Game Info
Year
2018
Players
4-12
Age
10+
Playtime
45 min
Collection
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Description
The game is for 2 teams, divided into two approximately equivalent number of players and takes about 30 minutes to play.
It could remind you of the classic word game known as Taboo, but this one has an interesting twist on gameplay – the opposing team is the one who chooses the words you cannot use. With you having no idea which words are "traps", it’s like dancing on a minefield, when you’re trying to describe your assigned word to the rest of the team.
You take the role of a group of adventurers crawling through a fantasy dungeon full of traps and curses, with a Boss waiting for you at the end.
You have to successfully guess a word that one of your teammates is trying to describe to you. Sounds simple, but it is made fiendishly difficult by not knowing which words you can't say. Because both teams are simultaneously preparing secret traps for each other, words that you can't use. And further you get, the more trapwords you might expect.
Let's see the example of one possible turn when you are trying to give clues for the word "Axe":
You: "It is a thing that a dwarf can…"
Opponents team: "A-ha, dwarf! Gotcha!"
You: "How did you know that? Was it obvious I will use that?"
Or when you would try another approach it could look like this, the successful turn of your team:
You: "This thing is used by a man with a beard, in a checkered shirt...."
One of your teammates: "A coffee maker?"
[Everyone laughs]
You: "He uses it for work in nature."
Another teammate: "A chainsaw!"
You: "He makes smaller pieces from a big plant with it."
Any of your teammate: "An axe!"
You: "Yes! Very good!"
Could you avoid your opponent's trapwords when you don't know what you can't say?
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 6
This page: 6
Sentiment:
pos 6 ·
mix 0 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–6 of 6
Video 6nexQhE3Mw0
Getting Games Review at 1:01:14 sentiment: positive
video_pk 91806 · mention_pk 246452
Click to watch at 1:01:14 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Fun, accessible party game with social interaction
- Kind of a better-themed taboo variant with team ownership of taboo words
Cons
- Effectiveness depends on players' willingness to participate quickly
Thematic elements
- Taboo-like word guessing with taboo words chosen by opposing team
- dungeon-themed, team-based party style
- lighthearted, fun social play
Comparison games
- Taboo
- Shadows Amsterdam
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- team-based clue-giving with taboo word constraints — Clue givers on opposing teams select taboo words; teams must get their teammate to guess a target word without saying those words.
- timer constraint — 30-second timer restricts clue-giving and guessing pace.
- Timer-based turns — 30-second timer for each clue attempt.
- two-team real-time word guessing — Clue givers on each team write and later reveal trap words; opposing team selects taboo words to constrain clues.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I think this is a really great design from any dice drafting perspective it's very clean.
- this game was an absolute blast to play and I don't think I ever want to play it again
- I would like to have this one in my collection
- the central neutral airship that is effectively flying around a small planet
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video BpxE8PmeOac
Brains On Games Interview at 11:17 sentiment: positive
video_pk 90789 · mention_pk 242946
Click to watch at 11:17 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- ensures everyone is involved
- great for language learning and vocabulary expansion
Cons
- may require careful word selection to avoid confusion
Thematic elements
- word association and trap words
- language-based guessing
- team-based word-guessing game
Comparison games
- Nerd Words
- Two Rooms and a Boom
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- team_play — both teams participate in the guessing process
- word_association — teams guess words while avoiding trap words
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- they really tap into those motivators that you can't get from a textbook you can't get from listening to an audio tape
- intrinsic motivation where the player wants to participate in language learning because they want to play the game
- when those moments are created in your classroom students are going to remember those things
- teachers are going to be the coaching role soon
- it’s about relationship building
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video F40vAZuz3eA
Analysis at 0:04 sentiment: positive
video_pk 79333 · mention_pk 192734
Click to watch at 0:04 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Engaging theme and components
- Similar to Taboo but with a twist
- Includes curses and challenges to vary gameplay
- Party game that can be fun with the right crowd
- Includes helpful components like pencils and scoring sheets
Cons
- Theme feels like an 'adventure skin' that doesn't deeply integrate
- Instruction manual is long for a party game
- Potential for obscurity with some curse mechanics
Thematic elements
- adventure
- dungeon
Comparison games
- Taboo
- Pictionary
- Codewords
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Dungeon Crawl — Players move through dungeon-style tiles, encountering monsters and curses.
