Floodgate Games Decorum (Deluxe Edition)

My family has loved playing games for generations. Its part of our beloved family legacy to enjoy games from lawn games to cards to board games. Best of all: We love to find fresh ideas in the game world. And we value games that you can learn fairly easily, so were not spending the whole evening just learning a game, and that can be played in somewhere around 30 to 60 minutes. Finally, we love games with attractive materials for players to use. So, right away, Decorum wins a 5-star rating for satisfying all of those conditions. Weve also got a number of helpful tips, if youre considering this game: First and foremost, this is a bit of a role playing game in which youll have the most fun if everyone is following the rules as well as talking in an animated manner throughout the game. Thats a challenge with Decorum, because the whole game depends on not revealing certain individual information. However, while still following that rule, the game is better if people enjoy showing reactions and chatting a bit, or in other words playing a role. If your friends and family prefer stony-silent competitions or you dont think folks can walk the line of having fun with their roles while not revealing their secrets, then maybe shop further. If this description really intrigues you, then youll love Decorum. Learning the rules is fairly easy for folks who enjoy games. Its not a 1-minute learning curve like some games, but you can pick up the rules fairly quickly. Also, if you search around the internet youll find that this company actually has sponsored play through videos that can teach everyone the game just by watching a video. Then, we were confused by the fact that this game is sold, at two different prices, in a Retail and Deluxe version. We wish the company explained that difference more clearly. We only got the Deluxe version but, having now dug around a little bit to learn more, we think the big difference is that the colorful decorating icons are much nicer, made of acrylic, in the Deluxe version. So, our advice is: Ante up the slightly higher cost and get the nice icons. Another tip: We disagree with the instruction on this product that this is designed for 2 to 4 players. That might make you think that a family of six wouldnt want this game, lets say. Or, you might think that you couldnt pull out this game after a larger family gathering with more than 4 people. We can tell you as game veterans that there are very easy ways around those limitations. We actually like to form teams. For example, maybe Grandma doesnt want to play alone. So Grandma plays with a younger player. Maybe Uncle doesnt care to play alone, but he thinks it would be fun to form a team with his niece. There are lots of ways to play this game beyond simply 2, 3 or 4 players. Theres a lot more we could say, but if youve read this far and you like what youre reading, then buy the game and explore it yourself.

We have become obsessed with this game. We leave it out on a side table and daughter and I will play two games at a time. The expressions are funny. Like the time we played with her best friend and she made a cartoonish unhappy face.

I tend to be a big fan of cooperative deduction games, especially lately, but how does Decorum measure up? Lets find out and discuss five key elements of the game: MIX, 2.5 out of 5: 3+ PLAYER SCENARIOS. So Decorum is primarily a 2-player game. You have a multi-scenario campaign to go through with unlockable content, but they also threw in a bunch of 3-to-4-player scenarios. On the positive side, they work pretty well. Theyre basically one-offs, so you can just throw one down and try it out. I admit that its nice with such a limited core player count (2 players) and how they added this option. But on the negative side, I found the 3-to-4-player scenarios just a little bit too chaotic. As Ill discuss below, the deduction in this game is already kind of challenging and different than most games, and with that many players all trying to do their own goals at the same time, whew! I just found that to be a bit of a hot mess, along with the way that you kind of pass your cards off to each other to share secrets . . . I just found it tough to follow, honestly. Maybe thats my own quirk, but I didnt enjoy the 3-to-4-player play as much as I hoped I would. PRO, 5 out of 5: CATCH-UP REVEALING. So Decorum is a deductive game, but the scenarios are limited and they have very specific goals. With everyone doing pretty much their own thing, its kind of impossible for the game to have a hint system like a lot of other deductive games might have. But Decorum handles this problem nicely in a really smooth and straightforward way in that after a certain number of rounds, you get to tell each other what one of your goals is (you usually have 3, 4, or 5 on average). This is simple, but it works great. Whenever you do this, your score goes down, so if youre kind of trying to challenge yourselves to do your best, that gives you an incentive to figure things out more quickly. But since in a way these scenarios arent really replayable, I think it wouldnt be that fun if you just never solved anything, so getting these hints along the way and narrowing the focus of what you have to figure out makes the game feel satisfying each time. I never feel let down that I just couldnt solve the puzzle at all. MIX-to-PRO, 3.5 out of 5: SCENARIO REPLAYABILITY. For these kinds of deduction games, I usually always categorize scenario replayability as a mix because once youve played through all the scenarios, youve obviously seen all that the game has to offer. You cant really go through it again . . . or can you? I have to admit that I almost made this element of the game a pro because this is one of the most impressive of the limited play types of games that Ive seen for replay. The reason is the goals go in so many different directions and can sort of blend together that Ive literally played the exact same scenarios 3 or 4 days later with a different person, and I couldnt remember what the solution was. So Decorum is one of those games where you can put it away for a month and play through almost the entire game again and rediscover the solutions without any recollection at all. MIX, 2.5 out of 5: QUICK ACTIONS. In each turn, you do a very simple action. You pretty much either take something away from the board, put something onto the board, or you swich one thing with another. Thats pretty much it, and through those actions, you try to communicate what your goals are and also try to help the other person fulfill their goals once you kind of figure out what they are. The fact that these actions are so small, like only taking away one thing, can be both a blessing and a curse because on the positive side, choosing what the most efficient action is to give the most information is really interesting and tense. But on the negative side, it sometimes feels like youre doing too little, especially in 3 or 4-player games where you have to wait a little while. Also, spending your whole turn to take one thing away and then spending your whole entire next turn to put something else nearby . . . err, I dont know. Its not always that exciting. And sometimes close to the end, where youre just waiting for another player to give information, your best move is to take no action at all, and thats definitely not fun. PRO, 5 out of 5: THE DEDUCTION. Its like Im trying to figure out your goals, and youre trying to figure out mine as we put these things down, but theres limited communication in that all you can say is, I like that, I dont like that, or Im indifferent (or some other variations in how you say it). But whats really cool with this system, especially when I played with my wife in the 2-player game, is that it really feels like youre actually decorating a house or cooperatively trying to feel each other out for your preferences and your likes or dislikes. Its like, oh if I put this object down, does my wife hate red? Oooo she does! Maybe Ill switch that out with this, or oh no! She doesnt seem to like lamps! Lets move that over here. etc. Even though in some ways Decorum is a basic deduction game, it feels different (especially in the 2-player mode), and I just really enjoy it. I really appreciate it, and you get in this mindset or zen of feeling each other out. I think its a lot of fun. FINAL SCORE: 4 out of 5. Overall, I can wholeheartedly recommend Decorum to 2-player groups, especially couples. Its been a total hit for me and my wife, sort of getting on the same wavelength to try to solve these deductive puzzles. And if youre like me and you like cooperative deduction games, Decorum is probably at least worth a quick look, even if youre going to play it with 3 or 4 players because I do really think that the core gameplay is really fun. But on the other hand, if you dont like deduction, if you think youll never play it 2-player, or if you dont like the idea of really quick micro-actions and sometimes having nothing to do on your turn, then you might want to consider avoiding this one. Happy gaming! This is Dr. D, and Im out!

