When comparing Cards Against Humanity vs Snake Oil, the Slant community recommends Snake Oil for most people. In the question“What are the best party card games?” Snake Oil is ranked 5th while Cards Against Humanity is ranked 9th. The most important reason people chose Snake Oil is:
Whether they're selling Story Pajamas to the Teacher, a Pocket Toilet to a Couch Potato, or the ever-handy Baby Shield to some Aliens, it is the sales pitches of the players that elevate Snake Oil above similar games like Cards Against Humanity or Apples to Apples. Being able to sell their products gives players ownership of what cards they play and it rewards those who commit to trying to actually match the product to the customer.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Audacious and funny concept for those who enjoy dark humor
The creators of CAH took already used game mechanics (using cards with words to form sentences - see "Apples to Apples", for example) and gave it an audacious twist. The game's cards potentiate the vile and sordid corners of our brains, making us use them to make humorous and reprehensible expressions. The results are funny and as awkward and contemptible as those playing the game.
Pro Straightforward and easy to explain
The mechanics of the game are pretty straightforward and it's easy and quick to get someone who has never heard of CAH before playing and enjoying him/herself. Of course, they have to appreciate this kind of humor.
Pro Crazy, long list of expansion packs
CAH is one of the card games currently on the market that has more expansion packs (just over 20 as of Nov. 2016 ). And there are expansions with themes for all tastes: there's the "90s Nostalgia" Pack, the "Jew" Pack, the "Vote for Trump" Pack, the "Post-Trump" Pack and the "Fantasy" Pack, just to name a few.
Pro Creating convincing pitches for ridiculous products rewards creative thinking and often leads to surreal, yet hilarious, situations
Whether they're selling Story Pajamas to the Teacher, a Pocket Toilet to a Couch Potato, or the ever-handy Baby Shield to some Aliens, it is the sales pitches of the players that elevate Snake Oil above similar games like Cards Against Humanity or Apples to Apples. Being able to sell their products gives players ownership of what cards they play and it rewards those who commit to trying to actually match the product to the customer.
Pro Tons of replayability
With 56 possible customer roles and 336 product cards, there's already a large amount of variety built into the game, but the 30 second pitches allow everyone's creativity to keep each game fresh and new.
Cons
Con A kind of humor that's not for everyone
Not everyone finds CAH's humor funny. Many will find it crude, distasteful and disrespectful. On top of that, there are many scenarios where players need to have knowledge on some pretty shady subjects to understand the cards and the sentences they form.
Con Simplistic gameplay
As original and fun as this game can be, and even challenging, the gameplay itself is very simplistic. It really is basically an "Apples to Apples" with different words. Those used to more demanding and complex games may be disapointed with this.
Con Players need to commit to the concept of making short sales pitches for the game to really shine
If players aren't willing to really try and sell their products the game can quickly grow stale as people simply play cards and hope to get picked. Now use that silver tongue to get out there and sell some Snake Oil!