
- BGG rank
- BGG #23,482
- BGG rating
- 6.0
Utter Nonsense: Naughty Edition
- 4–20 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 1.0/5
- 2017

2014
Rules assistance for Utter Nonsense
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Utter Nonsense is a board game released in 2014 for 4–20 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 17 and up. It was designed by Tim Swindle and Dave Mazurek and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Simultaneous Action Selection, and Acting.
Utter Nonsense is a card game where players combine stereotypical accents with outrageous phrases to create sayings that are just plain ridiculous. Picture a grandma bragging about sexting or a redneck evaluating the finer points of an isosceles triangle. Each game comes complete with 40 Accent Cards and 460 Phrase Cards. Sometimes the phrases pair well with the accents, but for the most part they don’t — and that’s Utter Nonsense. How You Play The game consists of Accent Cards and Phrase Cards that players combine and act out. Sometimes phrases pair well with the accent, but more often, they don’t — and that’s Utter Nonsense. 1. Each game set has 40 Accent Cards and 460 Phrase Cards. 2. All players have 7 Phrase Cards. 3. One player serves as the Nonsense Judge and selects the Accent Card for the round. 4. Once the Accent Card is revealed, players select one Phrase Card from their hand, and say it in the accent indicated. 5. It’s up to the Nonsense Judge to decide which player’s phrase and accent combination is the funniest, and that player wins the round. 6. After a player wins 5 rounds, that player wins the game. You don’t have to be good at accents and the combinations don’t need to make sense; in fact, we encourage players to make the Phrase Cards their own. With each successive round, competition sets in and the most composed, mild mannered players become improv masters.
Utter Nonsense supports 4–20 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 Utter Nonsense is 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 Utter Nonsense for ages 17 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.
Utter Nonsense has a complexity rating of 1.0 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.
Utter Nonsense belongs to these categories: Card Game, Humor, and Party Game. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Simultaneous Action Selection, and Acting. 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 Utter Nonsense are: Tim Swindle and Dave Mazurek. 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 Utter Nonsense 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.