We’re a bit late with this review, to be honest. We picked up a copy of Game of HAM last year at the C2E2 2022, but hadn’t gotten a chance to talk about it until now.
Anyway, we’re gonna start by being totally clear straight away: this game is SERIOUSLY not for everyone. This game is absolutely not for those easily offended by crude humour, insensitive jokes, obscenity, or anything that could be considered NSFW. It’s marketed as an ‘adult game,’ and while some may find the humour to be childish, kids ABSOLUTELY shouldn’t play it. Intended as a party game, Game of HAM is played when players have had a few drinks and are ready for some boisterous and/or suggestive banter. Okay, mostly the suggestive banter. Moving on…
Like Cards of Humanity, but Better
Game of HAM is a game that closely resembles Cards Against Humanity, but WAY better in our opinion. Players will be asked to complete the sentence or question on a grey prompt card using the ham-pink cards in their hand, and a player will decide which response is the funniest or most outrageous. If that’s all you want from the game, there are enough grey prompt and pink suggestion cards in the package to get you through twelve or more parties without ever seeing the same card twice.
Designer Bill S. Naim doesn’t stop there. A modular double-sided game board with several assembly options is also included in the box. It also includes coloured cards with special effects that can move your counter forward, or send it back. The grey prompt cards each have a letter (H, A or M) and a number on them. You get to move your token the specified number of spaces on the board when you win a card (by having your pink card selected as the best response). When you land on a coloured space, you can perform the action shown on the corresponding colour card.
A coloured card’s effect can be negated if you collect a series of prompt cards that spell HAM. All of this results in a simple race game that anyone who has ever played Snakes & Ladders will recognise, despite the lack of dice. However, it’s a game that offers some room for tactical manoeuvring in the context of where and when you’re likely to play it.
But wait… There’s more!
Actually, the game has a lot more going for it. It’s probably easier to think of Game of HAM as a toolkit for game play, rather than a single game, because the rule book provides a ton of variations and alternatives, both with and without the board. To be honest, several of the rule options risk over-complicating what is, at heart, a lighthearted ice-breaker party game. Still, players will appreciate being presented with all of the options.
You should decide how you want to play and just explain those rules, because the type of party where you’ll be playing this game is unlikely to be an appropriate place to sit down with people and have them read and choose from a bunch of rule sets.
Now, if you treat Game of HAM as a toolkit for creating your own pick-and-mix game, it is indeed possible to turn it into a game suitable for work, kids, and those with virgin ears, however, you’d just have to do a lot of careful editing to remove all the cards from the decks that might be considered offensive or in poor taste. You’ll definitely be removing a lot of cards, but Game of HAM comes with so many of them that you’ll still have plenty left for a great game!
All in all, if you’re bored of Cards Against Humanity, or just looking for something that’s both a board game and a hilarious party game, then consider giving Game of HAM a shot. If you want to try Game of HAM but can’t find it in your local game store, click here to get a copy directly from the publishers. Have fun!
