BATSU! is a party card game where players compete in hilarious challenges to avoid punishments! It was made in partnership with Face Off Unlimited, who’s live comedy game show, BATSU! Live, based in New York City and Chicago. BATSU! (罰 or ばつ) is a Japanese word that means punishment or penalty. In Japan there is a long tradition of comedy involving the loser of a competition receiving some kind of humorous retribution. This is known as a batsu-game.
In BATSU! Live, four warriors compete in ridiculous challenges to avoid electric shocks, paintballs, a giant egg-smashing chicken, and many more hilariously jaw-dropping punishments! The show has had huge success, selling out most of its 1000+ shows over the past decade. The performers of BATSU!, dubbed “Really Funny!” by the New York Times, and also regularly appear on television, film, stage, and even the hit YouTube channel Epic Rap Battles.
Each round a different player is the Judge. The Judge of the round draws a Challenge Card for the other players to compete in. These could be anything from telling a story to acting as props for a play.
There is a deck of udience suggestions to switch things up every time a Challenge is drawn. Different challenges require different types of suggestions. For example, the Judge may draw a Place Card so the scene could take place anywhere from a baseball field to Mars.
The Judge then decides which player did the worst and deserves to be punished, Japanese game show style! It could be something humiliating like calling a friend to tell an embarrassing story about you, or slightly painful like getting an arm hair plucked out! In the end, players are either funny or get punished!
