Libraries are a place of sanctuary, peaceful silence, and books galore to enjoy reading in solitude (unless you are reading to someone else of course). That said, Exploding Kittens love to do things differently and have some really loud librarians that shout all the time. Don’t be alarmed, they aren’t real librarians in real libraries, you don’t need to be put off from visiting your local library – they really are wonderful places (and if you are not using yours, you should be!). Really Loud Librarians is one of the newest board games from Exploding Kittens – where you and your fellow players are the shouting librarians!
We love to play board games in our house, we have regular game nights, and the kids love to play as much as the adults do – it is a great way to get everyone around the table having quality fun. Whilst we have a good variety of games to choose from, we love it when we get a new one to play, therefore were delighted when Exploding Kittens sent us one of their newest games – Really Loud Librarians. Whilst I love reading, it doesn’t involve any books (sadly), it is a merciless word-shouting board game.
In the box:
- Game Board
- 60 Category Cards
- 2 Librarians
- 20 Letter Tiles
- 14 Tokens
- 2 Score Markers
- Chain (3 plastic rings)
- Timer
- Instruction Manual
Really Loud Librarians is a board game for 2 players and can be played as a party game with 2 teams. It is suitable for players aged 8+ with a playing time of around 20 minutes. It is a game of knowledge, useless knowledge that you have picked up in various places and managed to retain but this useless knowledge will win you useful points to help you win the game.
This is a game of fast thinking and merciless shouting out of words (the librarians won’t be pleased, or will they in their race around the board?). Think fast, not hard.
Before you can start shouting, I mean playing, there are some formalities to complete with setting up the game to play. You will find 3 plastic rings in the box, these need clipping together leaving one big ring at the end (you will see an arrow on the rings to aid you and you will hear a click when the rings are attached correctly). Then you will find 2 black and 2 grey U shaped pieces of cardboard, these need slotting together so they look like an X, these are the score markers.
The board is placed in the centre of the table. The chain (assembled plastic rings) is placed on the board with the large ring on letter E and the rest of the ring on the letters L, S and K. The librarians (who I forget to introduce you to), Gertrude Birdwhistle and Wilfred Dankworth, are placed on the table next to the letter E. The score markers are placed on the scoring track in the centre of the board. The category cards are shuffled and placed next to the board (before playing you pick a category number and this is the number you play throughout the game so that number must be face down on the draw pile of cards). The 20 letter tiles are placed face down next to the draw pile and the 12 bonus tiles (6 of each colour are also placed next to the board). This only takes a couple of minutes so be quick about getting your drinks and snacks.
The game is played over several rounds – a round consists of each player/team taking a single turn (a turn lasts 60 seconds). Play starts with ladies going first, ladies as in the librarian Gertrude Birdwhistle not one you might have on your team. The librarian is clicked into place on the large ring on the chain, which is on the letter E. A letter tile is turned over and placed next to the corresponding letter on the board on the dot above the letter. Turn over the top card from the draw pile so everybody can see it and you will playing with whatever number you chosen before starting, e.g., category number 1 which might ‘say cat and dog breeds’. The other player/team then turns over the timer and you now have 60 seconds to shout out cat and dog breeds. Before you think that is too easy, the answers have to start with one of the letters in the rings on the board (E, L, S, or K). If you or one of your team members shouts out Shih Tzu (and it is a valid answer accepted by the other team) you move your librarian and the chain to the letter S on the board and then continue shouting out names that begin with the new letters displayed. You carry on until your 60 seconds are up. When you turn is up, remove your librarian from the chain and place it by the side of the board next to the letter that it was on (this marks how far you got). The chain is then moved back to E and Wilfred gets his turn taking a new card and playing the same way.
To win you need to score 12 points. After each round, the librarian that has got the furthest around the board gets 1 point and moves their score marker (X) accordingly on the score tracker in the middle of the board. You can also gain an extra point if you have landed on any of the letters that a letter token has been placed next to.
The next round starts from the position the previous round finished in. Play continues this way until somebody gets to 12 points and wins.
As you are relying on the other players regarding words used, they need to shout ‘Challenge’ to decide if it is incorrect. In this case the timer is put on its side whilst this is discussed.
Overall, I absolutely love playing this game. It works great as a two player game but is a lot better when played as teams (the teams don’t even need have equal number of players) – especially as in teams, players have to shout louder than a teammate to get their word heard – it is loud and hilarious, some of the answers that are shouted out under pressure are pure comedy.
The game is very simple to set up, the rules are easy to follow and the game play couldn’t be easier. The board is very well laid out and simple to move around. A fast and furious shouting word game that fun and entertaining and certainly not a game you can play in a library!
Really Loud Librarians is a really loud and lively game that might leave you with sore ears, a sore throat, a headache from all the shouting but you will also have a sore stomach from all the belly laughs (if you have thin walls you might want to invite the neighbours to play).
This is a perfect quick and fun party game that everyone with a voice and useless knowledge can play. It will leave you in stiches and it is excellent entertainment. Which librarian is going to have the loudest voice, Gertrude or Wilfred.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £19.99
For more information, visit www.explodingkittens.com. Available to buy from Amazon here.
Disclosure: I received this item for free for the purposes of writing an honest and impartial review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This review uses an affiliate link which I may receive a small commission from if you purchase through the link.
