Wet Blanket is a super-quick card game where players work to sabotage one party so the party-goers will attend their shindig instead. Manage your hand well and feel the party's vibe to ensure your party is where it's at! There is also an expansion to this game which adds 54 more cards to help shake things up in new ways.
I'll give more thoughts on the game further down, but for now, let's take a deeper look at Wet Blanket so you can get a feel for it. Here we go!
As far as setup goes, Wet Blanket is one of the easiest games I've played. Start by laying out eight party guest cards into the center of the table (this is the "main party"), then deal four cards to each player. Done. Get playing.
The rules are simple. The first player plays a card then draws a card. The next player takes their turn in the same manner. This continues until the game ends, which happens when the main party is void of guests, or someone plays a card that ends the game, such as the card "The cops show up" (quick! What's the number for 9-1-1?). The player with the most party guests in their personal party at the end of the game wins!
A few more things to mention, of course, which will help you understand how gameplay goes down. Whenever a player plays a card, complete the action written on it. Some cards (event cards) bring guests to your party (i.e. take one or more guest cards from the main party or other players' parties), in which case they remain face up in front of you. This is your party. Make sure you have the most guests in your party when the game ends, or else you won't win. Of course, some cards (disaster cards) will take people from either your party or a different party, depending on who played it.
Other cards (food/music cards, veto cards, and super veto cards) also have certain actions on them that will help you win (or lose). Generally speaking, cards are only played by the active player on their turn, unless otherwise stated on the card.
The theme is basically that of dueling high school / college parties. One person's throwing a party, so others now have to as well. The sole object is to have the best party, so players much use hand management to play cards at the appropriate time in order to steal guests from other parties and lure them to their own.
You gotta fight for your right to paaaaaaarty!
The artwork is that of simple cartoons, which fit the feel of the game nicely. As far as quality goes, the cards feel about how you might expect any game card to feel like, so thumbs up there. The box is small, just big enough to house the cards and the tiny rulebook, making it very portable.
It's super simple and quick to play.
2-8 players makes it easy to play with groups of any size (well, groups of 2-8, at least…).
The cards are pretty straightforward, so anyone new to the game won't have a problem understanding what their cards do.
Much of the humor fell flat for me.
The theme could have been anything, really, to fit the mechanics. But, it certainly works for what it is.
Wet Blanket is one of those games that some people will love, but others won't particularly care for. You know your game preferences, so if this game looks interesting to you, then you'll probably really like it. It's beyond easy to learn and quick to play, making it good for starting off game night while waiting for the rest of the party to arrive.