I’m sorry Gamewright, theres’ only one way for me to put
this: There’s a Moose in the House is
the single most inane game I have ever played.
And it’s wonderful.
I usually prefer to play longer, more involved games with
lots of rules, but sometimes it’s nice to turn your brain off and enjoy
something simple and silly.
And silly it is! The
premise of There’s a Moose in the House needs no explanation. On your turn you’ll draw a card then play a
card if you can. You can place empty
rooms in other’s houses for moose to meander into on a later turn, close doors
in your house to keep those pesky moose out, or fill another player’s room with
a moose of the matching color. Watch out, though, they might have a trap to
snare the daring drifter before he has a chance to rifle through the
refrigerator, settle in for a sudsy bath, or tuck himself in with the tot’s
teddy bear.
The moose can’t cause any harm, though, if the front door is
closed.
When a moose with prize antlers that will make a happy
hunter’s trigger finger twitch is released into a residence you have to warn
the other player, “There’s a moose in your house!”, and when you close a door in
your own abode you have to yell, “SLAM!”.
At least, that’s what the rules say you’re supposed to do.
And why wouldn’t you?
It’s an asinine rule that underlines the silliness of the game, and as
dumb as it may be, I haven’t played with anyone that didn’t laugh out loud the
first time they heard another player fully embrace those words. I’ve had people almost spray their drink
across the table when I slid a straying moose to their side and slyly said,
“There’s a mooooossseee in your hoooooooooouse!”
You see, this game is ridiculous which is what makes it
fun. You’re probably thinking it’s
something that parents play once in a while with their (very) young kids, and
you’d be right, but I’ve never actually played this with a kid. In fact, I’ve never played with anyone under
30, yet we’ve all been able to embrace absurdity and enjoy this game for what
it is.
And that’s something we forget to do all too often.
When you’ve had a long day and come home exhausted,
sometimes you just want to play a game with your family or friends and not have
to think anymore. Or sometimes you need
a break at work to relax and recharge, and something like There’s a Moose in
the House is the perfect lunch time distraction. It’s 80% luck and 20% king making, and that’s
OK because it’s not pretending to be anything else. It’s lovely. With just a deck of cards to shuffle
setup is a cinch, and the game ends before the moose have had a chance to
overstay their welcome.
Women Like Board Games Rating:
**Full Disclosure: A dear friend gifted me this game as the very first contribution to Women Like Board Games. She obviously has a sense of humor!**
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