The tagline for Babble (Cactus Game Design, 2005 - no designer credited) says, "A fast paced, Bible based, outrageously fun game!" Since Cactus Games has put out some excellent Christian games such as Settlers of Canaan, I had high hopes for what appeared to be a party game. After reading the rules, I was convinced that Babble would be an excellent large group game - something I was certain of because I had played a variation of the game in youth groups before.
I was indeed correct. When played in a large teenager setting, whether it was in my youth group or at school, the game went over very well. However, two things were clear. One, the game had only a superficial Bible theme, at most. Secondly, the game really didn't go over well with adults - it was too noisy and chaotic with too high of a luck factor. I enjoyed my playings of Babble, but each one I enjoyed slightly less, to the point where I would certainly not ask to play it again - it's just too exhausting and doesn't really have a fun payout. Babble includes a lot of yelling, but I'm not sure an equal amount of fun is present.
The game comes with six decks - each with a different topic (People, things, animals, symbols, places, and books). One deck is chosen for each "group" of players (in which a group could contain up to eight people). The deck is shuffled and placed face down - with two cards dealt to each person. A pair of dice is also placed somewhere on the table where all players will have easy reach of them. One person shouts "Go!", and the game begins.
Each player starts to call out the words written on either of their cards (for example, a people card has the five names Aaron, Boaz, Michael, Mechidzedek, and Samson on it). Whenever a player hears another player shout out a name that is also on one of their cards, they place their card on the table so that the shouting player can verify that they have a match. One of the two matching player then picks up a pair of dice, while the other player calls out "odd" or "even." The dice are rolled, and one player keeps the cards, depending on whether the caller was right or not.
Each player then draws another card and continues play. This persists until the cards in the deck run out. At this point, players finish up any cards in their hands (if they can) and total the number of matches that they have accumulated. Another deck is chosen, and play continues. After all six decks have been gone through, the player who has the highest score is the winner!
Some comments on the game…
1.) Components: The box comes with six decks of cards and four pairs of six-sided dice. Everything fits comfortably into a plastic insert, which holds the decks fairly well. The cards themselves are less quality, than I would have chosen - especially since they go through a fair bit of manhandling during the game. The decks are easy to read and have a funky bit of party décor, but just fall a little flat for me. The box itself is slightly mediocre quality and certainly has the look of a party game.
2.) Rules: The rules are on one side of a single sheet of paper; and really, I think they were stretching them out to take up that much space. When explaining the rules, especially to big groups, I have found it to be remarkably easy - it's a party game after all.
3.) Words: Each deck has fifty cards, with five words on each that have to do with the topic. I'm not sure about how many words are scattered amongst each deck, although I haven't yet had a time where there wasn't at least ONE match between some players. The word choices themselves are interesting - especially in the places deck, as I think its great fun to watch students pronounce the names of ancient historical places, such as Antioch, Capernaum, Gomorrah. That aside, the themes on the different decks really don't make much of a difference - other than to give the players new words to shout.
4.) Theme: They're words found in the Bible. That's it. You could replace them with other words with no change.
5.) Fun Factor: At first, it's great fun to hear everyone shout out the words. Some players refuse to say the words much themselves, relying on their hearing to get the matches they need. That part of the game is a riot for many folk, as they enjoy the chaos and utter insanity that the game can bring. This is why I've found the game to be a big hit, especially among junior high kids, as they absolutely thrive on the sheer noise that can be generated by the game. Adults aren't so easily amused; because while many won't mind the noise, they want more than simply noise, but fun added to the mix. The fact that the winner of each match of cards is determined by a simple die roll squashes what little fun the noise raised for many people. Several told me that they had no control over the game, that their fate was determined by the roll of the dice. And after the games I've played, I've come to the conclusion that this is indeed the case.
Because of this, I've concluded that Babble! will be enjoyed by two types of players. Teenagers and those who like lots of noise and luck combined. Are you a teacher or a church youth group worker looking for a game to keep the kids active and having fun? Then Babble might be just what you are looking for. Everyone else should pass.
Tom Vasel
"Real men play board games"
www.tomvasel.com
