Our Verdict
RECOMMENDED
If you love party games with betrayal and suspense, this is a blast. Organized chaos in 30 minutes!
Highlights
- Quick and easy to learn
- Delicious social tension
- Great for large groups
- Versatile (two themes in one)
Keep in mind
- Too chaotic for some
- Best with 5+ players
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About the game
What you do in a play session
Don't Mess with Cthulhu is a social deduction game where you'll need smooth talk and a bit of luck to save (or doom) the world. In a group of 4 to 6 players, each takes on a secret role: Investigators try to stop Cthulhu from waking, while Cultists do everything to bring chaos to Earth. Each round, players receive Investigation cards, peek at them, shuffle, and place them face down. The catch? You know which cards you have but not which is which! The game plays over four rounds with limited actions. Investigators must uncover all Elder Signs to win, while Cultists just need Cthulhu to be revealed. The Kickstarter version adds extra cards like the Necronomicon and Objects of Power, which pile on layers of strategy and chaos. If you prefer a less Lovecraftian theme, there's also the TimeBomb version, where you play as terrorists or a SWAT team racing against time to defuse a bomb. In both, tensions rise, accusations fly, and no one knows who to trust. Perfect for party games with a dash of betrayal and suspense!
Gallery
Box and component photos
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Rules videos
Learn by watching before you open the box
Best player count
BGG community vote
4
REC
5
REC
6
BEST
Soundtrack
Ambience suggested by Melodice
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Mechanics, categories, families and credits
Mechanics
Categories
Families
Publisher
新ボードゲーム党 (New Board Game Party), Indie Boards & Cards, minimalGames, PopcornEdu
Designer
佐藤 雄介 (Yusuke Sato)
Artist
Biboun, Brandt Peters, David Arenas, Kotaro Kawa (川孝太郎), Vincent Dutrait
Community
Data from BoardGameGeek
2,504owners
456wishlist
35want to play
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers before you buy
How many players are ideal?
Best with 5 or 6 players, but works from 4 to 10 (in the Kickstarter version).
What's the difference from TimeBomb?
Same mechanics, different themes: Cthulhu (horror) vs. TimeBomb (SWAT action).
Is it hard to learn?
Nope! Rules take 5 minutes, but the fun lies in the debates and bluffs.
Is the Kickstarter version worth it?
If you play with big groups (up to 10) or want extra variety with promo cards, yes!
Kid-friendly?
The horror theme might scare younger kids, but the TimeBomb version is more neutral.
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