Crack List

If you’re a fan of trivia, word games, and a bit of chaos, Crack List fits the bill. With loads of categories to choose from, you can make the game as easy or challenging as you like while racing to shed your cards. While it’s designed for 2-8 players, you can double the fun by forming teams and take the game up to 16. Just remember, doubling the fun also means doubling the chaos!

Cracking it Open

Inside the box, you’ll find two decks of cards: red and blue. The blue deck has alphabet cards and special cards like Reverse, Stop, Swap, Crack List, and Jokers. The red deck holds the category cards, each offering three options to choose from. These categories are colour-coded by difficulty: green for easy, amber for medium, and red for hard.

Additionally, the game includes a link to the Crack List app, where you can purchase extra category cards to keep the gameplay fresh and challenging over time.

What’s the Crack?

The rules are straightforward, the first player to shed all their cards wins the round. Each round begins with players holding 8 cards, and a category is selected from the red deck. Players must then come up with a word that fits the category and matches a letter in their hand. For example, if the category is ‘Things You See on the Breakfast Table’ and a player holds the letter ‘E,’ they might say ‘Eggs.’ Players must respond quickly, and repeated words are not allowed. Other players can challenge an answer if they don’t think it fits. For instance, if someone shouts, ‘Breakfast Quiche,’ the group votes to decide if the word is suitable for the chosen category.

What sets Crack List apart are its special cards, which can significantly alter the flow of the game. These cards function like those found in Uno, adding strategic twists to each round. Here’s how they work:

● Reverse: Changes the direction of play, sending it back to the previous player.

● Stop: Skips the next player’s turn.

● Swap: Allows the player to exchange cards with another.

● Crack List: Reveals a new category, refreshing the game.

● Joker: Enables the player to use any letter in the alphabet.

Additionally, there are rewards for using certain letters. Playing an F, G, L, or M lets the player choose another to pick up a card. Letters like J, K, V, or W force a two card pick up, while the hardest letters, Q, X, Y, and Z let the player give out three cards. These cards can be given to one player or split among several. Using these cards strategically can be key to winning the game, especially if you use them to stop someone who only has one card left. It’s also super satisfying when someone draws the category, ‘Harry Potter’ and you can finally throw down that Q you’ve had since the start and shout, ‘Quidditch!’

The first player to win three rounds is declared the champion of Crack List.

Final Thoughts

Crack List is a fun word party game that’s easy to learn and enjoyable to play, with Uno style cards adding a dynamic twist to the simple concept. The tiered categories also mean you can play with younger players or test your mettle with more trivia style questions like famous female singers or countries in Europe.

My only qualm with Crack List is its winning conditions. When playing with more than 3 people this game feels endless as you wait for someone to hit their 3rd round win. To address this, we introduced a house rule where the first player to shed all their cards is declared the ultimate winner. This adjustment made it more enjoyable as you weren’t locked into an eternal word play slog. Also, there’s no timer included, so although the rules suggest quick responses, there is no set time limit. This means you have to enforce your own house rules again. Adding a timer would have been a nice addition to set a hard limit and make rounds super punchy.

Additionally, while Crack List can be played with just two players, it tends to feel more like a head-to-head battle with minimal banter, so I wouldn’t recommend it. This game shines when you have more people to mix up the words, change categories and add an element of mayhem.

Crack List is a crowd-pleaser, perfect for parties, family gatherings, and even lunchtime at work. If you enjoy word games and have a knack for tricky letters like Q, X and Z, you’re sure to have a great time with Crack List.