Maudit Mot Dit — Oh no, a Black Cat!
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FroGames — Moments You'll Remember
Someone laughs too soon. Someone bites their tongue. And in the end, everyone understands the word, except the one who was supposed to guess it.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
A party game where saying too much (or too little) comes at a high price
Maudit Mot Dit is a French game created by the trio Laurent Prin, Nathalie and Rémi Saunier, published by Cocktail Games in 2022 and brought to Italy by GateOnGames. Illustrated by Laura Michaud, the game comes in a compact magnetic box with 120 cards. The special edition Oh no, un Gatto Nero! adds a superstitious touch to the packaging, but the core remains the same: a constrained communication mechanism where timing is everything.
Each turn, a player secretly draws a word and a specific number of clues to give. If the word is guessed too early, the person who answers steals the points. If no one guesses it after all the clues, everyone loses. The goal is to calibrate each hint so that the answer comes at exactly the right time. The winner is whoever accumulates the most points by stealing correct answers or giving perfect clues.
What they say abroad
A party game that tests your ability to say enough, but not too much. Timing is everything.
— FroGames
Every clue is a gamble. Every answer is a calculated risk. And in the end, someone always laughs too soon.
— FroGames
Maudit Mot Dit — Oh no, a Black Cat!
FrogScore · FroGames editorial rating · based on rules, international reviews, and play sessionsWhat's in the box
120 cards, 120 bets
Word cards
Each card contains a word to guess and a number (from 1 to 6) indicating how many clues you must give. If they guess it earlier, you lose. If no one guesses it, you still lose.
Random number
The number of clues is decided by the card, not by you. Sometimes you have 6 attempts to get 'Fish' guessed. Sometimes you only have 2 for 'Metaphysics'. The difficulty is all here.
Instant theft
As soon as someone says the right word, the round stops. If it's too early compared to the target number, the person who answered steals the points. The player giving clues is left empty-handed.
Magnetic box
Everything in a compact flip box with magnetic closure. You can slip it into your bag and take it anywhere. The Oh no, un Gatto Nero! edition adds a superstitious touch to the design.
Recommended sleeves 120 cards in 1 size ▼
If you play often, we recommend protecting the cards with transparent sleeves to make them last longer.
| Size | Quantity |
|---|---|
| 63 × 88 mm | 120 |
| Total cards | 120 |
In half an hour, someone will have argued over a too-vague clue. And will want a rematch.
A game in five moments
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
Someone draws the first card
Open the box, secretly read the word and the number of clues. You have 10 seconds to think about your strategy. Others watch you, trying to figure out if your expression betrays an easy or impossible word. The first clue is always the most difficult: too vague and no one understands, too precise and they steal your points immediately.
The first clue unleashes chaos
You say 'Astrology'. Silence. Someone suspects 'Fish', but keeps quiet. You continue: 'Moon'. Someone leans forward. You say 'Tail' as the third clue. Too late: Felix yells 'Fish!' and steals 3 points from you. You were supposed to give 4 clues, but the third was too easy. You start over, cursing the card.
Someone tries the silent tactic
A player understood the word on the second clue, but doesn't speak. They wait for two more hints to answer at the right moment and maximize points. The table is tense: those who understood pretend not to have understood. Those who haven't understood desperately search for a connection between the clues. In the end, someone else answers first and ruins everything.
The impossible word
Someone draws an abstract word with only 2 clues allowed. They say 'Philosophy' and 'Time'. No one answers. The round ends, no one gets points. Everyone gets angry at the player who gave the clues, but the truth is the word was 'Kairos' and with 2 clues there was no way to get it. Bitter laughter and on to the next round.
End of game
After 10 rounds, someone has accumulated points by stealing good answers. Someone else has been too cautious and missed opportunities. The winner celebrates, but everyone wants a rematch. A game lasts half an hour, so they start again immediately. This time with more malice.
How to play
The flow of each round
Each round lasts 2-3 minutes. One player gives clues, the others try to steal points.
One player opens the box without being seen and reads a card. They discover the word to be guessed and the exact number of clues they must give. They close the box and begin.
The player gives the first clue. Others can answer at any time. If someone says the right word before the target number, they steal the points. If no one answers, the player gives the second clue. And so on.
