective. There is no right or wrong, and the judging player’s decision is final — whining is bad form, though not unheard of. Once the judging player selects one card as the ‘best’ match, the ‘red’ card chosen claims the ‘green’ card in victory.

The winner is the first person to get a set number of ‘green’ cards (the number of which varies depending on the number of players).

A couple notes on play: you draw a card after each round of play, replenishing your hand and any cards thay say ‘My. . . ‘ should be read from the judge’s point of view. And that is it.

The key to Apples to Apples is to play to the judge. After a round or two, you start to get a feel for what people go for- some folks are literal, picking the card that actually does match the best; others are wacky, favoring the oddest card played regardless. Insider knowledge of the person helps, but doesn’t ensure success. Unlike in most party games, couples do not seem to have an unfair advantage. Actually it’s one’s close mates who seem to have the best luck in getting picked. It helps to pay attention to trends in people’s judging-for instance, it tells you a lot when a young female teenager discards ‘Brad Pitt’ in disgust as being "too old" and has utter disdain for the usefulness of "dead people" (like Napoleon, Claude Monet, Gandhi).

No matter how passionately you feel about your cards being the ‘perfect choice’, trying to influence the person to pick your card while deciding is not on. The anonymity of the cards is a vital element of the game, and pushing too vociferously for one card could tip off ownership. Kibitzing about the card choices in a general way is part of the fun. Arguing playfully but not persuasively is fine, and in fact encouraged. This is a very social game — the point is to have fun, not to win.

What stands out with this party game over the hordes of other party games is that you don’t have to be embarrassed as integral part of play. No silly charades or poorly drawn pictures. No revealed ignorance at not being able to answer a question. No dark secrets revealed. Well, unless you want to that is. The judge can spend as much or as little time explaining choices, and has total control over how personal (or revealing) those explanations are. One doesn’t have a deep personal stake in the game. Since cards are dealt randomly, what’s played reflects the randomness of players’ hands as much as what they think of you based solely on what’s been played. Couples cannot snipe if their partner doesn’t pick their card, since the choice is never clear-cut and there is no ‘right’ answer. No one has to admit to playing a card (unless it wins), so poor (even tasteless or potentially embarrassing) choices just get buried in the discard pile harmlessly.

The cheeky apple graphics are courtesy of John Kovalic (of Dork Tower fame). Each card has a micro description (in some cases rather cryptic and shamelessly American) of the item or adjective, though we considered them a guideline only. There is no reason ‘football’ has to refer to American football (though it probably does) or that ‘China’ can be considered a country and a fancy dinner plate. Being creative and off the wall is half the fun — and in fact is inevitable whenever ‘duct tape’ (gaffers tape) come up.

The only downside we found with Apples to Apples was that some of the cards are so incredibly American that they are practically useless. Fortunately, Out of the Box is working on a British version, to be released in 2000, which will be far more palatable on this side of the pond. However there really is no need to wait. Most of the 324 ‘red’ cards in the current version are universal and I counted a mere 30 that seemed a bit overwhelmingly Amero-centric (less tan 10 percent) — things like ‘My High school prom’, ‘Green bay Packers’, ‘Dennis Rodman’, ‘Martha Stewart’ etc. I would suggest a variant rule that allows players to discard a card that they don’t understand. Now this is a rule that could be abused; it requires people to be on their honour not to just chuck cards they don’t like. Having to play naff cards is part of the game and you never know when a card you think is useless will appeal to the judge just because it is so outlandish for the adjective in question. I’ve seen ‘sharks’ win for ‘delicate’ after all.

Apples to Apples is a very light but hilarious game. It is an excellent way to break the ice at a party, or to wind up a day of heavier games play. As one would expect from a party game, it goes well with drinks and sleep deprivation. I have never laughed quite so hard or so much during a game as I have during a game of Apples to Apples.

The box says it is for 4 to 10 player; however, having played it with upwards of 25 people, I find it works for any size group. If you’re playing it with 4, you might want to play a random card off the top of the deck, just to make the judging more interesting. It is surprising how often you cannot spot the random card.

This game is also very easy to jump in and out of — missing a round doesn’t matter much (or you can have folds play a random card from your hand while you tend to dinner, put the kids to bed answer the phone, etc.)

There is a rule to speed up the game, namely that the last ‘red’ card played on the table in a round is returned to the slow player. While it does add delightfully frantic and instinctive play, I find this variation a bit too manic for my taste. However, it is a fine way to keep contemplative players in check - -Apples to Apples should never be a contemplative game!

The game weight in at £17.95, which is not cheap, but considering you get 432 cards and a plastic card rack in a sturdy, fairly portable box, it seems more than reasonable. The cards are durable and reasonably thick. They seem to wipe clean fairly well.

All in all, Apples to Apples is a delight and well deserved the title of Party Game of the Year. It is a must have for any gaming group or event, and is an excellent choice for taking home to the family or trotting out at office picnics.

Just for the record, I would judge that ‘getting a Hug’ is the most sensual (in the right circumstances, with the right person, of course). Though I did find both ‘olive oil’ and ‘leather’ tempting.

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