Blabel

About this board game

Blabel is a cooperative language game for 3–9 players that takes about 35 minutes to play. Together, players must understand one another and build the Tower of Blabel before they run out of turns.

Every player speaks a different fictional language. At the start, each player receives a dictionary made from three cards, teaching them how to say the game’s 10 words in their unique language. These words include four materials, four objects to build, “yes,” and “no.”

Each turn, one player becomes the foreman and tries to explain what the other players need to build. Communication is restricted to the fictional languages of the game, so players must listen closely and work out what unfamiliar words mean.

• Cooperative play for 3–9 players
• Fictional-language communication and deduction
• Dictionaries made from three cards per player
• A shared tower-building objective
• A play time of approximately 35 minutes

Success depends on noticing similarities between the different languages and remembering the words that other players have taught one another. Clear communication can help the group coordinate its construction, but the available turns are limited.

The building challenge is also threatened by powerful forces of nature. Earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, and fires can destroy the tower, so the group must build a resistant structure while working together across its language barriers.

In Blabel, every conversation becomes part of the puzzle. Learn the vocabulary, interpret the foreman’s instructions, and cooperate to raise the Tower of Blabel before communication breaks down—or disaster strikes.