Dish the dirt in the Dirt board game

Game:
Dirt
Board game manufacturer:
Babooshnik
Number of players:
4-8 or more

Click here to read Alison Acklin's opinion of this game, or to leave your own comments about The Dirt Game!

Quick Verdict

A surprisingly fun adult party game, The Dirt Game is sadly hampered by a couple of design flaws. You probably won't take much notice (or care) if you play it in what we assume is the intended environment: with friends and possibly with drinks.

The Dirt board game will likely provide a fairly entertaining way to pass time with friends. You'll answer a few trivia questions, reveal a few mildly and not so mildly personal details and try to guess what your fellow players will also reveal.

Mostly you'll roll your eyes good naturedly at everyone's responses and defenses of their honor, as well as at the cheesy nature of some of the questions.

The game

Pick your player piece that is a painted clothespin. Grab the matching color 'voting' dial that looks like a washing machine control. If you're so inclined, write your name on a t-shirt shaped piece of paper (conveniently provided, as is a sharpened pencil) and clip it to your clothespin-shaped piece so you know where it is at all times.

The Dirt Game: set your voting dial and pass judgement on your friends' opinions. Roll the die (it looks a bit like a die) to determine which category of card you'll read from. Each of the five types of card in The Dirt board game have their own method of voting and scoring (see below), handily printed on each card. Follow these mini rules, advance your clothespin.

Start with the goofily 'retro' box that is made to look like laundry detergent and promises that 98% of players come clean! Add in the stipulation that the person who most recently did laundry rolls first and you start to get a sense of what The Dirt board game designers think of as clever conceits.

The core of the game (and the heart of whether or not you and your friends will enjoy playing) are the questions. Four of the categories contain cards ranging from harmless fun and vaguely interesting psychological questions to toilet humor and a variety of sex related stuff. Nothing screamed "Too much information!", but it all depends on your personal threshold. A sampling:

Have you... won more than $50 gambling? ...won a talent contest? ...had a three-way? ...dropped your toothbrush in the unflushed toilet?

I'm more excited about... a tip that relates to a hot new a) restaurant b) band c) money-making scheme

If I were absolute ruler, I would... a) eliminate the death penalty b) enforce enviro-friendly policies c) outlaw Speedos on men

When it comes to porn, I like... a) a storyline and good lighting b) the raunchy stuff c) only what's on broadcast TV

The Dirt Game: 500 cards will keep the game fresh. The trivia questions in the fifth category of The Dirt board game are mostly on pop culture with a bit of naughtiness sprinkled throughout (and some really lame flavor text accompanying some of the answers).

Here's how the card categories break down:

Without a Doubt - Everyone answers 'yes' or 'no' on their dials, and tries to pick the color of the player who will *without a doubt* answer 'yes' (you can select 'none'). Correct picks move ahead 2 spaces.

Soul Mate - Everyone selects 'a', 'b', or 'c' on their dials and tries to pick the color of the player they think will match their answer (their 'soul mate' as it were). Picking right moves you one space, but if you both select one another you both move ahead two spaces.

How Many - Everyone selects 'yes' or 'no' and then uses their dial to select how many players you think will answer 'yes'. Get it on the nose and move ahead two spaces. Miss by one and move ahead one.

In the Spotlight - Person reading the card picks 'a', 'b', or 'c' on their dial and everyone else tries to guess which one they picked. If anyone matches the person 'in the spotlight' they and the spotlighted all move ahead two spaces.

Dirty World - Trivia questions with three possible answers. Player who rolled tries to get the correct answer - right, move ahead three; wrong, swap places with the person in last place.