What’s a DAME to do?!
by Amanda Nettgen
(USA)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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