Petiquette

Petiquette is currently in the early stages of table testing, and its appeal is clear: the game leans hard into social deduction, but with a twist that rewards players for syncing up on logic and humor rather than strict accuracy. The core loop—guessing which card the active player will play next based on a visible sequence—creates a steady stream of “aha” and “wait, what?” moments. For veteran groups, the real hook is the way it turns pattern-matching into a group sport, where the fun comes from seeing how well (or poorly) you can align your thinking with the rest of the table. It’s not about solving a puzzle perfectly; it’s about reading the room and embracing the chaos that comes from random alignment. Physically, Petiquette is a breeze to deploy. The box is small, in line with Oink’s signature footprint, and setup is as simple as shuffling and dealing out cards. The clever number wheel for identifying animal cards is a nice touch—no fiddly bits, no sprawling boards, just a handful of cards and a mechanic that keeps things moving. With a session time around 20 minutes, it’s a natural fit as a between-games palate reset or a quick opener while waiting for late arrivals. There’s no wrangling with components or lengthy teardown, so it’s easy to slot in without derailing the flow of a larger game night. From a teaching perspective, Petiquette is forgiving. The rules are straightforward, and most players are comfortable by the second round. The main challenge is getting everyone to focus less on “correct” answers and more on matching the group’s wavelength—a shift that can take a minute for competitive players. Once the first round is underway, you can step back and let the table run itself, which is ideal if you’re juggling multiple groups. The competitive guessing keeps the energy up, and the social interaction is front and center—expect plenty of table banter and laughter as players try (and fail) to get inside each other’s heads.