Hues and Cues with the Colorblind

image is not property of Riley James Copy (source)

Be Careful Who You Choose for Competitive Analysis…

So the other night we went over to a friends house for dinner (Lent friday fish tacos).

I had a pretty busy week and was in the mood to pour myself some tequila and bust out a light, fun, party game.

And the “so-popular-it-is-now-at-Target” game Hues and Clues had been burning a hole on my board game shelf, so as we cleared the table of dishes, I cut off the plastic, and began setting it up.

Now there are A LOT of marketing lessons tabletop games business owners can draw from Hues and Cues, and I am sure I will return to this game at a later date…

But for now, I want to teach a very important marketing lesson:

You must accurately identify your competitors; the games and companies that you compare yourself to.

Let me illustrate through this fun game, allow me to establish the basics…

Can you explain the rules of Hues and Cues in simple terms?

Here is how Hues and Cues works:

1. The board is a grid full of many, many colors

2. The colors are various shades of the primary colors, subtly distinct from one another.

3. The drawer/cue giver will grab the deck of cards color cards

4. They pull the top card and choose "a specific hue" (one of the colors) on the card

5. (NOTE: because there are so many colors, it is important for the cue giver to double-check the coordinates of the color)

6. They will then give a one-word clue to help guide everyone to that specific color. Usually it is some sort of everyday object, pop culture reference, or inside joke.

7. People place a meeple on the color they think the drawer is referring to

8. The drawer/cue giver then provides a "second cue" (another clue)

9. The process repeats until all the player pieces are on the board

10. The clue giver then lays the scoring frame on the game board, with their selected color in the center

11. If you are close enough to the real color, then you get points!

12. Players increase their total on the scoring track

Some Common Hues and Cues Questions:

What age group is Hues and Cues suitable for?

If the player can see color, then they can play, which means anyone who can speak can technically play. However, due to the references people will use for colors, a certain degree of knowledge and awareness is needed. So unless the table is a bunch of kindergartners playing with each other and referencing Bluey and Cocomelon, it is best for ages 8+.

How many people can play Hues and Cues?

Due to the pieces needed, the number of players is limited to between 3 and 10. In my opinion, the more the merrier, forces people to rush their guesses!

Is there an app or digital version of Hues and Cues?

YES! You can download the app on the Google app store, and Apple App store, as well as game sites like Steam.

Where can I buy Hues and Cues?

Just about any game store or FLGS is sure to have it. But if there isn't a game store near you (or it is dark and scary and full of violent Astro-Crusader minis minis), you can almost always find it at a Fred Meyer or Target.

Are there any strategies to win at Hues and Cues?

Not really. It’s an intuitive, simple game; the "rulebook" is like one page. Just know the players and use good references. Though I'm sure google ai will come up with some dumb, generic strategy answer. But if you NEED a strategy, then spending a weekend studying colors would help. But that is like saying reading the dictionary will help you with Scrabble.

Is Hues and Cues a good party game for families?

It is PERFECT for families, and here is why:

1. It can be played by such a wide range of age groups and intelligence levels

2. Up to 10 players can play, so even large families can participate

3. It can be played as long or short as you want... no hours-long commitment!

Are You A Board Game Company or Creator?

I Can Help You With Your Competitive Analysis

Story: My Horrifying Hues and Cues Revelation...

Now, full disclosure, I am TERRIBLE at games like this.

Any game where, as a player, I have to think about what the other person thinks is the right answer… I am atrociously bad at.

Think games like Apples to Apples and Charty Party; I lose these games by double digits. Even when I cheat at Apples to Apples (drawing more than 1 card at the end of a round) I am in dead last place. I’ll have 25 cards in my hand and I will STILL get absolutely dogwalked in Apples to Apples.

Before you get scared that your new copywriter is unintentionally revealing that he is incapable of understadning from another point of view, and will never understand your target audience AT ALL… its not like that, I promise!

In marketing (and my old ministry jobs) I was/am more than ok of viewing things from others perspectives so I can* communicate relevant, complex information as fast as possible. Its important stuff, so it matters to put in the effort to imagine from another’s perspective.

But in an ironic sense, when I sit down to play a silly game, all that goes out the window, and my “it SHOULD be ___" parts show up (shout out to all the Internal Family Systems fans out there).

But I digress…

So we are playing Hues and Cues, and as usual I am giving terrible clues for fun (“Hathaway” for a shade of pink) and barely scoring points (apparently I think “royal blue” is too close to “navy blue”).

But I reckon: “Hey, it ain’t so bad, I’m in the middle of the pack. And at least I’m not as bad as Daniel”.

Because Daniel was losing.

Big time.

Like, not even close on his guesses.

And as I’m feeling ok about my position, he tells us:

“Man, its a lot harder when you are colorblind to reds and greens”

I WAS BEATING A COLORBLIND FRIEND AT A COLOR GAME.

That’s like bragging about beating someone in a wheelchair at a 100 yard dash.

And once I knew that, I looked at my position on the board and…

I was bascially STILL in last!

image is not property of Riley James Copy

Why You Must Assess Your Competition Before Beginning Your Board Game Marketing Strategy

So what did I learn from this experience? Other than the fact that NOTHING had changed and I still suck at those games!

And while silly fun party games are no big deal…

You don’t want to experience the same problem with your tabletop games business.

You don’t want to THINK your marketing is doing great because you are comparing it to the wrong competition:

• Take email marketing… if you are selling a cheaper product like dice, comparing yourselves to something like Critical Role makes no sense. Yes, you are both DnD related, but one is e-commerce retail and the other is entertainment. Those will have very different expected numbers.

• Or a Kickstarter… if you are selling a new VTT, you should be aiming to compete with other tech kickstarters, not the average Kickstarter for a new board game. And that means assessing your competition.

• And social media… you should not despair over how many people are sharing your posts, if you are making a board game that is months away from launching!

You need to compare yourself to relevant competition.

A “competitive comparison” is something I include on nearly every branding packet I make for my customers. Because when you position yourself against the competition, you clarify how you are similar and how you are different.

So as you are crafting your features/benefits, marketing strategy, and brand messaging, first take a look at your competition.

Here’s a simple guide to competitive analysis:

• Step 1: Find 5 companies

  1. All in the same industry

  2. All are creating a similar product/offering a similar service

  3. At a diversity of price points

  4. To a range of target audiences

  5. Emphasizing different marketing channels

• Step 2: Assess them

  • What does their product/service actually DO?

  • What is their branding? What tone or themes do they use, and what do they communicate?

  • What promises do they make, or values do they have?

  • How big is their team?

  • What marketing channels do they use?

  • What are they communicating in their emails or social media

  • What do they have on their website? And in what order?

• Step 3: Consider your game/business

  • What do you do that is similar?

  • What do you do that is unique?

  • How do they resonate with their audience? How are they missing their audience?

  • What channels are essential? Which might present an opportunity?

  • What ways are you/can you be better?

Conclusion: Why is analyzing your board game competition important?

Because it will guide your strategy, preventing you from making obvious mistakes. You need to know what they are doing, what they are not doing… what they are saying, what they are not saying… how they are saying it, how they are not saying it.

The goal is simple: carve out a place for your company/brand that is SPECIAL. And THAT is a parallel topic that is the other side of this coin: brand positioning. To learn about that, read this post here.

November 2025 Update:

I wanted to give a special shout-out to Brian Greenwald, VP of marketing at The OP Games. I reached out to him in September and told him about this post and our first baby on the way. His response: to send me a box of fun party games! Will be writing a post about each in the coming year :)