Pillbox Games Side Effects: Unleash The Fun & Chaos Using Therapy & Medication in This Hit Card Game for 2 to 8 Players

We play a lot of games - basic ones and more high strategy ones. This game was actually pretty easy once you got the hang of it. It does take some slight strategy and you definitely have to pay attention to what cards you have and the disorders your opponents have. You cane cure yours, give others more disorders, or make them have an episode, but any action can backfire on you too.My adult son and I played and really enjoyed it! We laughed and had a good time. One game can be very quick or take a but if time - it just depends on the luck of the draw. This is definitely a game we can play over and over again.Pros:Easy to learnCan play with 2-10 people, so more options for group size. We have only played with two and it was fun.The artwork on the cards.It is fun.Cons:The cards are larger than regular cards and harder to shuffle.You have to separate out the disorders, shuffle and deal them out, and then shuffle them back in the deck each game. That is time consuming.Some complained about the fact that it calls out or makes fun of mental health. It is actually accurate on the treatments and side effects of them, so it isn't making fun and is realistic. Yes, players can give each other disorders and such and make it fun, but it is a game folks! I have a psychology degree and have family members with mental illness and I do not take offense to this game. If you do, don't play it.I highly recommend this game if you don't mind the content of it.

Side Effects initially caught my eye because of its cool art style. Its skeleton-mental health theme gives it a morbid (and often funny) aesthetic and the box art is gorgeous! The long, skinny "tarot" sized cards are lovely to hold and sturdy, with beautiful artwork on both sides and vertically mirrored effect text that makes it easy to read cards sitting across the table. This small format detail is incredibly important to gameplay.Mechanically speaking, Side Effects is a fabulous, fast-paced little card game with a kind of rock-paper-scissors dynamic! Because you need to sort out conditions to deal out each player's "psyche" and then reshuffle them into the deck, you are going to have to shuffle these cards A LOT, and I could see that wearing them out in the long term.Side Effects gives each player a psyche full of illnesses that they must treat. But treating them with medication leaves you vulnerable to other conditions, and while you're attempting to treat yourself you also need to prevent other players from outpacing you or penalizing you. There is a fair amount of strategy to be had here, but it is light enough to be quite beginner-friendly. The game dynamic causes quite a bit of laughter and playful "punishing" moments.For more seasoned board gamers, this game is a wonderful palate-cleanser between games or for the end of a gaming session!

Side Effects lives up to the hype. It is quick to learn and after the first two rounds (we played 4) you can understand how strategy comes in to play. I will say the game can be a little too quick (in theory, you can win in two rounds with the right pills/remedies) but it can be fun.. esp. with more people. We had 3 players.I do feel it might get stale after a while, which is why I'm exited to get the expansion. Well worth the investment.

I first played this game at a friend's house and boy did we turn on each other quick. One second we were all friends sipping our wine and chatting about life and the next, we were ganging up on each other. Who would have thought that trying to destroy your friends' mental health would be so much fun!Seriously though, the game mechanics are so easy to learn and straight forward and even helped me to formulate my own card game. I doubt I'll follow through on that since I always have new projects popping up but it's nice to know I can play a card game that's this rewarding without the commitment of MTG and without breaking the bank.I'd say the game is suitable for more mature players given the theme. I have middle-aged friends who have been through a lot in life and don't love it while others find it to be therapeutic.Definitely a good quick party game for 4-8 people but be warned - eventually, there will always be that one person that doesn't want to stop playing and the one that will secretly want to quite after not winning a few rounds but stay silent and hold it against the rest of the group. I am somehow both of these people on some nights.

We were pleased to find the positive messages and mental health resource links in the instructions. For a game that could be accused of making light of serious subjects, this was tastefully done and comes off as a positive not a negative.The cards look and feel a little like Tarot Cards in their size, card stock, and presentation.Game rules are not too difficult.Replayability, maybe middle of the road. This is a really clever game with a novel subject matter, and vary fun to show off to the right audience. Gameplay is a little like Mille Bornes but not as engaging.They use generic names of all the medications, to avoid copyright issues presumably. Sort of wish they could have used the more common names.Buy this one for the subject matter. The design and artwork is delightful. No regrets, go for it.

My husband and I bought this game after seeing a video advertisement for it. We absolutely love it. A lot of thought obviously went into the game and cards. We both struggle with mental health and the game is so accurate it's pretty funny. It's well worth the money for a fun game, and we plan on buying any and all expansions that go to this game.