Herd Mentality review: we tried out this Mumsnetter favourite

Overall rating: 5/5
Price on writing: £19 | Buy now from Amazon

What we like

• Easy-to-understand instructions

• Lots of fun to play

• Quick to set up

• 200 questions keep the game fresh every time you play

What we don't like

• Some references may go over the heads of younger players

Key specs

No. of players: 4-20 players | Ages: 10+ | Difficulty: Easy | Game duration: Unspecified | Set up time: 2-3 minutes

What Mumsnet users say

“Herd Mentality is a family favourite! The best part is the banter/debates over the 'correct' answer and the high five moments when your answer matches with just one other person but you still win!” Game recommended by Mumsnet user Flandaddy

Our verdict

If your household is finding Monopoly a bit monotonous, or Scrabble is becoming a bit of a snore, then it’s time to rejuvenate family games night.

Made by Big Potato Games, who brought us the much-loved Colourbrain and the delightfully bonkers Chicken Vs Hotdog, Herd Mentality is a firm favourite among Mumsnet enthusiasts of the best family board games. Parents love the simple premise - to think like the herd and write down the same answer as everyone else - and it's a great way to engage even the most monosyllabic of teenagers in light-hearted and humorous discussions.

Although it is recommended for kids aged 10 and up, my four-year-old and six-year-old were able to join in easily as part of a team, so don’t let the age recommendation put you off. The rules are easy to understand, it is easy to set up and the games don’t drag on for hours. However, if you have younger kids playing, you may need to discard some of the question cards as the references may go over their heads. However there is nothing remotely offensive or too adult in the question card pack - it’s all good, clean family fun.

What’s in the box?

• 100 double sided questions cards

• 62 cow tokens

• 1 answer pad

• 1 squeezy pink cow

• 1 cow paddock

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Is Herd Mentality easy to set up?

Although Herd Mentality comes in a large, robust box, it isn’t jam-packed with hundreds of fiddly pieces. There are five cardboard pieces that slot together to create a paddock, where the pink cow stands with the cow tokens. The tokens come attached to a big sheet of cardboard, so these need to be pushed through and removed the first time you play. One player is declared the ‘Question Wrangler’ and is given the question cards and an answer sheet and pencil is handed out to every player. And that’s all there is to it. 

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How do you play Herd Mentality?

The aim of the game is to be the first player to collect eight cow tokens. To score those precious tokens, players have to try and write down an answer that is the same as one or more of the other players. All players with the most common answer win a cow token to add to their herd. The only player who wrote an answer that doesn’t match anyone else gets stuck with the pink cow, so can’t win the game. The first player to eight cow tokens (without the pink cow) is the winner. It’s all very high-steaks(!) stuff.

The gameplay is simple, and the rules are very easy to understand, so both my kids picked it up very quickly. They also loved the rule that allows you to loudly moo at any player who is taking too long to write down an answer! It was great fun and Herd Mentality has definitely become our ‘go to’ board game when we have the extended family round. We all agree it’s ‘udderly’ addictive. 

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Is Herd Mentality a good family game?

We played Herd Mentality with a group of six people, aged from four to 54. The children paired up with an adult to create teams and found it easy to come up with sensible (or at least semi-sensible) answers. Although some of the questions contained cultural references that were too old for them to understand, there was no content that struck me as being unsuitable for younger kids. The game comes with 200 questions, which means there should be enough to keep things fresh every time you play. However, if you play a lot and find things getting a bit repetitive, you can always buy a Herd Mentality Expansion Pack, containing 200 new questions, to mix things up a bit.

If you are looking for an enjoyable family game that is fun for parents, teens and kids alike, then Herd Mentality really is outstanding in its field. 

Looking for a game suitable for preschoolers? Check out our Orchard Toys' Peter Rabbit games review.

About the author

Laura Cooke is a Content Editor at Mumsnet, with a special focus on child’s play, outdoor play and toddler play content.

Laura started writing Swears By articles for Mumsnet in 2021, writing buyers guides and product reviews to help Mumsnetters make informed choices when it comes to parting with their pennies.

Laura is also a freelance journalist and has written articles for publications including the Daily Mirror, the i, Metro, Stylist and Happiful magazine.

About Mumsnet Reviews

All Mumsnet product reviews are written by real parents after weeks of research and testing. We work hard to provide honest and independent advice you can trust. Sometimes, we earn revenue through affiliate (click-to-buy) links in our articles. However, we never allow this to influence our coverage.