Top 5 Reasons Boom Go the Puppies™ is the Card Game You Should be Playing – Right Now!

By Susan McCarthy


Sometimes games come along that hit you so hard that all you want to do is grab everyone you know and get them playing. Boom Go the Puppies™ is one of those! It stands out as one of the best card games released in years.

Blending fun and intuitive gameplay, it’s suitable for the whole family. Plus, it’s a great introduction to gaming for those non-gamer friends we all have. With a deep strategic element and a whole load of sass, it’s a card game everyone should be playing. Here is why.


#1 - It brings you together as players, like nothing else on the market

There is no getting around it. Life has been tough over the last few years with pandemics and more. So, getting together for gaming was something so many of us missed. Even now, it can be awkward if you are joining a group you don’t know well. And I know lots of gamers still struggling with relaxing around others after the long break.

If you are with the same gaming group since high school, just getting to know new people, family or even non-gamers who don’t know what to expect. In that case, there is nothing like Boom Go the Puppies™ for breaking the ice. You see, while the rules are simple, this is a game of two decks, and the second deck makes all the difference.

Think about this. Five minutes into your first ever game of Boom Go the Puppies™. You turn to your best gaming buddy, play the ‘Pull a Yoda’ card, and make him talk backwards like Yoda for the rest of the game. ‘Play this card I will’ rings out, and you collapse with laughter. That is Boom Go the Puppies™, and I defy anyone to play this game and not spend half your time laughing at the things you make each other do. Or, in the case of the Barkzan card, make yourself do.

This aspect of the game has no real impact on the overall outcome. Still, it makes the game a real experience that brings players together. And right now, I can’t think of anything a game could do that is better than that. It’s fun for fun’s sake, and it’s wonderful.


#2 - Simple gameplay, endless depth

If you hear the term ‘beginner-friendly,’ do you think of some awful game with the depth of a puddle? It technically gets people playing, but it is no fun at all. We did too, but that changed with Boom Go the Puppies™. This game is perfect for anyone, whether they are a hardcore card player or not. And everyone loves it.

On the surface, this is a very simple game. You draw cards from a deck. If you end up with a bomb and a detonator card at the same time, you explode and are out of the game. The last player standing wins. Simple, and anyone 7 or over can understand and enjoy it.

It is the other cards and the second deck that makes this card game something very unique, though. Here you find special abilities and strategic cards that help you avoid exploding. The variety of cards on offer and what they do gives this game incredible depth and endless re-playability.

We already mentioned the various cards that get players to do silly things, like the Yoda card, but others also affect gameplay. The Puppy Bomb Squad card deactivates a bomb if you end up with the detonator and bomb, so you don’t die. Other cards offer similar ways to escape explosions. A portal gun that whisks you to another dimension is my favorite.


But there are other strategic cards too. Some allow you to swap cards you don’t want for a more useful one straight from another player’s hand. Others make your targeted player pick two or three more cards, upping their chances of them getting a bomb. Some cards let you peak at the next cards in the deck, and others allow you to hand bad cards to an opponent.

Individually they make the game much more interesting, but together, they open up a whole new world of strategic options. You really can play this game any way you want. Be defensive with cards to deal with bombs. Or go on the attack and make the other players dance to your tune. Throw in the silly ability cards, and you have endless choices.

I found out the hard way that if you make an opponent talk like Yoda, or zip their mouth, then hand them a bomb card, they’ll go out of their way to destroy you in the game. So I now avoid that combination, but if that’s your thing, go for it. You will definitely be laughing, no matter how you approach the game.

#3 - Puppies!

Everything is better with puppies, and this game is full of them. The artwork is fantastic, with wonderfully characterful puppies of all kinds. You can see Pugs, Dachshunds and any number of others on the cards, each doing something completely ridiculous. See puppies opening a portal to another world or find a member of the famed puppy bomb squad, your key to surviving the game.

There’s a depth to the art, too. It’s got the bright colors, and immediacy kids love, which is part of why this is a great family game. But some details add to the humor for grownups.

Just as important, the artwork explains the game. You look at the card, and it tells you exactly what it does or what it will make another player do. This is part of why Boom Go the Puppies™ is such a fantastic introduction to gaming. This is the perfect game if you have non-gamer friends and want the ideal introduction to fun gaming without worrying about hundreds of rules.

#4 - Play with Anyone

Whether you are with your regular gaming group or want something to play with family over the holidays, Boom Go the Puppies is a perfect choice. I’ve played this game with DnD veterans, my kids, people who only know gaming through Ticket to Ride, and a group who had never played a card-based tabletop game before. Every time it has been a complete blast.

Even for new gamers, once they see you making another player try and lick their nose – the Booger Danger card! – they quickly get the idea, and then anything goes. For players who know each other well, or breaking the ice with a new group, a team of extroverts, or for encouragement to come out of their shells – Boom Go the Puppies™ does it all.

A holiday tradition with family or a fun way to start game night. I can’t think of another game that can fit into so many situations and gaming needs so well.

#5 - It’s a world of silliness that will make you cry with laughter!

Fun can come in all shapes and sizes with gaming, whether dungeon crawling with monsters lurking around every corner to intrigue and deception in a fantasy world. We all have our favourite types of games, but Boom Go the Puppies™ is different.

Whatever games you enjoy, whatever your tastes, this game will make you laugh. It will make you laugh at and with the other players. It will make you laugh at yourself. And it will make you laugh at the ridiculous situations you are in when playing.

Once you strike a pose while screaming out your animal call, only because you have the cards, you know that Boom Go the Puppies™ won.

From the endless strategy to getting your friend to spend an entire game talking like Yoda, player interactions are the heart of Boom Go the Puppies. We cried with laughter from how each player took on the challenges. Each time creating a story for the game that is unique. Boom Go the Puppies™ is a game you will talk about, share and enjoy with everyone. It’s not just a game. It’s an experience you can’t help but love.

Some games you play and love, but once done, you never look back. This is a game you will keep coming back to. Not just because it has so much strategic depth. Not because the art is beautiful to look at and won’t fail to make you smile. But because it is different every time. How each player reacts, the strategy they use, and how they embrace the silliness make this a game you want to play again and again.

I was fortunate enough to be a beta tester for the game before it launches on Kickstarter on September 1st 2022. For those people that can relate to the reasons above, I suggest that you jump to their Kickstarter page to support the game, and grab some exclusive bundles during this crowdsourcing event.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/345787080/boom-go-the-puppies


Introduction and gameplay