Relative Insanity Review

21/01/2023

I bet lots of you have board games in the house, and if so, I bet a good majority of them, if not all, are family games. Am I right? But where are the games for older teenagers and the adults? Whilst family games are great and lots of fun, sometimes we just want to play something that bit more adult, I would have said grown-up but let’s face it, not all games for grown-ups could be considered grown-up as party games can be designed to bring out your inner child just using more adult themes. Welcome to Relative Insanity – a game for all the crazy family members in the house and certainly for ones with a wicked sense of humour.

Relative Insanity is not a board game but a tabletop card game that has been created by American comedian Jeff Foxworthy. It is suitable for 4 to 12 players, aged 14 years old and upwards. There is no board to setup, no dice to roll, no counters to move, no pictures to draw and certainly no questions to answer. All that is in the box is 500 cards, but this isn’t a game of dealing cards and playing a hand, this is an hilarious speaking game that even the crankiest, grouchiest and most cantankerous teenager or miserable family member will find funny (it might even put a smile on the face of Wednesday Addams).

In the box:

400 Punch Line Cards (Yellow cards)
100 Setup Cards (Red cards)
Rules

Intrigued? Think it sounds lots of crazy fun? Read on.

Relative Insanity is a hilarious game that turns each and every player into comedians. How does it do this I hear you ask. Simple, with the aid of Setup and Punch Line cards. A Setup card is read out and all the players have to provide a punch line to it, scoring a point for the funniest answer – the first to five points wins.

Now for a warning. If you get offended easily, lost or broke your funny bone or really don’t have any sense of humour, this probably isn’t the game for you. It is different every time that you play it, and some of the answers are just insane, outrageous but absolutely hilarious.

Playing the game is very simple. Each player is dealt seven yellow Punch Line cards and the remaining cards are placed face down in the centre of the table. The red Setup Cards are placed face down next to the Punch Line cards. The starting player, the one who owns the game and not the youngest player, picks a red Setup Card off the top of the pile and reads it aloud to the other players, so for example:

“WHEN MY BROTHER BROUGHT OUT HIS NEW BABY TO SHOW TO THE FAMILY, GRANNY BLURTED OUT…”

This is where the game gets interesting, side-splitting hilarious fun and involves all the other players.

The other players have seven Punch Line cards in front of them which they will have a good look through and choose one that they think will be the funniest answer to complete the phrase on the Setup Card. For example, one might choose:

“YOU ARE NOT THE FATHER”

When each player has selected a card that they think has the answer that will illicit the most laughs, everybody passes their card over to the player with the Setup Card. These cards are then shuffled so the players do not know whose card is what. The Setup Card is then read aloud again followed by reading aloud the answer from each Punch Line card. Some of the answers are absolutely hilarious, bringing a barrage of laughter to the table.

Game play will continue once all the laughter has subsided. This requires a winner of that round to be chosen. The winner is decided by the player who played the Setup Card. That player must carefully consider which answer was the funniest and awards the player whose card it was a point by handing them the Setup Card. The Punch Line Cards that have been played so far are then taken out of play and each player then replenishes their hand from the pile of face down Punch Line cards. Play continues around the table until one player has five red Setup cards and is declared the winner.

Example round:

Avery reads the Setup Card, “While walking past my sister’s bedroom, I heard her say…”

Mary, Scott, Ryan and Julie hand over the Punch Line Cards to finish the phrase, with answers:

“Hell yeah, they’re real!”
“It’s not my fault! It just popped out!”
“I think there was weed in the brownies!”
“Give him a break, he just got out of jail.”

Avery chooses “While walking past my sister’s bedroom, I heard her say… Hell yeah, they’re real!” as the funniest (after much laughter!).

Scott reveals that is the card he played (of course!), so he takes the red Setup Card as a point!

Overall, I and my fellow players, found Relative Insanity to be a gut-busting funny game. Very simple game to play and much more grown up. A fun party game for family and friends – think of it as a toned-down version of Cards Against Humanity.

We loved playing a game suitable for just the adults where we didn’t have to change any rules to accommodate the kids. It is definitely a game for teenagers and adults, but be warned, if you are of a very conservative nature, prudish or completely humourless then you will have a problem with some of the punch lines and maybe not enjoy the game as much as others. Whilst the punch lines are not very offensive, they might cause some blushes around the table. With punch lines such as “She only seems stupid when she talks”, “Does he ever take his hand out of his pants?” and “I just vomited a little bit in my mouth.” it is guaranteed to give most players a laugh and gets everyone (teenagers as well as adults) away from their phones, tablets, televisions and other screens.

“Winner winner, chicken dinner” – Relative Insanity is just that. A game for adults and teenagers, it is a fantastic fun and a hilarious party game for game nights when the kids have gone to bed. With 100 Setup cards and 400 Punch Line cards the game is different every time it is played and the different combinations ensures that the game will be played and loved for a very long time.

Rating: 5/5

RRP: £19.99 (currently £7.99 on Amazon)

For more information, visit PlayMonster. Available to buy from Amazon here.