Floodgate Games Decorum (Deluxe Edition)

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.

A very different and enjoyable type of game. There really isnt much left to say that hasnt already been said in the other reviews, which are seriously thorough. I agree with watching some videos online of game play, while youre waiting on it to arrive. Its not hard to learn, but it was fun to start with a good understanding of what the game involved. Id also agree on getting the deluxe version, as its just nicer to have pretty plastic game pieces.

My extremely competitive family didnt think theyd enjoy a cooperative game, but it quickly became our favorite of the year. Its extremely easy to learn, but theres a unique and fun layer of strategy to it.

The game was used.

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!

Weve played this several times with different groups: as a couple, with our children ages 8-11, and with another couple. It is fun since it is unique and different from other games we have played. But it is not exciting, funny, and a little anti-climactic when done. I love coop games, and we have enjoyed this one but havent been itching to play it again. The deluxe version comes with acrylic pieces instead of cardboard ones. However, it took us a very long time to peel the plastic films off the acrylic pieces. Also, all the green parts were missing from the deluxe set, so we had to use the included original cardboard ones, which was disappointing. Weve decided that we like this best as a two-player game. With more players, it just adds too many variables, and you are just guessing what will work for everyone. With two players, you can try and figure out what the other persons needs are. The scenarios get harder since each person will have more requirements to fulfill, but they do not add any depth, new ideas/rules, or complexity. They make the game longer. The artwork is not my favorite, and some rules about the house meetings were a little unclear. I love that the game moves quickly and you arent sitting around forever waiting for others to take their turn. You can also play this with younger children teamed up with an adult, and it is fun for them to help try and figure out other peoples desires. It is a fun game to add to your collection but not a must-have.

Number of Players: 2-4 Duration: 30-45min Recommended Ages: 13+ Weight/Complexity: 1.5/5 according to BGG = its a light rules games Competitive/Co-operative: Co-op Type: Puzzle game Is this too true to life? I didnt realize how often many of us (of course not me...*cough*) are passive aggressive instead of communicating outright. Moving a lamp to one table only to find the others you live with move it to a different table. This game is all that and more. Each player has objectives and the only way to hint at their objective is by showing the other players through doing (change the paint color; move a piece of furniture, etc.) Recommended # of players: Two(2)...it just works better for me at this player count. Three(3) isnt too bad but four(4) is too many objectives messing with the play area. Similar to games like Fog of Love, Id recommend people role play as if they are someone other than themselves and/or have a different relationship to the other players than they may have in real life. Anything to make it so other players dont take it personal. The more you play this, the easier it becomes as each player more readily falls into the realization that each of you has a piece to the puzzle and working together so both can win is the goal...you just make passive aggressive changes to the shared home to get the win-win solution. Definitely worth getting the Deluxe version as the pieces are so much nicer to handle. This is definitely not strategic to the level of Chess or Tak (excellent 2-player game!). Id almost put it on par with many of the roll-and-write or flip-and-write games. Its a fairly quick play and some games are faster than others, but you dont feel brain dead from trying to play 3-5 steps ahead. I see this keeping a space in our collection as it is a unique game that is definitely worth trying.

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.

My partner and I play a lot of two-player games. Some games state that theyre for two or more players, but really, you need more than two for them to be fun. Decorum isnt like that. Weve been able to constantly play and replay this game, just the two of us, and its fun each and every time. Were stoked to have this game, and excited to play it for months, if not years, to come.

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.