Cards Against Humanity is a multiplayer card game that up to 20 people can play at once. It is best described as a darkly humorous or inappropriate version of Apples to Apples.
Warning: this game can be extremely awkward or uncomfortable to play with parents or other people who may be easily offended. Cards Against Humanity is best played in the presence of close friends and is most popular among high school and college-aged people.
A basic deck has 550 cards total. It consists of white cards, which have either a noun or gerund phrase printed on them, and black cards which present either a fill in the blank statement or a direct question. These cards include political, sexual, racial, medical and other popular culture topics.
Each game has the potential for many different hilarious and disturbing card combinations. Entire games can be played without shuffling and replaying the deck, which is often necessary in other card games.
The game begins as each player draws ten white cards. One player is then labeled as the “Card Czar.” This position is determined by which player had the most recent bowel movement. Discovering who is the Card Czar sets the “no-boundaries” tone for the game.
The Card Czar picks up one black card and reads it out loud. The rest of the players choose one white card from their hand that fits the black card in the most funny or disturbing manner. The players place the white cards chosen face down in a pile and hand them to the Card Czar. Each player then picks up a card to replace the one they put down.
The Card Czar rereads the black card out loud completing it with each white card. All players laugh and enjoy the answers without giving away which card was theirs. The Card Czar chooses the white card he or she likes best and whichever player put down that card receives an “awesome point.”
Another player takes over as Card Czar for the next round and the game continues in the same manner. The game continues until players have had their fill of laughter and occasional cringing. The player that has the most awesome points at the end wins.
These rules are flexible and can easily be altered at the discretion of the players. The Cards Against Humanity website features suggestions for rule alterations, but encourages players to really make the game their own. Some players also throw in a number of blank cards to create their own questions and answers.
Cards Against Humanity holds a Creative Commons License. Sets are available for purchase and as well as free download online at cardsagainsthumanity.com. Expansion packs are also available for purchase online.