ASMODEE Just One

Just One is a party game that is great fun for families and game groups alike. Taking a simple premise and running with it, Just One creates moments of fun and tension as you work together to correctly identify up to 13 words.

It is surprisingly hard to find a co-op party game. Rather than splitting you into teams as most party games do, Just One has a group of up to 7 players working together to score the best you can. I’ll be honest – I didn’t think this would work, but it does and it works well.

In the box, you will find a large deck of cards, seven drywipe pens of different colours, and seven white cardholders. 13 cards are dealt face-down and the starting player picks one and places it on their holder, so it is facing away from them and towards the other players.

Each card has five words on it, numbered 1-5. The player will choose one of these numbers. The other players will look at this number and then write down a one-word clue on their cardholder. Before showing these to the guessing player (who might want to close their eyes), they will check that no one else has written the same clue. If they have, neither clue will be used. The clues are then revealed to the guesser, who tries to guess the word they selected

This is repeated with different guessers for all 13 cards and the rulebook gives you a rating for how many cards you guessed correctly. Some game purists may describe this as more of an activity rather than a game, or quibble on the minimal rules, but that is to miss the point of Just One.

Just One is meant to be simply played and enjoyed with a group of friends. The co-op concept eliminates the competitive nature of a lot of games. As a result, Just One is a rewarding journey to take together and is great for showing off something of what the world of modern board games can offer.

Just One is the winner of the prestigious 2019 Spiel des Jahres award.