- List Creation — The opposing team writes the list of words that cannot be said, and the player is not allowed to see this list.
- Variable Player Powers/Challenges — Different monsters and curses introduce unique rules or limitations for rounds or guesses.
- word guessing — Players try to get their teammates to guess a word without saying certain taboo words.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Hi! It's Ryan from Nights Around a Table and it's time to open a board game
- Trapwords is the second coming of Taboo
- The way Trapwords works is there's a word that you need your teammates to guess. There's a list of words that you can't say. So far so good.
- It's Taboo for 2019, and none of the words is allowed to be checkbook or fax machine.
- This is all theming of course, but I like theme. You know I'm a theme guy.
- Self-punching.
- I understand what's going on (finally).
- It's like The Matrix. i'm like 'i know kung fu! i know Trapwords!'
- With the right crowd, it's like a blast. With the wrong crowd, it's going to be horrid
- I like Taboo, I like word games, and I'm having a friend over tonight to play board games with me
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video i3COwLZp88o
TheGameBoyGeek - Hi Quality Hi Energy Board Game Reviews Top 10 List at 7:57 sentiment: positive
video_pk 37367 · mention_pk 240768
Click to watch at 7:57 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- great for parties
- trap word mechanic adds depth and fun
Cons
- can be chaotic or overly punishing for clue givers
Thematic elements
- cooperative clue finding
- word guessing party game
- team-based
Comparison games
- Taboo
- Band Words
- Codenames
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Clue giving — clue giver writes clues to guide teammates
- Deduction — clue giver writes clues to guide teammates
- team-based play — teams compete to guess word clues
- Trap words — words that must be avoided when clues are given
- Word Deciphering — teams compete to guess word clues
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's such a mean game
- the game's quick it's only about 30 minutes
- it's a fantastic game that can be played anywhere
- the brilliance of this game is when you break up with the teams and you're coming up with trap words
- QE is just brilliant
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video xu2M4MXdZ_o
Board Game Dad Top 10 List at 5:08 sentiment: positive
video_pk 35974 · mention_pk 107712
Click to watch at 5:08 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Fresh take on Taboo with list-building twist
- High interaction and negotiation
Cons
- Could be overly chaotic for some groups
Thematic elements
- communication and deception
- word-guessing with concealed lists
- Party game with strategic list-building
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Risk Management — Players infer which words are on the taboo list while avoiding their own bans.
- Strategic risk awareness — Players infer which words are on the taboo list while avoiding their own bans.
- Word-guessing with hidden lists — Opponents construct a list of taboo words you must avoid while guessing.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- this is actually a brainstorm for a future pre-recorded video that I'd like to release incoming weeks
- I'm looking for feedback from my subscribers
- the purpose of this video isn't to show you all the games but to talk through what I'm thinking about
- if you've got a recommendation please include it in the chat or if you're watching this after the live recording you can write it in the comments
- for cribbage I'll get all three of them
- I'll end the video with this one and see what kind of feedback I get
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video KMVJ4XbBvpo
Game Night Picks - Pair Of Dice Paradise Discussion at 4:26 sentiment: positive
video_pk 30675 · mention_pk 90308
Click to watch at 4:26 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Fast, party-friendly
- Familiar concept with a twist (trap words)
Cons
- Can rely on shared context and humor; may not suit all groups
Thematic elements
- Word guessing with traps
- Party word game theme
- humorous party game
Comparison games
- Taboo
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Dynamic narration / cutaway — Commentary and context provided by presenter during discussion.
- Minefield / traps metaphor — Words not to say create a tense guessing dynamic.
- Word guessing / taboo-like mechanic — Opposing team selects words that players cannot say; players try to guess the target word without triggering 'trap' words.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This is a very intense looking euro style game
- I want that game on my table
- Trap Words is just a little party word game but it's a game that kind of reminds me of Taboo
- it's like dancing in a minefield
- This is a fantastic family game that I got a chance to play at bgg con
- I thought this was a really complex euro game and I shied away from it thinking it was real brain burger
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–6 of 6