In Decorum, you and up to 3 friends are housemates who are trying to decorate your house to satisfy everyones unique tastes. Unfortunately, nobody is able to clearly say what they like. Instead, you can only respond positively, negatively, or neutrally to the design choices that everyone else makes. So, for example, if someone paints a room green, but you really need the room color to match the color of the lamp, then you can only say that you dislike the green and hope the group can infer what it is you really want! With the right group, this kind of limited communication game can be a ton of fun! Theres a puzzle aspect to figuring out why people are changing things, and theres a silliness aspect to only being able to say That red is terrible when you really mean to say that the upstairs cant be red when the downstairs is already red. A lot of groups will appreciate that its a cooperative game (even if it sometimes feels like youre pushing and pulling against each other). The game comes with two campaigns — one for a 2-player game, and one for a 3/4-player game. There are 20 scenarios for the 2 player campaign, and 10 scenarios for the 3/4 player campaign. It wouldnt surprise me if the publisher released more scenarios later, or if player-created scenarios crop up online at Board Game Geek. But even if not, theres a LOT of replayability packed in the box. The instructions are well written and helpfully illustrated, and best of all theres a link to a how to play video on the publishers website, so you should be able to get up and running pretty quickly. The retail version of this game comes with cardboard tokens to represent all the design choices you can put into a room. The deluxe version comes with the cardboard tokens AND with really beautiful acrylic pieces you can use instead. Right now, the deluxe version is only $5 more than the standard version, so it seems like a good value to me. (To compare, the upgraded tokens cost $15 when bought separately from the manufacturer.) The only bummer about the acrylic tokens is that they come covered with a protective film thats a pain to remove. I worked at them with a hobby knife for TOO LONG to get them all off. The result looks spectacular, but it was a pain. If I had to compare this game to something else thats well known, Id say it feels a little like Dixit and a little like Pandemic. Its like Dixit because its lightweight and youll have some laughs and emotional outbursts while you play, and its like Pandemic because youll all enjoy that sense of accomplishment at the end. Decorum is probably not a must own classic game like Dixit or Pandemic, but it IS both beautiful and fun!

This game is my new board game obsession!! The 2 player campaign is so fun and progresses in an interesting way. I’ve been playing with my husband and we can’t get enough!! Incredible game!

This game is really amazing! From gameplay, components, and art direction, this one is a must buy to add to your collection! 5/5 The game play is really Innovative, players have secret desires of how they want to decorate their shared home. They take turns adding or removing one item at a time and can only tell their partner if they like what happened or dont like it. What unfolds is a great puzzle of trying to make everyone happy while never truly saying what they want, it is a blast at all player counts. For components, I got the deluxe edition, which provides you with acrylic pieces to replace rhe main cardboard home decor. And while the cardboard is also beautiful and great quality, the acrylic tokens are absolutely stunning and a true joy to use in the game. The board and card design is equally top notch. Dont wait, get this game, there is nothing like it on the market! Unique and a blast to play.

During the summer months I play a lot of board games with the kids, 9 &13. I read the instructions, and then re-read them just in case, to pickup on the mechanics, but there is a free video floating around on a famous site that hosts countless videos that a couple made that is a fantastic walkthrough for the game. From that point I was easily able to teach my daughter 9 and son 13 the gist of the game which they easily picked up on. The key in this game is to have everyone playing going in the same direction ruleswise and it will go much more smoother. Overall, a fantastic was to spend a hot summer afternoon in the house.

The game was used.

this is a greatly fun game to play with two people up to four people. it tests your cooperative, negotiation, communication, comprehension, and other general people skills. I highly recommend this game for teens or pre-teen children, just to teach them those important interpeople skills early on in life. Had a blast playing this with my adult friends and kids alike!

I was sent the game in a damaged box. Company didn’t send the game in a any sort of box, just wrapped in a thin layer of plastic wrap. Game is fine, but not happy with how it was shipped and delivered.