Red7
Overall Rating: 9/10
Age: 9+
GLAM Age Range: 9-Adult
Number of Players: 2-4
Playing Time: 20-30 min
Publisher: Asmadi Games
Complexity: Medium
Available At: Amazon.com
Quick Take: Very clever game concept - you are dealt a hand of cards and must either use your cards to build up your hand or change the rule of the game so that you're winning. It's a perfect combination of skill and luck and being able to adjust your play for what your opponents throw at you. I love it, although we did have to do some adjustments to the rules to make it fit my 20 min or less game criteria. You just play for a certain number of hands or for a smaller point total than listed in the official rules.
How to Play: Be the one with the winning hand at the end of the round. Everyone is dealt out 7 cards face down for their hand and one card is dealt to each player face up to begin their "palette." At this point, the highest card is the winner. If there are two players with the same number, whoever has the color higher on the color spectrum (pictured above) is the winner. The player to the left of the player with the highest card begins play. They must either play a higher card than the other players, change the rule by laying a card in the center so that their "palette" is now winning with the new rule, or both play a card down in their palette and change the rule by playing a card down in the center. Each color of card has a different rule, like most even cards, most cards of the same color, etc. So it's a balance between using cards to change rules or using the cards to expand your color palette. Whoever is the winner at the end of a round collects the amount of points in their hand that corresponds to the final rule.
Variations: I love this game but when the box says it's a 5-10 minute game, that's per round you play rather than for the entire game. You could easily play 8-10 rounds in a four player game in order to get a player to an official winning point total and that's quite the lengthy game. We cut down the point totals required to win by at least half when we play or we often just agree to play for four or five rounds and whoever is winning at the end of that wins the game.
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