The result is a silly comedy game that you can play with parents and children and drunk buddies alike. A clever alternative to Cards Against Humanity, it's as squeaky-clean or crass as you want it to be, relying on players to tailor their responses based on what everyone around the table finds funny. Why It's Fun: Snake Oil is one of the funniest card games available right now, and it accomplishes that while maintaining a PG rating. How Much Space You Need to Play: You don't even need a table as long as everyone is comfortable. Create an outlandish pitch to appeal to the identity card (teacher, politician, funeral home director, vampire, etc.) your opponent has drawn. Objective: Pitch the best product or service to the rotating "customer" player using two cards from your hand. With Skull, every decision rests on social dynamics: how well do you know the person across from you, and how well can you read his intentions? And since each quick round either ends in sudden victory or crushing defeat, this is one of the most exciting games you can bring to the table. Because the game is so simple, it's not about understanding systems, but about understanding the people around the table instead. Why It's Fun: Skull is just poker with all those pesky rules stripped away, leaving a roughly 20-minute game of bluffing, raw nerve, and palpable tension. How Much Space You Need to Play: Not much - even the smallest coffee table will get the job done.
The first player to earn two victories - or the last player standing after everyone else is eliminated - wins. Objective: Bluff your way to victory: play your "skull" and "rose" discs facedown in front of you while betting on how many discs you can turn over without revealing any skulls.