Who wouldn't want to date someone with the head of an Angel and a Body of a Champion?
| Master Dater (2022) | |||||
| Designer(s) |
Dave McElfatrick, Rob DenBleyker |
Artist(s) | Blaise Sewell, Paul Blair, Trisha Romo, Jerald Lewis II, Stacey Silva, Mike Salcedo, Autumn Soeder | Publisher |
Explosm |
 |
3-6 |  |
13+ |  |
20-45m |
Master Dater (yes, typing that throughout the article will be difficult) is an interesting dating game in the style of Cyanide and Happiness. Players will be crafting the perfect dates for the Sexy Singles. Players will not only have to meet the interests of the Sexy Singles they are trying to woo, but also read the player and what they would find funny and entertaining. It is a fun party game that mixes the elements of a few other similar dating style party games and adds in their unique sense of humor. Let's see what this game has to offer.
Box and Components
The game comes in a rectangular shaped box common for party games. There is no insert, which means you need to create a sorting method that you prefect with the two differently sized cards. Overall, the quality of the box is exactly what you would expect and should keep the game well protected. The only thing that would have been nice is a small foam block and a couple dividers (if the box were 1/4 inch taller); the foam block would keep the cards from shifting so much. When you add in the expansions, the looseness is nowhere near as bad.
The game includes:
- 230 Body Section Cards: 115 Head Cards and 115 Body Cards that will be used to create the ideal date.
- 300 "Interest" Cards: There are split into three categories: Fun Facts About Me (Star icon), I Need Someone Who (Fire icon), and I'm Interested In (Heart icon).
- Rule Sheet
The cards are a nice linen finish and are pretty good quality bouncing back to shape pretty easily. If you are familiar with Cyanide and Happiness, you are already quite familiar with the art style and characters; this game is very faithful to that series.
Mechanics
The goal of the game is to present the best potential partners for the many Sexy Singles that will be presented throughout the game. To win, a player must collect at least five Interest cards with at least one in each of the categories (Flame, Star, Heart). Do you have the stamina to be the best Master Dater?
there are two roles in the game:
- Sexy Single - The person who is being setup on the date each round; they are represented by three interested cards. This role picks the winner(s) of each date.
- Daters - These are the people trying to hook up with the Sexy Single; they are represented by a Head and Body card as well as any fun descriptions provided by their player. They are trying to meet the interest of one or more of the Sexy Single's interests.
Setup
- Shuffle all of the Interested Cards together into a single deck.
- Shuffle the individual Head Cards and Body Cards into their own separate decks.
- Each player should draw three Head Cards and three Body cards.
The first Sexy Single is the one with the longest fingers...or selected at random by your preferred method. The other players are the Daters.
Dates
- The Sexy Single flips over the top three Interest Cards.
- The Daters must create an ideal date for the Sexy Single placing one of their Head and Body cards face down.
- Once everyone is ready, players will take turns revealing their Dater and creating a story around why they are the best date for the Sexy Single.
- After everyone has had a chance to present their Dater and argue amongst each other, the Sexy Single will award each of the three Interest cards to the player(s) with the best Daters meeting that specific interest. The awarded Interest cards should be kept face down in a single stack to prevent other players from knowing.
- The used Head and Body cards are discarded, and the Daters draw back up to three of each Head and Body card.
If the end game trigger has not be met, play continues to the next player clockwise of the current Sexy Single.
End Game
The first player to collect at least five Interest cards with at least one of each of the categories (Flame, Star, Heart) is the winner. In the event of a tie, the player who was most recently the Sexy Single wins.
Expansions
Like most party games, this game has expansions. The first expansion (and only one available at the time of this review) is the Uncut box; this expansion adds 25 Head, 25 Body, and 100 Interest Cards. There are no changes to the gameplay. While the base game is fairly tame with some suggestive cards, the Uncut expansion is not that. You would not want to use these cards when playing with more shelters teens as they are definitely graphic and to the point. They are hilarious for adults and "teens who are definitely angels and would never play such games."
Final Thoughts
Master Dater is a fun dating themed party game that lives up to what you would expect from a Cyanide and Happiness game. It will not be for everyone, but anyone who is a fan of the series will enjoy it. It provides clear, easy to follow rules, quality game components, and plenty of laughable cards. I had fun playing this game and can easily see why others will as well. If you are a fan of the series or in the market for a new party game, be sure to check out Master Dater.
Links/Media
Master Dater Board Game Geek Page
Master Dater: Uncut Expansion Board Game Geek Page
Master Dater on Amazon (Affiliate Link)
Mater Dater: Uncut Expansion on Amazon (Affiliate Link)
Disclaimer
WVGamers received a review copy of this game for review. This does not impact our honest review of this game.
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