A knife wielding killer is on the loose and it’s not Michael Myers, Jason Vorhees, and most definitely not Ghost Face from the Scream franchise. Don’t Get Stabbed is a fast-paced card game for up to five players. The victim players are all working to get away from the killer by revealing three specific cards that spell C-A-R. One player is the killer, working to thwart the efforts of the victims and take them out, one-by-one.
Knife to Meet You
Gameplay in Don’t Get Stabbed is simple. Draw a card on your turn, then take one of these actions: Victims can play an action card, play two identical combo cards, or end their turn. Playing two combo cards allow them to draw the top of the CAR deck. If it’s a letter (C, A, or R), they put it in the center of the table. If it’s a “no keys” or “dead battery” card, it goes back at the bottom of the deck.
If a victim player draws a “stab” card, they can play an action card to place it back in the center of the deck. Players can receive a total of three stab cards before they are knocked out of the game.
The killer will go last each round, taking a similar turn as the victim players. Simply draw a card and then take one of the following actions: Play as many action cards as you want, play three identical combo cards to remove one of the letter cards in the center of the table, or end your turn. If the killer draws a stab card, they can place this card back into the deck anywhere they want.
If the victim players spell CAR with the letter cards, all victims who are alive at that moment win the game. If the killer player eliminates all the victims, that player wins the game.
Your Lucky Break
Part of the appeal of Don’t Get Stabbed is how accessible it is. The game is quick once you know the basics and there are a limited number of things players can do on their turns. The game supports three to five players but it’s easy for players to jump in and out of games after the game ends. We really enjoyed the game at four and five players.
I’ve played both the victim and the killer and had a good time with both. The victims are a little more reliant on luck as they collect cards and reveal letter cards from the deck. Once the killer has a nice hand of cards, with a couple actions to choose from, you can really affect the game.
The action cards have two halves to them. The green part is an action for the victim and the purple part is an action for the killer. One of my favorite action cards in the game is the Human Shield that victims have access to. Playing this after drawing a stab card lets them push this stab card off to another victim at the table. It’s fitting since we know that not everyone will survive in a real horror movie. Victims can also help one another by playing a First Aid action to remove a stab card, hopefully gaining a little more time as they try to spell CAR.
Don’t Get Stabbed is a game that has a pretty big luck factor even though action cards can mitigate some of the bad luck. The killer seems to have a little more control over the game which is why the victims have to work together if anyone is going to survive.
Final Thoughts
I think the best setting for Don’t Get Stabbed is to kick off a night of gaming or as a game that you bring to a restaurant with friends. It’s fun watching the victims turn on one another and hunting for that final letter card to escape can get tense.
It’s worth noting that Don’t Get Stabbed isn’t a game for kids. A couple cards aren’t appropriate for younger gamers and 18+ is the right age range for this one. I’m not the biggest fan of the artwork but the illustrations are colorful and fun. My teenage kids played the game with friends and had a great time. The horror movie cliches, illustrations, and wild swings in the game kept them engaged at the table.
Don’t Get Stabbed is a fun little card game for fans of Scream and other trope-filled slasher movies. If you’re looking for a filler game that is quick and easy to teach this Halloween season, this one is worth checking out.
Don’t Get Stabbed is available at your local game store, the Rookie Mage Games webstore, or can be purchased online through Amazon today.
This game was provided to us by the publisher for review. Read more about our review policies at One Board Family.
Highs
- Gameplay is quick and players can jump in or out after each game
- Playing as the killer gives you slightly more control
- Taking out your fellow victim is hilarious
Lows
- Luck based gameplay may not be a fit for everyone
Complexity
Time Commitment
Replayability
