2025Ben Bronstein, Jade Shames, Kat Thek
- Videos
- 5
- Creators
- 4
Mainly reviews
2 - 8 players10 - 30 minLight weight
Side Effects
2017Jen Igartua, Jade Shames, Kat Thek
2 - 8 players
10 - 30 min
Light weight: Learn it in minutes
From BoardGameGeek
Drug use, personal demons, wild episodes, and more. Side Effects is a "take that" card game where players race to treat all the diseases in their psyche with medication and therapy. Players start with four disease cards dealt face up in front of them (their "psyche") and then four cards in a concealed hand. Players take turns picking up cards from the deck and trying to find the right drugs to treat their diseases. A drug card will treat a disease but also leave the player open to receiving new diseases (of that drug's list of side effects) from other players. Each disease card has a unique punishment written on it and episode cards will trigger these punishments. Play an episode card on another player to hinder them or help yourself. The game is over when one player treats all of the diseases in their psyche.
Watch first
Which Side Effects video should I watch?
Side Effects has 2 videos from 2 creators: 1 review and 1 how-to-play guide. They date from 2024 to March 2026.
To learn the rules, start with "Side Effects Card Game - Unboxing, How-To, & Playthrough" by Skytiger Gaming, which runs 24 min.
For an opinion before you buy, start with "Episode #330 - Side Effects & Booster Shot Expansion (2017 & 2023)" by BOARD GAME MAN.
If you like it, try Hex Effects, MUD, Dead Letters and All True Believers, also by Jade Shames.
All videos
Creators who cover this
BOARD GAME MAN
1 video of this game
Skytiger Gaming
1 video of this game
Games like this
2020Ben Bronstein, Jen Igartua, Jade Shames, Kat Thek
- Videos
- 3
- Creators
- 3
Mostly reviews
2 - 6 players20 - 40 minMedium weight
2027Ben Bronstein, Jade Shames
- Videos
- 3
- Creators
- 3
Some how-to-play
5 - 10 players45 - 90 min
About Side Effects
From BoardGameGeek:
Drug use, personal demons, wild episodes, and more. Side Effects is a "take that" card game where players race to treat all the diseases in their psyche with medication and therapy. Players start with four disease cards dealt face up in front of them (their "psyche") and then four cards in a concealed hand. Players take turns picking up cards from the deck and trying to find the right drugs to treat their diseases. A drug card will treat a disease but also leave the player open to receiving new diseases (of that drug's list of side effects) from other players. Each disease card has a unique punishment written on it and episode cards will trigger these punishments. Play an episode card on another player to hinder them or help yourself. The game is over when one player treats all of the diseases in their psyche.
Designers
Jen Igartua, Jade Shames, Kat Thek
Artist
Ben Bronstein
Publisher
Pillbox Games
Categories
Mechanics