Relative Insanity Game Review

The idea for this undeniably amusing card game came to Jeff Foxworthy after he and his family tried playing Cards Against Humanity during a family event. He truly enjoyed it however some of the cards were too offensive and vulgar especially for the elders and the children so he decided to make a more family friendly version.

As a famous comedian he already had the experience of writing jokes, but this time he decided to only write 400 punchlines of things that sounded funny yet did not have the same ending effect as a joke, followed by a 100 set ups that involved relatives. This way by connecting the punchlines with the set up cards, the players can get a chance to create their own jokes and compete in creating the funniest one.

Since then the game has been presented on various respectable mediums and played by Jimmy Fallon, Rachel Ray and many people around the world who can relate to the craziness that happens when you gather all your family members together in one room.

Even the design of the box is ridiculous. The product cardboard container is yellow with black doodles of crazy family members on it and an opening quote that says: You can pick your nose but you can’t pick your family. This promising and witty design truly delivers with its hilarious content.

When unpacking the storing box, you will find the introduction rule-book as well as the two decks of yellow and red cards, carefully divided in 3 different piles, red being in the middle, and the yellow ones on the sides. The introduction guide will explain the rules which are pretty simple.

All you have to do is give each player seven yellow cards which are the funny Punchlines, without looking at the content on the cards, and place the red Set Up cards in the middle also with the content facing the table so the players are surprised each time they pick one up.

The objective of the game is to win the Set Up cards by coming up with the most hilarious remark. Anyone who makes the funniest joke and make most laughs will score a point by receiving the red card, so at the end of the game, the person with the most Set Up cards in his/her corner, would be crowned as a winner and as the craziest relative in the room.

It is truly a great group activity as it requires each member to be equally engaged and literally no one is spared. For example, every time you win a red card, you get to be the judge and decide whose joke is the funniest, and you also get to laugh on the expense on every member of your family.

This is probably the most entertaining family game we’ve seen on the market. It is so hard to stay indifferent to the punchlines since they seem to match the set up scenarios quite effortlessly. There are also limitless challenging situations so it is very unlikely to get the same result twice and this will keep the players exploring all the funny content for hours.

The whole idea is to loosen up the whole seriousness when family gatherings are taking place, since each individual has its own role that has to maintain. By representing everyone as insane and crazy, relatives get to be themselves and relax rather than to try to impress everyone on the table and keep a dignified front during dinner. Just imagine your strict aunt Karen rolling in laughter with tears of joy every time someone makes an indecent joke.

There is also a hilarious tension that happens each time players select their punchlines and hand over to the judging member. The judge gets to shuffle the cards and read each one of them with the set up included at the beginning. This way the game seems more objective since no one truly knows who made the joke and the anticipation of hearing the next line is exhilarating. Imagine finding out that Grandpa actually has the wackiest sense of humor in the whole family?

This game is extremely easy to play and comprehend since It pretty much resembles other card games like the notorious Cards of Humanity. It requires basic logic skills, using your imagination and being brave enough to face your family members with a risky joke that might leave them hysterically laughing. Even if you don’t necessarily have a great sense of humor, the jokes are intelligently crafted so each outcome can be funny and relatable. It is undeniable refreshing to escape the usual dad jokes and laugh at well written comedy content.

Every round there is an additional new yellow card so each member can have 7 options of punchlines and every time you win the Set Up card you become the Judge and you get to pick the winner. You might think that the simple system will make the game pass very fast however keep in mind that the whole game-playing experience will be flooded with witty comments, making fun of your relatives, taking long breaks for laughing and remembering funny memories that relate to the scenarios.

It might not strike you at first, since the game looks very simple, but its punchline outcomes are so versatile you will be surprised of how many options are there to one original Set Up. It is fascinating how many inappropriate punchlines can they appropriately fit with the randomly selected Set Up cards.

For example, you might get the following Set Up scenario: “I will never forget the day my grandpa said to me… (blank).” And the punchlines might involve: “My only regret is my job, my marriage and my children!” or “Does this feel swollen to you?” It is very entertaining and each round various different sets will have you laughing at simple sentences such as: “Having no filter between her brain and her mouth, my aunt said to my sister…. (blank).” This could be followed by a yellow card saying: “Well, at least Jesus loves you.”

Moreover, there are red cards that say: “I will never forget when my mother looked at me and said… (blank).” The possible answer could be: “You were conceived in a car wash.” It seems shocking however it is straightforward amusing. The creativity of Jeff’s mind might have you reading: “Right before we walked down the aisle, daddy leaned over to me and whispered (blank) - I’m not wearing any underwear.” It is almost impossible not to get a reaction from the audience.

The game is ended when one player has won 5 Set Up cards. And it’s also fun that the judge gets the final vote on who gets the red card. It makes relatives guess which card would impress their family member the most and make assumptions based on their character. This way you get to know their humorist tendencies and start appreciating quality time with your family members.

It is very important to respect the age range of this game which clearly states that you need to be 14 years old or an adult to play it. After all, some of the punchlines have drug related and sexual references which might leave younger players blushing and older ones feeling uncomfortable. However, if your children are teenagers above this age, it is safe to say that they’ve been introduced with more edgy content from their peers or the internet so it won’t really damage their further development. In fact, it might even make you feel more related to your family members by sparking controversial subjects. Adults and elderly people will greatly enjoy the jokes since it is truly a fresh and genuine way to bond with the family and tackle some sensitive issues. After all, nothing’s funnier than hearing something risky from your grandmother.

Relative Insanity is not pricey at all, the laughs you’re going to get out of this family bonding experience however, is truly priceless. It is meant to engage your whole family and provoke a lot of laughter so when investing in this product, keep in mind that you are buying a gift for everyone in the room. It doesn’t require any additional playing sets or further expenses, so you can rest assure your bank account will stay intact.

It has so many different outcomes that if you manage to keep it in a good condition, you will have a valuable and hilarious item to pass on from a generation to another. Its versatility also allows to play it over and over again without getting bored so we can all agree that that is truly the meaning of money well spent.

The comedian Jeff Foxworthy famously joked that almost everyone deal with relative insanity and if you can’t spot the crazy family member, it is most likely because it is actually you. There is really not much you can do since you don’t choose your relatives, so why not laugh about it. In fact, he spent a lot of the time on his farm with his family looking for a convenient way to entertain them when he came across the idea for a card game that would be appropriate for the aunts and uncles as well as the teenager in his family.

Now the punchlines might be too much for overly conservative and religious people, which let’s face it, we all know someone of that profile in our family, however it’s about time we create a more comfortable space amongst our love ones even if it means spotting some blushed cheeks in the audience. The longer you play it, the more people will begin to realize that everyone share the same family struggles and insecurities and soon enough you will begin to accept everyone’s quirky side.

It is truly a humbling experience to be able to interact with different personalities and age ranges through a fun and extremely hilarious journey. Since it’s a card game, you can take it on holiday trips, vacations, summer camps, college, sleepovers, dinner parties, almost everywhere. It is truly a long-lasting investment that will create a great emotional bond with your close ones and will leave you in tears of laughter whenever you get a chance to play it. With that said, not trying Relative Insanity would be truly insane.