120,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock 🇳🇿

We're Moving! 🚚 We’ll be closed Fri, Sat & Sun. Pick up before 5pm tonight from our cute Rawiri bookshop!

1 2

Side Effects

0.0 (0 reviews)
Brief Description
Drug use, personal demons, wild episodes, and more. Side Effects is a "take that" card game where players race to treat all the diseases in their psyche with medication and therapy. Players start with four disease cards dealt face up in front of them (their "psyche")... Read More

Players

2–8 players

Time to play

10–20 minutes

$6299
Pre-order
Releases 15th October 2026 (Approx. Date) Pre-order  "Side Effects" now to secure your copy from our first shipment

Found a better price? Request a price match

Side Effects

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Drug use, personal demons, wild episodes, and more. Side Effects is a "take that" card game where players race to treat all the diseases in their psyche with medication and therapy.

Players start with four disease cards dealt face up in front of them (their "psyche") and then four cards in a concealed hand. Players take turns picking up cards from the deck and trying to find the right drugs to treat their diseases. A drug card will treat a disease but also leave the player open to receiving new diseases (of that drug's list of side effects) from other players.

Each disease card has a unique punishment written on it and episode cards will trigger these punishments. Play an episode card on another player to hinder them or help yourself.

The game is over when one player treats all of the diseases in their psyche.

Product Details

INFORMATION

Barcode: 602573618868

Board game mechanics: Race

Color pattern: Black, Gold

DIMENSIONS

Length: 150.0mm

Width: 140.0mm

Height: 20.0mm

Weight: 360g

Collections

Board Games Card Games Party Board Games Pre-orders Pre-orders by Release Date Two Player Board Games

More from Board Games

View all
  • Dutch Blitz
    Hannah's Pick Hannah's Pick
    Dutch Blitz
    In Dutch Blitz, each player has her own deck of forty cards, with cards 1-10 in four colors; red and blue cards show a Pennsylvania Dutch boy, while yellow and green cards show a Pennsylvania Dutch girl. Each deck has a different symbol on the back to aid with card sorting between rounds. At the start of each round, each...
    2–8 players
    $2999
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Heat Pedal to the Metal
    Shirl's Pick Shirl's Pick
    Heat Pedal to the Metal
    Manage your race car's speed to keep from overheating. 1–6 Players  |  30–60 Min  |  Age: 10+ Based on simple and intuitive hand management, Heat: Pedal to the Metal puts players in the driver's seat of intense car races, jockeying for position to cross the finish line first, while managing their car's speed if they don't want to overheat. Selecting the right upgrades for...
    2–6 players
    $12500
    Elsewhere:
    $12999
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Wingspan: Americas Expansion
    Wingspan: Americas Expansion
    This fourth Wingspan expansion explores the birds of Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. This incredibly biodiverse and abundant region is home to more than 3,000 bird species, including the birds with the smallest and largest wingspans in the world (the Bee Hummingbird and Snowy Albatross, respectively). Hummingbirds make up about one-tenth of the bird species in Latin...
    1-5 players
    $5999
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Monopoly - Deal Card Game
    Dylan's Pick Dylan's Pick
    Monopoly - Deal Card Game
    Swap, steal, and scheme with the Monopoly Deal card game! Be the first player to collect 3 complete Property card sets, each in a different colour, to win. This deck includes 110 cards: Property cards, Wild Property cards, Action cards, and Money cards. Wild Property cards help players build Property sets. Action cards mix up the game by letting players...
    $599
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • CATAN (6th Edition) - Seafarers Expansion
    Expansion for CATAN. Expand from the island of Catan into the ocean with boat shipping lanes. 3-4 Players  |  60+ Mins  |  Ages 10+ Features: Dice Rolling, Hand Management, Memory, Modular Board, Network and Route Building, Trading Theme: Expansion for Base-game, Exploration, Negotiation Description: Not everyone’s content with a simple life on the shore. You? Your restless spirit cannot resist the call...
    3-4 players
    $7999
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set: Heroes of the Borderlands
    Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set: Heroes of the Borderlands
    Heroes of the Borderlands is a cooperative fantasy adventure suitable for all skill levels. In this game, one player assumes the role of Dungeon Master, while the others become heroes in an ever-evolving narrative. Together, players delve into monster-filled caves, explore untamed forests, and determine the fate of the Borderlands. Set up and play in minutes with a quick-start guide...
    3-5 players
    $7100
    Elsewhere:
    $7999
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • 7 Wonders Duel
    7 Wonders Duel
    Science? Military? What will you draft to win this head-to-head version of 7 Wonders? 2 Players  |  30 Mins  |  Ages 10+ Features: End Game Bonuses, Income, Layering, Market, Modular Board Themes: Ancient, Card Game, City Building, Civilization, Economic Description: Experience an intense two-player struggle for supremacy in the ancient world! Choose the Wonders you aim to build and guide your city...
    2 players
    $4999
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Bananagrams
    Amelia's Pick Amelia's Pick
    Bananagrams
    Addictively simple, and simply addictive, Bananagrams is the fast and frantic word game enjoyed by millions! Players and their opponents aim to use all of their letters to build a word grid in a race to the finish. The first player to use all of their tiles is crowned Top Banana! Bananagrams requires no pencil, paper, or board, and comes...
    2–8 players
    $2899
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • CATAN (6th Edition) - The Game
    CATAN (6th Edition) - The Game
    Welcome to the unexplored island of Catan! 3-4 Players  |  60+ Mins  |  Ages 10+ Features: Chaining, Dice Rolling, Hexagon Grid, Income, Modular Board, Negotiation, Network and Route Building, Race, Random Production, Trading, Variable Set-up Theme: Economic, Negotiation Description: As you and your fellow explorers gaze across the uninhabited landscape of hexagonal tracts of terrain, you quickly realize that this unique land...
    3-4 players
    $7699
    Elsewhere:
    $7999
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Terraforming Mars
    Terraforming Mars
    In the 2400s, mankind begins to terraform the planet Mars. Giant corporations, sponsored by the World Government on Earth, initiate huge projects to raise the temperature, the oxygen level, and the ocean coverage until the environment is habitable. In Terraforming Mars, you play one of those corporations and work together in the terraforming process, but compete for getting victory points...
    1–4 players
    $12999
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Unstable Unicorns Base Game
    Siobhan's Pick Siobhan's Pick
    Unstable Unicorns Base Game
    Build a Unicorn Army. Betray your friends. Unicorns are your friends now. Unstable Unicorns is a strategic card game about everyone’s two favourite things: Destruction and Unicorns! Learn how unstable your friendships really are. You start with a Baby Unicorn in your Stable. SO CUTE! But don't get too attached, because even Baby Unicorns aren't safe in this game! There...
    2–8 players
    $4999
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Codenames: Duet (2025)
    On Sale
    15% off
    Codenames: Duet (2025)
    Team up with other covert operatives in the hit cooperative version of Codenames. Two cooperating players or groups exchange clever clues to collectively reveal their agents while sneaking past enemy assassins. With shared goals and limited information, every clue counts in this thrilling test of teamwork and deduction. This refreshed edition brings new life to the fan-favorite with a revised...
    2 players
    $3400
    Usually:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships Monday

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books, reading, play and imagination!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.

Board Games lists from our team

Explore curated lists from our heroes to find your next adventure!

Latest in Toys, Board Games & Puzzles