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It's Obvious
2021
Rules assistance for It's Obvious
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 3–6 players
- 20–30 min
- 8+
- Complexity 1.2/5
For 3 players
Rules assistant for It's Obvious
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
It's Obvious is a board game released in 2021 for 3–6 players, 20–30 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Maxime Rambourg and its main mechanics are Deduction, Cooperative Game, and Communication Limits.
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About the game
It's Obvious is a game in which you and your fellow players, as apprentices of telepathy, have to co-operatively — and secretly — select different image cards from the center of the table. In more detail, you choose an image card on display that in some way has a connection to the two image cards in front of you, stating something like "My choice is obvious!" or "It's a bit of stretch" or "I'm going for the non-obvious card as I think someone else will pick it". You may not give specific clues about what you have chosen or how it relates to one or both of the image cards in front of you; only a vague sense of how the choice feels to you. One more image card is on display than the number of players, and once you've chosen your target image, you indicate this choice on a numbered secret dial. Once all players have chosen, they reveal their choices. If you're the only one who picked an image, then you take that image card and cover one of the two images in front of you. If everyone chose different cards, then you win the round! If, however, not everyone chose different cards, then you lose the round and everyone who chose "incorrectly" draws a new image card at random from the deck to replace one of theirs. Sweep any remaining image cards from the center, then reveal the appropriate number of image cards to start a new round. If you lose a round for the third time, you lose the game; if you manage to complete a number of rounds (7-10) based on the player count before this happens, then you win! You can adjust the difficulty of the game in several ways to make it more or less difficult.
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- Gémklub
- Gigamic
- Lifestyle Boardgames Ltd
- Hachette Boardgames UK
Questions and answers
It's Obvious supports 3–6 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for It's Obvious is 20–30 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists It's Obvious for ages 8 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
It's Obvious has a complexity rating of 1.2 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
It's Obvious belongs to these categories: Party Game and Deduction. Its main mechanics are Deduction, Cooperative Game, and Communication Limits. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of It's Obvious are: Maxime Rambourg. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists It's Obvious as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.