If you want a new game night favorite that won’t gather dust on your shelf, you’re in the right place. This is my review of Target, the game that made my competitive side come out—and my friends question my card-drawing luck. From silly action cards to the wild swings of fortune, I’ve played enough rounds to tell you if it’s a hit or miss for your group. Spoiler: I laughed more than I cursed. Mostly.
How It Plays
Setting Up
Spread out the board, put the colored discs in their spots, and hand out a set of darts to each player. Everyone grabs a score sheet (or scraps of paper—I’m not judging). Make sure there’s enough space so nobody accidentally noses Aunt Rita’s lamp with a wild throw.
Gameplay
Players take turns tossing their darts at the board, aiming for the highest points—or aiming for the cat to not steal the darts. Each zone on the board is worth different points. Sometimes you’ll draw an action card and totally mess up someone’s strategy. Don’t gloat too much.
Winning the Game
When all the darts are thrown, everyone tallies up their points. The player with the highest score gets bragging rights (and the job of picking up all the darts). It’s simple, it’s fast, and yes—sometimes your skillful aim is spoiled by a butterfingers moment. That’s Target!
Want to know more? Read our extensive strategy guide for Target.
How Balanced Are the Game Mechanics in Target?
Oh, Target. If I had a penny for every time someone tried to bend the rules in this game, I’d almost be able to buy another copy. The rules in Target look easy on paper, but once you get a group of competitive friends (or sneaky siblings) around the table, things get wild fast.
The basic premise is each player tries to hit their targets—makes sense, right? But the fun (read: mayhem) comes from the action cards you can play to mess with your opponents. For example, one card lets you move someone else’s pawn. This leads to heaps of table talk and accusations about unfair play. The rules say you can only play one action per turn. But I swear, every game, someone tries to sneak in a second move. I keep the rulebook close!
To Target’s credit, the mechanics are simple and mostly fair. Each player gets equal chances, and everyone starts on the same footing. The scoring system is clear, so you know exactly how you’re winning—or losing. Still, the game leans a bit too much on action cards for my taste. Sometimes, all your grand plans get ruined because someone drew the right card at the right moment. There’s that little tickle of unfairness that pops up every so often, usually right when I’m about to win. Typical.
So, Target keeps things mostly fair, but a few moments can leave you shaking your fist at the sky. Next, let’s see if luck or strategy really rules the world of Target. Spoiler: one of them is definitely louder at my table.
Luck vs. Strategy in Target: Who’s Really Calling the Shots?
I brought Target to game night thinking I’d outsmart everyone. Turns out, my so-called “brilliant plan” lasted exactly three turns. My friend Ben drew the perfect card at just the right moment and suddenly he leapt from last place to first. If Target were a pie, I’d say it’s two slices strategy and one big fat slice of luck—with a scoop of chaos on the side.
When you play Target, there’s just enough room for clever moves, like blocking someone’s path or saving your high-value cards for the right moment. But don’t get too smug. Luck lurks behind every shuffled deck. You can predict your opponent’s next move, only for the deck to serve them the exact card they need. It can be funny or infuriating, depending on whether you’re the lucky one or not!
Here’s what keeps it interesting: if you’re a natural-born tactician, you still get to flex your skills, maybe by planning your routes or tossing a sneaky obstacle in someone’s way. But if you’re used to games where the best planner always wins, Target might give you a wake-up call. Sometimes, the person who’s barely paying attention wins because fortune just loves chaos.
So, while Target gives you a handful of choices, you’ll often wish luck would favor you a bit more—or maybe a bit less. It hits that middle ground, not quite a brain-burner, but enough to keep you trying for “just one more round.”
Strap in, because in the next section, I’ll tell you if Target brings people together—or makes them consider unfriending each other on the spot.
How Target Keeps Players Interacting (Sometimes Too Much!)
The beauty of Target is its ability to turn even the shyest uncle into a table-talker. From my games, I can tell you nobody ever sits quietly. “Why did you play that?” and “You just blocked me!” were the most common phrases by round three. Target invites (okay, demands) everyone to pay attention, not just to their own cards, but to every sneaky move around the table.
One time, my friend Jim tried to zone out and eat chips instead of playing. Next thing you know, a Target card made him trade hands with his neighbor. Sorry Jim, snack time’s over! You can’t sleepwalk through this game. And nobody is above a bit of friendly sabotage. Alliances form—then disappear, usually as soon as you start winning. Target gets the whole table plotting and second guessing every turn. My cousin tried to make a pact not to hit each other with penalty cards. That lasted about twenty seconds. Trust no one, not even grandma. If you enjoy games where everyone has a say and players mess with each other, Target will deliver. If you don’t? Maybe try something quieter, like chess… but even then, watch out for grandma.
The game makes sure there are very few dull moments. With every action, you feel involved—whether you’re dishing out penalties, swapping cards, or just preparing to defend your lead like a cornered raccoon. By the time someone wins, you’ll have laughed, you’ll have argued, and you’ll probably want to go again just to get revenge.
Next, let’s chat about component quality and game setup—because nobody likes a board game with pieces that break faster than your best strategy!
How Does Target Stack Up: Component Quality & Game Setup
Let’s talk cardboard, plastic, and all the little fiddly bits. When I opened my copy of Target, I was expecting cheap counters and paper-thin cards. I was (mostly) wrong. The game comes with chunky tokens that feel pretty sturdy. I once dropped a token into my glass of soda—no warping, no soggy mess, just slightly sticky for the next player. Cards are a decent thickness, nothing fancy, but at least they didn’t start peeling after our fifth marathon game night.
The board itself? It lays flat without that annoying curl at the edges. I once tried to roll it up like a medieval scroll (don’t ask why), and it survived without a wrinkle. The artwork looks like it came straight from the mind of someone who loves bold colors and has never seen a grey day. It’s fun, playful, and keeps the vibe light.
Setup-wise, Target pulls its weight. You’re looking at maybe two minutes to get everything out of the box, arranged, and ready for action. Unless you have a friend who insists on sorting tokens by the phase of the moon, you’ll be playing in no time. The rulebook is clear, with enough pictures that even my uncle understood it—and he once lost at Tic Tac Toe, against himself.
I recommend Target for anyone who likes a solid table presence and hates fiddling around with a million tiny pieces. It’s quick to set up, looks neat, and can take a bit of gamer punishment. Would I use it as a centerpiece for my next birthday? Maybe not. But for a fun night with friends, it does the job very well!
Conclusion
So that’s my review of Target! It’s fun, quick to set up, and good for a laugh when you’ve got friends around. I liked the strategy, but those action cards sure can ruin your grand plans if luck isn’t on your side. If you want a game that will make everyone groan and cheer in equal measure (and maybe test your friendships now and then), Target fits the bill. But if you’re after pure skill and not a dash of chaos, you might want to keep looking. Thanks for reading, and may your next Bullseye be intentional!
