Meow: Super Silly ... and Fun
So one of my favorite gaming experiences ever was during church youth group playing Laugh. If you haven't played, you should. Go find some people and try this. Now.
Lay on the floor with your head on someone's stomach. Someone else lays their head on your stomach. Keep doing this until there's a whole chain of people laying on the floor with their heads on someone else's stomach.
The first person says, "Ha." Next person: "Ha ha." Third person: "Ha ha ha." You see where this going.
The catch. You're not allowed to laugh. The tummies are what's funny because you can feel the person's stomach shaking as they try not to laugh. Which will make you want to laugh.
If you're saying, "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard," you'll probably hate Meow. But if it made you smile or remember some equally dumb game you played as a kid, you should watch this review.
Or you can read the humorless written review I wrote at News for Shoppers.
OTHER REVIEWERS' OPINIONS
It's tough to find other reviewers' opinions of Meow. I think that's because they like it but they don't want to. (I'm basing that on absolutely nothing, so feel free to flog me in the comments.) Because there's nothing cool or sophisticated about it.
Designer Chris Cieslik does explain how Meow came to be and demonstrates the game with Board Game Geek TV.
In fact, I couldn't find another actual review of the game.
But a few folks on Board Game Geek have expressed their opinions. Here are a few:
JesseW sums up the thoughts pretty well with this: "More fun than it has any right to be!"
Tom Conder said, "I"m pleased that none of the kittens explode." So am I, Tom. So am I.
Destroy said it was more activity than game. Probably right.
And Zander Pratt-Evansby rounds out the comments with this: "I can't figure out if this is the most brilliant game ever, or the stupidest game ever. Time will tell, I suppose ..."
FOR NEWBIES
Don't overthink.
Seriously. That's it.
KID-FRIENDLY?
And then some. The box says ages 8 and up, and a younger child might not get the point.
But my 4-year-old loves the cute kitties and the "Not Meows," so we just turn over the cards and say what they are.
Not a game, but a nice little activity for the two of us.
WHAT MY HUSBAND WANTS TO DO TO THE GAME
Andrew likes to play through the whole deck. The winner of each "round" gets their stack.
The person with the most stacks wins.
Still only takes about five minutes.
WHAT I GOT WRONG THE FIRST TIME I PLAYED
I'm incredibly embarrassed to say a got a rule wrong playing Meow, but I did.
The first couple of times we played, we didn't have a correct accuser win. The accused was eliminated and we kept playing.
You can say it. I suck.
FULL DISCLOSURE
In case you didn't watch the video or read my review at News for Shoppers, you should know I got a review copy of Meow from Asmadi Games. That doesn't affect my objectivity. I just have a silly side.
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