Dodj or Daar (pronounced "Dodge or Dare") is a recurring board game in The Amazing World of Gumball.
Plot
The game was invented by Gumball and Darwin. They have been shown playing it on many occasions throughout the series, often with disastrous results. In many flashbacks, Nicole recalled the boys making a huge mess whenever the game was played.
Eventually, they realized that despite how fun the game was, it was too destructive - it had the power to bend space and time to force its players to follow the rules. For example, if a card says that the floor is red hot lava, the floor will indeed feel like red hot lava, burning the feet of whichever player was unfortunate enough to have drawn said card. For this reason, the boys hid their creation under their bed, where it sat amongst a bunch of other trash the boys stowed under their bed.
One day, while Nicole was cleaning their room, she found it. Gumball immediately shoved it in the trashbag with the other garbage, but Nicole fished it out to play with Richard and Anais. Unfortunately, they didn't see the threat the game posed until after they were in too deep, having each been plagued by at least one "dodj" card. Nicole, unwilling to believe a simple board game had the power to ruin their lives so completely, put the game away, thinking that the dodj cards would wear off eventually. They didn't, forcing the Wattersons to play the game through to the end to get rid of their plagues. Eventually, they finish the game, and the curses wear off.
It is presumed that after the events of "The Game", the Wattersons destroyed the board game, much like how Gumball destroyed his lucky helmet.
Gameplay
Dodj or Daar is a simple game revolving around travelling the board from start to finish.
Objective
The main objective of the game, according to Gumball, is to "survive" until someone crosses the finish line. According to Nicole, the objective is to be the first one to the finish line. Either way, the game ends when a player rolls the exact amount he needs to reach the finish line. It can be assumed that overshooting the finish line will either cause the player to move backwards, or pick a dodj card.
Movement is accomplished by completing challenges on "daar" cards. Each player's turn begins with them rolling the dice, and drawing a "daar" card. In order to move forward the number of spaces shown on the dice, the player must complete the challenge listed on the drawn card. Failing or refusing to do so results in moving half the number of spaces shown on the dice and a "dodj" card, which creates a random effect on the players or the environment, until the end of the game.
Special Spaces
There are 5 types of spaces.
- The normal space: landing on this space has no special effect.
- Dodj Bomb: landing on this space forces every player to pick a dodj card.
- Skull and Crossbones: it is unknown what these spaces do, as no one has ever landed on one.
- Starting space: The players start here.
- Ending space: The player has to get an exact amount of spaces to go in order to make it to this space. The player wins the game once he/she gets here.
Known "Dodj" and "Daar" Cards
Dodj Cards
- Dodj: "The floor is now red hot lava" Whenever a player tries to step onto the floor, it burns as if it were lava.
- Dodj: "Your left arm must do what the player to your right's arm does and vice-versa" One player's arm will control another player's arm as well.
- Dodj: "CSD (Compulsive Singing Disorder)" The person starts to sing at random times. (Gumball states that "he can sing at any time.")
- Dodj: "From now on you will doubt every thought you have" The person is afflicted with a second head that will doubt every thought he/she has.
- Dodj: "Dramatic music will play until the game is over" Dramatic music starts playing. It keeps playing until the game is over.
- Dodj: "Freeze frame" The person will be frozen in place until the game is over.
- Dodj: "Groovy earthquake" Whoever obtains this card will suffer from their own personal earthquake as if it were a real earthquake.
- Dodj: "Gravity is your enemy" The person will have their own gravity increased, effectively making them heavier.
- Dodj: "Giant hands" The person is afflicted with huge hands.
- Dodj: "Inverted mermaid" The player is inflicted with a fish head and legs.
- Dodj: "No one is allowed to breathe until the game is over" All of the players suffocate until the game ends.
Daar Cards:
- Daar: "Order a prank pizza" The objective for this card is unknown, it is either to make sure that the pizza is delivered to the pizzeria itself or to come up with a fake address for the pizza guy to deliver it to.
- Daar: "Wear everything in the house" The player has to wear everything in the house, not just clothes.
- Daar: "Run past a pack of dogs in a suit of ham" The player has to run past a pack of dogs in a suit made out of ham
- Daar: "Take a Dodj card" The player has to take a Dodj.
- Daar: "Eat one-hundred hotdogs in under a minute" The player has to eat one hundred hotdogs under a minute,Only Richard Watterson can do this challenge (since hes the only person to eat one hundred hotdogs under a minute due to his hot dog eating speed)
- Daar: "Use spray-cheese instead of deodorant" The player has to use spray cheese instead of deodorant
- Daar: "Clean yourself with your tongue" The player has to clean him/herself with his/her tongue
- Daar: "Juggle flaming knives" The player has to juggle flaming knives
- Daar: "Drive the car from the backseat" The player has to drive a car from the backseat
- Daar: "Date a sheep" The player has to date a sheep
- Daar: "Bathtub sledge" The player has to slide down a hill or stairs in a bathtub.
- Daar: "Put a gray hairball in Miss Simian's lunch" The player has to put a gray hairball in Miss Simian's lunch (from "The Ape").
- Daar: "Build an invention to get a bowling ball to the moon using only objects from the trash. No hands." The player has to build an invention to get a bowling ball to the moon using objects from the trash (from "The Car".)
- Daar: "Throw water balloons at Miss Simian" The player has to throw water balloons on Miss Simian (from "The Ape").
Trivia
- The name of the game is a homophone/misspelling of "Dodge or Dare." Anais points this out in The Game.
- The first few times the game has been shown, Gumball didn't finish stating the rules. He would either get interrupted, or just decide not to finish. The slogan was finally stated fully in "The Ape".
- The saying that goes along with playing Dodj or Daar is as follows: "Dodj or Daar! Roll the dice, pick a card!".
- Though the card's objectives usually vary (as seen in "The Car" when Gumball has to build an elaborate contraption to launch a ball to the moon using objects found only in their trash), all of the cards featured in "The Ape" were about pranking Miss Simian.
- The Dodj or Daar gameboard was completely different in "The Game."
- It made a cameo in "The Colossus" when Gumball smashes the computer.
- The effects of Dodj or Daar are similar to the effects of those playing the game in childrens books of Chris Van Allsburg such as Jumanji or Zathura.
- Every episode besides "The Game" has the game called 'Dodge or Dare'.
- "The Game" was the final episode that featured Dodj or Daar because Gumball and Darwin swore that they would never play the game again. It is unknown if it will appear again.
- There were 2 sets of cards in "The Game".
Gallery
