Poo: The Card Game

Plays: 4Px2.

The Game

When the name of the game is Poo, you know you can't take it too seriously.

Poo is a card game in which players are monkeys flinging poo at one another. It's a free-for-all melee. Everyone can attack anyone else. Whoever receives 15 points of poo is knocked out. The last remaining monkey is the winner. Simple.

Everyone has a hand of five cards. On your turn you normally get to play one card. Some cards specifically allow you to play more than one card. The most common cards are the poo cards, which let you fling a certain amount of poo at anyone you want. There are defense cards which let you block poo when you are the one being attacked. There are clean cards which let you clean off some poo on yourself. There are mishap cards which you can play on an opponent's turn just before he flings poo, interrupting his action. There are also event cards which have many different effects. How the cards work are all written on them.

The Play

I played this game when I brought my family to Meeples Cafe. We used pen and paper to record our poo amounts, i.e. how much damage we had taken during the game.

When I played with my children, I automatically became public enemy number one. I was hit with poo left, right and centre, and was soon eliminated. We don't often play the kind of game which allows ganging up on a specific player. I normally don't go easy on them when we play games. So they happily grabbed this opportunity to team up to kill the boss.

All the cards have some text, some more than others. For first time players, you need a bit of time to read the cards. The card powers are all straight-forward though, so once you are familiar with them, gameplay is quick and smooth. There is not a lot to think about or plan ahead for.

The rightmost card is a mishap card, which you can play just before an opponent flings poo. This particular card forces to active player to fling his poo at himself.

Since I was knocked out so quickly, I could take a photo of my family.

This "The Big One" is rather disgusting if you have a vivid imagination. It hits an opponent with 7 points of poo.

The Thoughts

Poo is a casual game, a party game. It's silly fun. It's rowdy. It doesn't require much brain power. You can just relax and play. Some cards are quite powerful if you use them at the right time, and it is satisfying when you use them well. There are opportunities for clever play, but don't expect much depth from the game. This is a game where you target specific players. It should not be taken seriously, else it may result in hurt feelings. Being able to target specific players can make the game fun. You taunt, you cajole, you threaten, you reason, you persuade, you negotiate, you take sides, you make promises, you betray your friends, you try to divert attention, you beg for mercy. There can be plenty of player interaction in this game. How much fun you have with it depends a lot on the crowd and the atmosphere. There is not much strategy or game mechanisms to discuss. Poo is just a simple tool for friends to be doing something together. I think it works better with old friends. It might not work so well as an ice-breaker with new friends. Having to fling poo at someone you've just met feels awkward.