Matthew BaileyWe’re going to have a really quick game today for game 6 of our “travel games log”, and that’s our second Uno set — Uno House Rules.
Now, Uno House Rules — just to clear up some confusion — is actually the second game ever released with this name. The first Uno House Rules came out way back in 1998 and featured three different Uno variants that were the result of a contest Mattel ran to come up with interesting house rule ideas for Uno. I’ve never played that version, but looking through it now, it seems pretty interesting, with some weird and wacky twists. But this review isn’t about that.
The recently released Uno House Rules is essentially regular Uno, but with the option to add up to five house rules as you play. I’m not going to explain how Uno works — I’ve done it before, and by now, pretty much everyone knows how it goes — but this version plays exactly like any other Uno you’ve ever tried, with one small twist: certain cards have rule markers.
When you play a card with a rule marker, you have to declare a house rule. I was quite excited when I picked up this game a couple of weeks ago because I’ve got loads of fun house rule ideas for Uno. But it turns out the rules the game suggests don’t really change the gameplay — they’re more about adding silly actions. For example, you might have a rule where, whenever someone plays a two, everyone has to moo like a cow, or when someone plays a five, everyone has to stand up and touch their nose. It doesn’t affect the game itself — it’s just nonsense layered on top, with the idea that if someone forgets to do the action, they have to pick up extra cards.
It’s silly, and to be honest, my kids and I aren’t big fans of that kind of thing. We don’t like being forced to make funny noises or do goofy stuff unless it’s really tied into the gameplay. So, unless you’re playing with kids or people who love that sort of silliness, this ends up feeling like regular Uno with some unnecessary fluff.
And that’s where I think this game is such a missed opportunity. The original Uno House Rules from 1998 had some genuinely interesting variants — actual rules that changed the way the game played. That could easily have been recreated here for a modern audience. When I add house rules, I want them to affect the game, not just add silly actions. With the Uno framework, you could come up with some really cool twists.
In the end, we actually house-ruled the House Rules game itself and made it way better. For example, we made rules like “You must play all even numbers regardless of colour,” or Jack tried to be sneaky and added, “You can only play prime numbers.” Toby changed it so you could play an extra card if you had one that matched. Sure, some of these ideas broke the game a bit, but they were fun! They made us think, added new strategies, and even helped the kids with their maths. And honestly, that was more enjoyable than what came in the box.
If you haven’t already guessed, I’m not a big fan of Uno House Rules. It’s basically regular Uno with a few cards that tell you to come up with silly actions that don’t actually affect the gameplay. If you like that kind of nonsense, great! I’m glad you and your kids enjoy it. But you don’t need to buy this special version — you can just play regular Uno and add your own fun rules every now and then.
Overall, it’s a big missed opportunity and a strong non-recommendation from me.
