In a Bind Review

Ijn `a b vjubnds jusz `az VFDSW`Af – Sorry! I was playing In a Bind so I could only type with my elbow. My hands were busy. Don’t give me that look! Here, let me explain, it’s all quite innocent.

 

 

Players: 3-10

Time: 15ish minutes

Ages: 13+ (but more like 4+)

 

 

 

You start with a deck of cards placed in the centre of the table. Usually you don’t care about the centre of the table bit so much but this time you really might.

Gingerly, you’ll lift a card off the top and read it aloud

 

Then you’ll do what it says.

 

Then you’ll keep doing it

 

And each time it’s your turn you’ll draw another card and keep doing that too!

Until you’re looking with horror at that deck of cards because somehow you are going to have to draw another card off the top of that deck with all your limbs contorted in increasingly elaborate ways.

But of course, the simple joy of this game is that everyone else is in as much of a mess as you are and watching them scrabbling across the table to try and draw a new card is absolutely hilarious!

The key success of the game is in having the right mix of cards to tie you up in knots, all illustrated by the creator. The art might not be to everyone’s tastes and it is in black & white, but does the job very well. Some cards will have you touching a particular body part (your own body part!), others demand you keep that card touching part of yourself (and I love how their illustrations feature the card itself on itself on itself on itself…). Many of these tempt you to just balance it there… go on, you don’t need to hold it on your shoulder… but the moment it slips off you’re out!

Yes, there is player elimination in this game, the last player standing will naturally win. But that’s no problem here for two reasons. One, everyone is probably going to be going out at about the same time, and two, the entertainment in this game is really in watching your friends struggle and contort! Going out just means you can sit back, relax, and laugh at everyone else!

And it really is funny. In so many light card games the humour wears off as you get to know the cards themselves. Not so here as it’s the combinations of cards, the way your friends are having to move, that makes it funny.

And so the game starts easy, even slightly dry, but steadily things get harder, and harder and each new card gets a laugh because of where arms have already been placed. Then everyone has both hands holding something somewhere and they need to figure out how on earth they are going to reach the deck, and pretty soon after that everyone’s out and you have a winner!

 

In a Bind is a silly, simple filler game. I probably wouldn’t play it loads of times in a row but it certainly makes for a quick source of laughter at the end of a game night. There is some definite luck in the draw but this is one game where winning really doesn’t matter, and I can get very competitive in games! Indeed, being too competitive can leave you aching after holding awkward poses for too long, another reason that limits multiple plays in one go.

What it is though, is absolutely perfect for families, the utter simplicity of the rules and physical nature of the game making it great for kids. It’s also great for slightly drunk people and, since it plays up to 10, at parties! A little tipple of alcohol is only going to make things funnier! Do watch out for card damage though, between bending and occasionally mouths, cards might take a hit…

 

Basically it’s Twister the card game, just without requiring you to rub your bodies up against each other. I mean, you can still do that, but that’s not really the ethos they were going for here. Indeed, if Twister was the game of choice for sexually frustrated teenagers, In a Bind’s form of multiplayer solitaire makes it awful for them, but perfect for everybody else!

 

In a Bind: Expansions

What!? More words! More review! More In a Bind!

 

In a Bind: Expansions contains 3 sets of extra cards to add to In a Bind. The first set are your ??WHAT?? cards, which are utterly brilliant and should be added to every single game of In a Bind you play. They leave it up to the player on your right to decide where you need to stick said card, or to choose something you need to be touching. Like the underside of the table. Or the floor! They let your friend’s imaginations shine through. Only rule is, don’t be a dick.

No, really:

 

The other cards make you do something either whenever someone draws a card or whenever you draw a card, with the later applying to everyone from the moment someone draws the card. Don’t worry, you don’t have to do all these simultaneously, but you do still need to be applying all the usual card effects. They extend the game a bit, but really up the silliness, especially when one player is barking like a dog every turn while another is whispering the drawer’s name. Really fun, but I’d recommend only shuffling in a few at a time as with too many it just gets ridiculous without really advancing the game.

Overall, a great little expansion. I’d almost say a must have for those ??WHAT?? cards, but the base game certainly stands on it’s own merits. If you enjoy In a Bind though, definitely check this one out!

In A Bind Junior

Finally, we have the colourful collection, In a Bind Junior! This stand-alone game combines a choice selection of cards from the other two sets, with a couple of unique extras thrown in, that are easier to play with kids. Or at least, I expect so. I was unable to procure a child in time to properly test this. For those with young families this is a great one to look at.

 

Altogether In a Bind takes a simple concept, can we play Twister with cards? And runs with it to create an experience that is hilarious fun! The real joy of this game is not in what comes out of the packet, it’s that you get to spend time focussed on your friends. Sometimes board games forget that is the important thing. In a Bind reminds us.

Overall Rating: A Great Bind

My copies of In a Bind and it’s expansions were provided to me by it’s designer and publisher, Bez. Copies are available direct from this website for £9.00 (less for the expansion/junior editions) or £15.00 for the collection. World wide shipping for only £2 too!