Battle of the Sexes Game: Rules and How to Play

If you believe board games are just for kids, here’s a game, battle of the sexes, to shatter that belief. It’s the ultimate board game for adults that focuses on the ultimate point of debate among adults — the differences between the two sexes. The most appealing part of the game is the battle of the sexes rules that are easy, yet very engaging. 

The game creates scenarios that will have you guessing, calculating, recollecting, and even imitating, and don’t be surprised if you get all worked up in your bid to defeat the other gender. Perhaps the only similarity that you will find between this game and other board games like Fibber is the use of the presence of mind and a bit of strategy. 

Besides that, the game has a completely different target group, with completely unique gameplay. Clearly, it also has nothing to do with the historic tennis match called the Battle of the Sexes that involved a face-off between the two ace players from both sexes. 

Let’s now move on to the details of the battle of sexes, learn what it is all about, and how to go about the game.

What Is the Battle Of The Sexes?

True to its name, the Battle of the Sexes is a game where men and women compete against each other – all in a bid to establish and prove superiority. The game encompasses every little detail from each gender’s generic likes and preferences to events that matter in daily lives. The team with greater general and personal knowledge about the opponents wins.

Number Of Players: 6 (3 men and 3 women).

Ages: 14 and above.

Difficulty: Easy.

Length Of The Play: 20-30 mins.

Main Objective: Answer most questions correctly and win 3 trophies towards the end.

Why We Love It: It’s a game you just cannot get enough of. The competitive spirit keeps soaring with every card that is drawn, and you can never predict if the next move will lead to a greater understanding with your partner or give rise to another petty disagreement.

Brief History Of Battle Of The Sexes

The name of the game was first largely publicized in history as the first battle of the sexes tennis match between Bobby Riggs and Billie Jean King. It was a notable first-ever event in history that had a man competing against a woman in a physical sport all the way back in 1973. Similar such matches with the same name started coming up later.

The phrase, battle of the sexes, became largely popular among different sports and games for its apt use of words, relevance to the competition involved in games, and the sensational quotient that it added. The popularity shined through recently when Battle Of The Sexes, a sports comedy movie on the same story, also highlighted the personal differences between them.

The story seems to have inspired the board game. However, considering that the primary focus of the battle of the sexes rules is on personal lives, that may or may not be true. 

Battle Of The Sexes: Equipment and Set-Up

You simply need the complete battle of the sexes game set with all the components to play the game. Here’s what you should expect inside the game kit:

• 1 battle of the sexes board with various components marked. A start section will give rise to two different trails for men and women leading up to the victory section.
• 5 trophies.
• 2 sets of question cards; 110 in each set/ deck. The cards will have questions in different categories.
• 1 set of decision cards (A, B, C).

You can find all of this in this compact battle of the sexes game kit by Spin Master, which has 5 variations in question categories that make the game more engaging.

Set-Up Of The Game

• Shuffle all the cards in the 3 separate decks — male question cards, female question cards, and decision cards.
• Place all decision cards upside down in the dedicated spot beneath the trophy trail on the board. 
• Place challenge tokens on their respective spots above the trophy trail, according to the color on either side of the board.
• Place 1 trophy on the purple-colored start and the rest lying outside the board.

Battle Of The Sexes Rules and Gameplay Instructions

The game is played among two obvious teams — men and women. The players may decide which team goes first by means of toss. The team who goes first will have the chance to answer the questions and move the trophy ahead on the trail.

Moving On The Trail

The start section where the trophy is placed at the beginning of the game is often purple in color. This means the team asking the question will have to go with the purple question on the card. 

If the answer is correct, the answering team moves the trophy ahead by one space. The questioning team will now have to draw another card to ask another question, but this time a yellow one (considering that the second space is generally yellow on the trail). 

When the answering team gives a wrong answer, the roles are reversed and the chance to move the trophy in their direction is passed to the opponent’s team. With every correct answer to the color-coded questions, the answering team moves the trophy one step further towards their victory section.

Cards, Questions, and Answers

The question cards will mostly have 5 maximum varieties. This will involve general factual questions about men and women, trivia about their personal lives and the things they share, description of pictures that the opposite sex might be unfamiliar with, and imitating moves from sports or movies. 

There are generally 3 decision cards that the questioning team uses. Before the opponent answers, the right answer card should be picked by the questioning team so that the answer cannot be changed. 

Winning The Game

The players can alternate turns in asking questions or let the winner continue answering, that depends on the teams’ mutual agreement. At any given moment, one trophy is on the board so if say the women are winning, the trophy is closer to their victory section. And that much farther from the men’s victory section. 

The men will have to answer that many answers correctly to have a chance to win. The team that manages to advance 3 trophies to their respective victory section wins the game.

Frequently Asked Questions About Battle Of The Sexes

What Is The Theoretical Version Of Battle Of The Sexes All About?

A very unique and completely different variation of the game is a coordination game between the two sexes. It involves putting the two players (generally spouses) in a situation and adding a conflict, which is common knowledge to both. The game is about how both the players can resolve the conflict while achieving maximum satisfaction for both.

What Kind Of Knowledge Do We Need To Win Battle Of The Sexes?

The game might have questions ranging from male and female anatomy to sports cars’ mechanics and makeup products’ ingredients. It is pretty generic and mostly about paying attention to what your partner from the opposite gender is interested in. 

Why Is Battle Of The Sexes Not Suitable For The Kids?

The game contains questions that kids might not find relatable with their daily lives, and hence may not be able to participate at all. There are also generic questions like ‘how many ovaries does a female have?’ which kids might not have answers to, or might find it difficult to understand. That is why the game is appropriate only for teenagers and adults.

More Board Games That You Might Like 

Are you looking for more inspiration for your board games marathon night? We might be able to help!

If your circle particularly enjoys board games with questions and cards, then you are surely going to love Headbanz. The game can give you a breather from testing your memory in the battle of the sexes and can get your creativity flowing. 

For something similar that little kids can also participate in, you should try out Monikers, 5 Second Rule or Guess Who, another board game filled with questions, answers, and interesting characters for kids. If you’re willing to try out a complete contrast in the type of games, you should check out games like Crokinole and Klask that are popular among adults and children alike.

For more game nights check out more board game here.