It’s Kind of a Fun Story review – Get silly/deep/uncomfortable/raucous and make a connection with your friends and family!

I’m going to start this review out and say that I’m not a big fan of party or social games. There isn’t a lot that appeals to me after an initial playthrough and trying to get something back to the table very rarely happens. Give me an analytical, brain melting, puzzle of a game that could take a few hours and I’m in my happy space. When tackling It’s Kind of a Fun Story, I went in not expecting a whole lot. I walked out with some great experiences and a deeper understanding of my family and friends.

It’s Kind of a Fun Story is the debut game from Pop Haus Collective. The idea behind the game is that everyone has a story to tell and the creators wanted to create a fun, safe space for players to share. The game is meant for 3-10 17+ aged players and has a variety of different suggestions on how to play the game, but also leaves it up to the players to craft their own experience.

When playing a structured game, players are dealt a Nope card and two Hear Me Out cards. On a turn, the next player draws from the top of the deck and reads out the card. There are a variety of different cards in the deck:

• Story Cards: the most common card available, the player reads the prompt and answers the question with their best story. If no player challenges the story, then the player will earn two points for fulfilling the card. Examples of story cards are things like: When was a time you went out and treated yourself? Or what’s something your life is missing and how would your life improve if you had it?
• Left or Right Cards: The player will read the prompt and decide who best matches the card from the players to their left and right. The best match gets the card and point. Some cards have the players performing tasks and the drawing player determining the best act or answer. Examples of these cards include who would chicken out in the plane before skydiving or the player on each side must describe what two accessories an action figure of you would come with, and you choose the most accurate.
• Point a Finger cards: With these cards, on the count of three, everyone points to the player that best matches the prompt. The winner gets the card and a point. Examples include who would get called the wrong name and not correct a person, who would most likely blame a fart on someone else, or who would pack up and start over at a moment’s notice?
• Everybody Answers cards: These cards are similar to the point a finger cards, but everyone gives their best answer to the prompt and then everyone votes for the best answer. Winner gets the card and a point. These cards include things like what would be the one song you would listen to for the rest of your life if you could only choose one, or if you could only choose one thing to take from your house in a natural disaster, what would it be?

When voting, if there is a tie, the tied players get 30 seconds to persuade the other players to their side and another vote happens. If still tied, a good old rock/paper/scissors battle decides the fate of the card.

Three other cards change the game a bit as well. The Hear Me Out card gives players a chance to steal the points if they think they can tell a better story. A vote decides the fate of the card. Players only get two Hear Me Out cards a game, so they must use them strategically. After they run out, players can use a Take a Chance card to try and steal the card as well. Whether they win or lose, the Take a Chance card will subtract one point from their total.

The final card in the game is the Nope card. The game is meant to bring people together, but since everyone comes from different backgrounds and experiences, different topics could be triggering. Players can always pass on a card, but the Nope card is a cancel card and ends discussion of the topic or a story, allowing the active player to start their turn over. 

Depending on the group, you can play to a set number of points or use the game as a warm-up to other activities in the night. There are even rules for playing in teams and modified rules for playing online with friends in different areas. The creative team also includes a storytelling guide for those who aren’t the greatest at telling stories as well as  tips for keeping the game rolling for those who love telling stories but may be instituting a verbal headlock of other players.

The artwork of the game has vibrant colors and an art style reminiscent of childhood game shows. It has a welcoming vibe. The high quality cards definitely need some warming up and breaking in, but the text is easy to read and the different icons and colors on the cards make it easy to distinguish card types.

This game is a warm hug. The questions that are included in the game are inviting on a different level than games of similar styles. While there are some R-rated cards that are easily removed, the game is anything but raunchy and off-putting. Rather, it welcomes and draws you deeper into the stories of other people. When playing with some family members who live in different states, it was great to hear them expound on what has been going on in their lives and hearing stories of hurt and struggle and overcoming obstacles. This game gave my family a way of learning more about my wife and her background. I was even able to learn more about my sister, who is only a year younger than me and see the things she remembers from our childhood and laugh about shared memories that I had forgotten. This game invites you to look past the superficial and allows you to tell your stories in a safe setting, to lean in or out depending on where you are, but ultimately to draw a group of people closer together. In the end, the point system is relatively arbitrary and the game serves as a way to get to know each other again or for the first time.

You can pick up a copy of It’s Kind of a Fun Story exclusively at your local Target and online here.

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