Golden Bell StudiosThe Contender

I picked up The Contender because I've been a fan of Justin Robert Young's for quite some time - I have incredible respect for him and really dig what he does. My admiration of him aside, this game is genuinely exceptional. Let me break it down briefly...The game takes a few rounds to create a flow... in my play throughs, I've found that you want it to simulate a debate - That's why you have attack cards and retorts. Once your group gets the hang of the game, you can really create a compelling atmosphere that gets surprisingly immersive. Nothing is quite as fun as having the perfect card to abruptly respond to the last candidate's comment. I could see this process being held up a bit if the players played slowly, but my group got in a flow where we were yelling at one another, much like candidates, for well over an hour.This base box will actually last one play through, which took us a little over an hour. Your mileage will vary, and of course, you can cut it off at any time. As the game states, you can play it for 15 minutes if you want. We got through all 460 player cards and all 40 topic cards. It moves quick, since you're shelling out upwards to double digits in cards each topic card. That said, you could absolutely shuffle both decks, restart with the topics and player cards, and still get an entirely new game. You could play it for as long as you want and it wouldn't get boring.I'm not a fan of the "You copied Cards Against Humanity!" review here. I don't really think that's true - I enjoyed this far more than CaH. It flows totally different, the roles of the cards are reversed, (you fill the blank with the topic card word, not the other way around like in CaH.) Also, you own what you say, and you read it. The moderator isn't blind in their judgement. (Which makes sense, it's a debate.) Yeah, it has some similarities, but all card games take inspiration from others. The Contender does more than enough to make itself wholly original.I really, really wish I had backed the Kickstarter - I badly want the Politically Incorrect deck and would gladly buy it. (It's going to remain exclusive to backers.) Life happened, though, and I had to catch it here on Amazon. So glad I ended up getting it.Buy it! It's great fun.

More fun than it should be

Bought this for my boyfriend for his birthday (he loves american politics and watching the debates even though he is Canadian) and he loved it! We love playing board games but also always critiquing them but this game is flawless! Not only is it funny and fun for those who love politics but it also is perfect for those who have no politic knowledge at all! Great game for parties, family holidays and every situation in between!

You too can sound like a politician! The idea of this game is not to discuss the burning issues at hand but rather to offer up the most outrageous answers to the moderator's questions from the cards in your hand which are candidate quotes.Get the expansion pack too!  The Contender: Politically Incorrect Expansion Card Game

I bought this for my political scientist/philosophy major/aspiring lawyer boyfriend, and he loved it; not only did he love it, but we brought it to a game night, and everyone loved it, regardless of their political knowledge. Not more than 30 seconds passed before we were all laughing again. Really great group game. You definitely don't need background knowledge to play.

This game is ridiculously fun! Watching my friends take on personas from all over the political spectrum to push their (often outrageous) platform has me laughing out loud every time. Folks are a little intimidated by it a first, but it's shocking how good they get at it quickly. It's also just a lot of fun to read through the cards and wonder at the quotes from actual presidential candidates.

This game is so fun! You get introduced to a side not often seen, and the jokes that come out of it are pure gold.

Very poor and insufficient directions on how to play this game. Do not waste your money !!