What’s a DAME to do?!

What’s a DAME to do?!

by Amanda Nettgen

(USA)

What's a DAME to Do?! wins our first ever GOLDEN FOOTPRINT award! Click to buy from Amazon.Click to buy this item from Amazon!Game:
What’s a DAME to do?
Board game manufacturer:
Games for Dames/Sisters 2 Inc.
Number of players:
2-8
Ages:
Adult

Quick verdict

What’s a DAME to do?! is a hilarious party game that pits players as DAME-sels in distress. It’s all about guessing what a fellow female would do via random Reaction Cards to various womanly problems (and, no not just “that” kind of womanly problem).

The game and gameplay

First, assemble your group, as I believe you’ll probably find this game the most fun with more than a few people. Have each participant choose which of the eight Score Folders – featuring models that look like “real” women – that they’d like to use.

BoardgameBeast GOLDEN FOOTPRINT award winner! Click here to Put Your Foot Down: submit your OWN Footprint Rating and leave comments for this game!Have them also pick up the corresponding Hilarious Card and Guessing Chip (sorry, no trying to be fashionable by mixing and matching the colors; you don’t want to get confused). Each player then gets ten Reaction Cards – a hand that they keep to themselves.

Gather as many Dilemma Cards as there are players, except for two- and three-player games, in which you’ll have six cards. Whoever needs the most therapy goes first (just kidding!). But seriously, rotate the board to face this player and pass them the stack of blue Numbered Chips.

The woman in the What’s a DAME to do?! spotlight flips over the topmost Dilemma Card and reads it aloud. An example is: “At a restaurant I’m wearing new shoes with higher heels than usual, causing me to fall into the dessert cart, what’s a DAME to do?!” Dilemmas are usually not everyday events, but still they’re entirely possible and sometimes elicit a chuckle themselves, before any Reaction Cards have been read.

The diva with the Dilemma will want to try her best not to make any comments or facial gestures after the card has been read, otherwise she may tip the other contenders off in regards to what she would do.

What's a DAME to Do?! wins our first ever GOLDEN FOOTPRINT award! Click to buy from Amazon.Click to buy this item from Amazon!The other players now search through their pool of Reaction Cards and choose the one(s) that they think Ms. Dilemma would likely do (or not). All players hand their choices to the card reader, who shuffles them and reads them out loud as she lays them down one by one.

Seeing people’s Reaction suggestions is where the fun part of What’s a DAME to do?! comes in, because sometimes you have no choice but to lay down something silly based on what was available in your Reaction hand.

An example from the online video is that a woman walked into an elevator and accidentally brushed into a man’s crotch, and someone laid down the Reaction, “Say you’re on a scavenger hunt”.That’s okay, though, because all players have a Hilarious Card to get rid of, kind of like an award for someone else’s sense of humor. You’ll lose four points if you never spend your Hilarious Card, so don’t hold back in acknowledging a fellow player’s wit!

After the options have literally been laid on the table, the Dilemma Dame secretly chooses which card is closest to what she’d actually do if she found herself in the given situation. She sorts through the blue Numbered Chips and places the corresponding digit facedown on the board.

BoardgameBeast GOLDEN FOOTPRINT award winner! Click here to Put Your Foot Down: submit your OWN Footprint Rating and leave comments for this game!The other What’s a DAME to do?! players, in turn, lay down their personal marker and explain WHY they think the Dilemma Dame would do that. When everyone’s done, it’s time to reveal what the lady with the potential problem would actually do. Consult the handy key at the bottom of the game board to determine scoring.

A person who gave a funny answer and was awarded Hilarious Cards (worth two points) takes those cards and puts them in their Score Folder. The player who ultimately supplied the response that the Dilemma Dame chose wins the Dilemma Card (one point), and everyone who determined what the Dilemma Dame would do correctly gets an unused Reaction Card (three points) to put in their folder.

The What’s a DAME to do?! board is shifted and a new Dilemma Dame is now up. Have everyone refresh their Reaction hand back up to ten.

When you run out of dilemmas (in the game, not in life), have everyone open their Score Folder and tally their points. Remember to subtract four points if you forgot to pay a compliment with your Hilarious Card. The lady who is packing the most points is the DAME winner.

There are also honorable mentions:

Most Hilarious Cards = You’re Dame Hilarious!
Most Reaction Cards = You’re Dame Intuitive!
Most Dilemma Cards = You’re Dame Lucky!

Pros and cons

What’s a DAME to do?! is simple yet genius. You couldn’t ask for a better activity to play at your bachelorette party, baby shower, or associated girls’ night.

It’s practically a no-fail gift for any lovely lady in your life, so long as she likes to laugh. And some guys won’t mind playing, either!

The only con I can think of about this game is that there are only 52 dilemma cards, but I guess that’s why they have 240 reaction cards, to compensate. Some of the situations might seem stereotypically female.

The verdict

If you want something to spice up the monotony of everyone just eating and talking about their kids, try bringing What’s a DAME to do?! to your next social situation. It could very well be – as Avril Lavigne would say – the best DAME game that your eyes have ever seen.

Boardgame Beast gives What’s a DAME to do?! the maximum FIVE footprints out of five and our first ever GOLDEN FOOTPRINT award! Click here to leave comments and submit your OWN score for this game!

Comments for What’s a DAME to do?!

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Dec 06, 2010

They lowered the price!

by: Anonymous


Hey girls…What’s a DAME to do?!, the Best Girls’ Night Game Ever, just got Better! We gave it a facelift, a little nip and tuck here and there and even nipped the price! Still available on Amazon and at www.gamesfordames.com too. Thanks Amanda for your review!!

Games for Dames : )


Jun 22, 2010

SO SO FUN

by: Anonymous


I’ve played this game with good friends and with a mix of new and old (young and old too!) and it is always really fun. Sometimes we play for hours and sometimes just one round because then we just end up gabbing and eating and drinking. All in all a great game for any time I get the girls together. Truly, we laugh out loud every time.


Apr 08, 2010

So so fun for all girly nights/events

by: Bridget


This is a really accurate review. My friends and I play this often. The last time was at a Bachelorette party. We doubled up because we had more than 8 players and took turns being the Dilemma Dame. We laughed so so hard. We also play just with our friends at each other’s houses and have even brought it out to a bar one night. Great game, great review.


Apr 08, 2010

I LOVE THIS GAME!!

by: Laura


I first played the game at a friend’s bridal shower and played it at my bachelorette party. My Sister-in-Law is planning to play it at her bridal shower this weekend. She’s a bit nervous about her fiance’s family and her friends meeting, and knows it will be a great icebreaker!


Jan 23, 2009

OMG!

by: Samantha K.

What a fun game. I don’t normal participate in these reviews but I played What’s a Dame to Do? the other night with my sister and two neighbors and we had so much fun! It’s different than all the other games out there. My sisters birthday is comming up and I’m going to surprise her with this game. She’s going to love it!


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