Cross the Line Review: Knowing Friends Only Gets You So Far
🚧 Cross the Line | 🏢 Publisher Gray Matter Games
🧑🏻💻 Designers: Joe Barron, Brady Peterson, David Yakos🎨 Artist: Sophia Ricciardi
👥 2-8 players | ⏳ ~30 minutes | 🎲 party game, guessing
There is no bigger compliment than having people ask you to bring games to game night, or seeing a friend go out and buy a game you introduced them to. Even better is bringing a stack of games you've already played, having them pick one out of the bag, and then watching them teach it to someone completely new. That happened yesterday with Cross the Line, and sitting back without needing to explain a single rule was pretty great
Gray Matter Games sent us a copy, and we've been having a lot of fun with it. We played with a new couple yesterday, and it hit that sweet spot of being easy to teach, easy to get to the table, and unpredictable no matter who is sitting across from you.
How It Plays
Cross the Line comes with 100 double sided cards, each giving you two possible questions to ask. The active player chooses a side, slides the card into the holder, and reads the question and its five possible answers aloud. Then they secretly move the line marker to their honest answer and cover it with the plastic screen. Everyone else has to figure out where that marker is hiding. Each player has three confidence bars of different lengths. The longer bar is easier to land successfully but only scores 1 point. The medium bar scores 2 points, while the shortest bar is worth 3
Going around the table, everyone places one bar where they think the hidden marker is. Once all the guesses are in, the screen comes off. If your bar crosses the marker, you score the points printed on it and move your meeple along the track
🏆First to 12 points wins!
This is a kind of game you can explain as you start to play. No board to set up or prep work needed. Everything happens right in the box, which keeps the footprint small and makes it easy to bring it anywhere
Who's This Game For?
Cross the Line is for people who enjoy party games that get everyone talking. You don't need to know everyone at the table to play, but you might think you have an advantage when you're playing with your spouse or best friend. The thing is, even when you know someone inside and out, you're not going to guess their answers correctly every time
The prompts give a chance to make guesses, discover something unexpected, and realize that the person they've known for years is not nearly as predictable. It's also an option for groups who want something more. The questions can start conversations that go beyond the game itself, making it a good fit for people who want to play something while getting to know each other better. It's approachable enough for people who might be skeptical about board games since the rules are quick to learn and the focus is on the people around the table rather than game mechanics
Pros
👩🏻🏫 Quick to teach and easy to learn
⏱️ Just the right length without overstaying its welcome
🎨 Fantastic graphic design as everything happens in the box!
🔄 Loads of replayability: 100 double sided cards give you 200 question options
😂 Questions can be insightful and funny which get people talking and sharing experiences
Considerations
🎯 More about reading people than making strategic decisions
🤝 Best with a group comfortable sharing opinions and experiences
🗣️ The fun depends on the questions and conversations your group gets into
Bottom Line
Cross the Line has been a fun addition to our game nights. It's easy to teach, doesn't take a lot of space, and gives everyone a reason to pay attention to what the other players are thinking. I didn't do particularly well on the score track during our last game, but I still had a great time. I also appreciate when a game looks good and the graphic design makes it easier to play. If you're looking for a quick party game that gets people talking, guessing, and occasionally questioning how well they know their friends, Cross the Line is worth a look. And as a bonus, there's actually room for snacks on the table! That's usually a dealbreaker for me when we're playing games, but Cross the Line's footprint leaves enough space to keep the snacks within reach. Now that's a party game I can get behind 🥰
If You Like the Sound of Cross the Line
One of my favorite things about reviewing games is figuring out where they fit. If you enjoy guessing what other people are thinking, here are three additional games I'd recommend checking out:
Wavelength: split into two teams and figure out where someone lands on a spectrum
One Round?: work together to connect clues and figure out where the new word fits
Herd Mentality: answer questions by guessing what the majority of the group will say
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