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.
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Product Description
Your opponents can then respond to the topic, respond to what you said, or say anything else they want because that's politics.
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Family & School FriendlyThe Contender is used in schools across the country to teach the power of rhetoric in debate. |
Omni-PartisanDoesn’t pick a side or let players pick sides. Enjoyed by Red Team and Blue Team, even at the same time. |
Thoroughly ResearchedEvery card you play is based on a real quote from a US politician from 1776 to 2016. |
Reviews with images
Amazing Game - Wholly Authentic & Endless Fun
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.
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2016
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.
Amazing Game - Wholly Authentic & Endless Fun
Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2016
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...Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2016
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.
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2018
Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2016
Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2016
Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2016
