The world is going to hell. With prospective candidates for President like these, it isn’t hard to see why.
Terrible Candidates is a party card game, created by Half Monster Games, for 3-8 players. Players take on the role of Candidate, Moderator, or Media as they attempt to figure out which of the group wouldn’t be the worst to put in charge. Those who successfully sweet talk the group win the Presidency, and all the power it contains.
At the start of a round one player is declared Moderator. This player draws and presents the topic, as well as watches the time and generally keeps the other players on track. Two players take on the role of Candidate. These players choose a Policy card from their hand to use as their theme for the topic, and they expound the virtues of their made-up position for 30 seconds.
The rest of the players become the Media. At the culmination of both speeches each Media player may ask a question to a single Candidate. Candidates must answer, though once each round they can employ a cry of “Fake News!” to avoid addressing the query. Media players vote on their favourite candidate, who gets to keep the Topic card as a point.
Play continues in a knock out style of play, with successful Candidates progressively facing off against one another as either first or second speaker. At the culmination of the game the player holding the most Topic cards is declared the winner and given The President card as recognition of their efforts. This isn’t just for show though, as if multiple games are played the person holding The President card is responsible for breaking ties.
Terrible Candidates falls easily into the same space that other player directed party games, like Cards Against Humanity, land in. It adds some skill to the concept though, with players needing to combine their Topic and Policy cards into a single thought. Which should give players more of a feeling of control over the proceedings.
Rounds don’t feel too overwhelming. The official rule of 30 seconds should be more than enough for the average player to formulate some kind of response. While groups of players with more flair can bump the time up as they see fit. Plus, with only two players doing the talking, a Topic doesn’t hang around for too long and the game proceeds at a quick pace.
Like most party games of this ilk players may need to fudge some stuff to get it to work. Players are supposed to draw five Policy cards at the start of the game, but there aren’t enough Policy cards in the deck for seven or eight players. Which is strange, because the game works best at the higher number of players.
In fact, while the minimum player count is three, in practise it can be a challenge to make work. With two Candidates debating, the third player is left to be both Moderator and Media. Diving attention between the clock and the speeches is likely going to be difficult for some people. The optimal number of players appears to be six, as it provides an odd number of Media voters. The game does include a tie breaker mechanic, but it involves a coin flip, which is bound to draw ire from some players.
The game itself is generally well made. Both card stock for cards and box are well chosen. The cards feel right, and have had some attention paid to the layout design. While the box is incredibly sturdy, and small enough to fit into a pocket. In the copy I was given some purple Topic cards had visible markings on the face, making some cards easily identifiable. Though for how a game like this plays that doesn’t matter so much. Plus the box could use a cut out of the lip, as separating the base from the lid can prove quite difficult.
While the rules are straight forward, how they are presented does seem a little confusing. It can be difficult to understand some of the processes described, particularly how the rounds are structured. But party games like this are commonly house ruled, so it is likely a group of players will muddle their way through and decide on how the game works best for the group between them.
Of course, then there is the political theme. It’s less pasted on, as much as boldly emblazoned in a totalitarian kind of way. It’s not particularly subtle, either in its political visuals or content, but it doesn’t seem like that is the intention. Rather it tries to emulate the pompous, self aggrandising, writ large mentality of some brands of politics. An approach which will undoubtedly turn off as many players as it attracts.
Terrible Candidates doesn’t really bring anything new to the party game genre. Sure, it takes the staple mechanics and spins them out into performance-themed gameplay, but it hits the same basic beats as most others in this class. Still, it does this with a certain style and intent in mind, which makes the overall experience feel like more than your average entry.
It’s easy to learn and transport around, and with the right crowd is bound to fill twenty minutes or so with some absurdist interpretations of modern politics. Which might be exactly the thing some people need to blow off some steam. Just watch out who you leave in charge.
Terrible Candidates is designed and published by Half Monster Games. It is available now through the Half Monster Games online store.