As soon as someone says the exact word, the round stops. If it was guessed at the right moment (or after), the player who gave the clues gets the points. If it was guessed too early, the person who answered steals the points.
The box is passed to the next player. Play for an agreed number of rounds (usually 10-15). The player with the most points at the end wins.
Why it's different from others
Six mechanics that make a difference
Random target number
You don't choose how many clues to give. The card decides for you. Sometimes you have 6 attempts for an easy word, sometimes only 2 for an impossible one. The difficulty is asymmetrical and this makes every round different. You can't predict if you'll be lucky or not.
Instant point theft
As soon as someone says the right word before the target, they steal the points and the round ends. There's no appeal. This forces the clue-giver to calibrate every hint to prevent the answer from coming too early. The risk is very high.
Restricted communication
You can only say one word per clue. No phrases, no gestures, no charades. Just single words. This forces you to choose with surgical precision. A synonym that's too direct and you lose points. A term that's too abstract and no one understands.
Shared risk
If no one guesses the word after all the clues, no one gets points. Everyone loses. This creates a balance of interest: the clue-giver wants the word to be guessed at the right moment, and the listeners want to guess it neither too early nor too late.
Very fast games
Each round lasts 2-3 minutes. A complete game of 10-15 rounds finishes in half an hour. There's no downtime: when you're not giving clues, you're trying to steal points. Everyone is always involved. Perfect as a filler or as a warm-up between longer games.
Compact magnetic box
Everything in a flip box with magnetic closure. You can slip it into your bag, take it on vacation, pull it out on the train. The special edition Oh no, un Gatto Nero! adds a superstitious touch to the design, but the content is identical: 120 cards and a mechanism that works anywhere.
How it ends
How to win and how to lose
The player who accumulates the most points by stealing correct answers or giving perfect clues wins.
Victory
- Stealing points by guessing the word too early (before the target number)
- Giving calibrated clues and having the word guessed at the right moment (or after)
- Accumulating more points than others at the end of the agreed rounds
Defeat
- Giving too easy clues and having points stolen on the second attempt
- Giving too vague clues and no one guesses the word
- Answering too late and letting someone else steal the answer
A party game that doesn't pretend to be profound. It works because it's simple, fast, and generates memorable moments. And because in the end, someone will always want a rematch.
Frequently asked questions
FAQ about Maudit Mot Dit — Oh no, un Gatto Nero!
Can it be played with fewer than 3 players?
No, the game requires a minimum of 3 players. With 2, it doesn't work because the tension of point theft is missing: the listener already knows they have to wait for the right number of clues. With 3+ the table becomes competitive and unpredictable.
Are all the words in Italian?
Yes, this GateOnGames edition contains 120 cards with words in Italian. The terms vary in difficulty: some are common (e.g., Fish, Moon), others are more abstract (e.g., Kairos, Metaphysics). The variety is good.
How long does a complete game last?
A complete game of 10-15 rounds lasts approximately 30 minutes. Each round takes 2-3 minutes. It's a quick game, perfect as a filler or to fill an evening between longer games. Replayability is high because the word-number combinations are always different.
What happens if no one guesses the word?
If all the clues are given and no one answers, no one gets points. The round ends, everyone loses, and play passes to the next player. This penalizes those who give too vague clues or who draw impossible words with few clues.
Is it available in Italian?
Yes, this is the Italian edition published by GateOnGames. All cards and rules are in Italian. The special edition Oh no, un Gatto Nero! adds a superstitious graphic touch to the packaging, but the content is identical to the base version.
Maudit Mot Dit is a party game for 3-6 players lasting 30 minutes, recommended age 12+ years. Designed by Laurent Prin, Nathalie and Rémi Saunier, published by Cocktail Games and distributed in Italy by GateOnGames, the game is based on a limited communication mechanism: one player gives clues to make others guess a word in a precise number of attempts. If the word is guessed too early, the person who answers steals the points. If no one guesses it, everyone loses. Perfect as a filler or for light evenings, the game includes 120 cards in a compact magnetic box. The special edition Oh no, un Gatto Nero! adds a superstitious touch to the design. Available on FroGames.it.
Maudit Mot Dit — Oh no, a Black Cat!
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