Cards Against Muggles, the unofficial Cards Against Humanity expansion pack, is a literal game changer for Harry Potter fans.
Your next Harry Potter party just got a whole lot more fun thanks to Cards Against Muggles. Someone made an unofficial expansion pack of the “hilariously offensive” Cards Against Humanity that centers around our favorite boy wizard.
‘Cards Against Muggles’ Free PDF Download Printout
Digital copies of Cards Against Muggles mysteriously went missing in late 2017. At this time, PDF digital copies of Cards Against Muggles are unavailable, potentially due to copyright issues.
However, there’ve been some people selling versions of the game on Amazon. There is also this well-reviewed version on Etsy. Buy these at your own risk, as they are not guaranteed to be perfect quality.
‘Cards Against Muggles’ review
With over 1300 cards, the original Cards Against Muggles game has more than enough cards to create hours of fun, all on its own, but you can also mix the cards with the original game for extra fun.
Cards Against Muggles is just as dirty (maybe even more so), perhaps slightly less offensive (unless you’re a member of S.P.E.W.) and far more magical for Harry Potter fans. Check out our review and gather your best Harry Potter friends, casual and super-fan alike.
How does it work?
If you’ve been living under a rock and have never played the original version of Cards Against Humanity, here’s how it works.
The game comes with both black cards and white cards. White cards can contain anything from a name, to a short statement, to a random list of things, to a single word. Black cards will contain a question or a fill-in-the-blank type statement.
Every player begins the game with 10 white cards in their hand (or another arbitrary number of your choosing). The black cards are placed in a pile. The game begins when the first player draws a black card from the deck and reads it aloud.
Each player (excluding the reader) then chooses a white card to answer the question or fill in the blank. The reader then reads everyone’s selections and chooses their favorite as the winner! Alternatively, everyone can vote on their favorite. Once you play a white card, pick up another one.
The winner gets to keep the black card. The game ends when someone collects X number of black cards (really whatever you decide) or when you don’t feel like playing anymore!
‘Cards Against Muggles’ review
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I received my copy of Cards Against Muggles. I’m a huge fan of Cards Against Humanity, but I’ve been skeptical of any “unofficial” expansions packs in the past. When I learned about this spinoff, though, I just couldn’t resist.
I got the cards printed and cut at a printing company, and they turned out beautifully. The front and back sides matched up well, and if you get them printed on card stock they look just like any card game. The one downside of this, is if you don’t have a printer, you end up paying for the game twice. Once for the files and once for the printing.
Going in on the game with friends and printing multiple copies could help offset the extra cost, but if you can get your hands on a printed version of Cards Against Muggles, definitely take that option.
When I picked up my beautiful little cards, the first white card I saw read, “that awkward moment when you don’t know who You Know Who is.” Right away, I was hooked. The best cards are the ones that make you laugh before they’re paired with anything, and this was one of those gems.
I’ve now played through the game several times and can happily say that there are many more of these gems included. Are there some duds as well? Absolutely. A few of the cards were truly WTF worthy, but different people have different senses of humor, so that’s bound to happen.
While most of the cards are hilarious, there are definitely a few that’ll make you picture things that you had no intention of ever imagining, like those shown above. If you’re worried about having these characters and stories from your childhood marred forever, either be prepared to do some heavy compartmentalizing, or maybe stay away from the game. If you’ve spent any time reading fan fiction, ignore this warning.
One complaint that I’ve heard regarding Cards Against Humanity is that the level of discrimination of some of the cards makes people extremely uncomfortable. If that’s you, Cards Against Muggles could be just the game you need to participate in this phenomenon.
While some of the Cards Against Muggles cards will still surely make you cringe, the game uses its fictional world to its advantage. Instead of eliciting jokes that hit a little too close to home, the game makes its jokes at the expense of pure-bloods, muggle-borns, squibs, goblins, house elves, etc.
The game is great for any level of Harry Potter fan. Whether you’ve devoured every word J.K. Rowling has written/said/thought/dreamt for the last 20 years, or if you’ve simply caught some of the movies on TV, this game will make you laugh.
More casual fans might run into a card or two that they don’t understand, but that tends to happen in regular Cards Against Humanity too. There’s nothing wrong with a quick google search to figure your card out, or you can just ask one of the super fans in the room. They’d probably love nothing more than to give you a verbal essay on the exact meaning and ramifications of the card.
Because of the possible varying levels of fandom, it’s extra important to keep in mind who’ll be reading/judging your card. For example, don’t play your card about the Chudley Cannons’ poor performance with a casual fan. They won’t get it.
The one downside of Cards Against Muggles when compared to the original game, is that if there’s someone at your party who’s not a Harry Potter fan at all (not sure why you’d associate with these people, but that’s your choice), it might put a damper on things.
If you’ve got a Harry Potter event coming up, or if you simply know some fans with a good sense of humor, I can’t recommend Cards Against Muggles enough. Pick up your copy now and let the hilarity ensue. You know the Weasley twins would approve!