Talk:Zoink!
Add topic2009 Game Award evaluation
The rules to this game do not explain quite enough. They leave enough gaps, ambiguities and contradictions that I am not sure how to play the game, and what I do (think I) understand doesn't seem to make a good game.
- I don't know how many pyramids to use. It says "1 sets of icehouse pieces per player", but I don't know what the designer meant by that: a trio, an Icehouse Stash and a Treehouse set, or something else; neither the number, size or color(s) are mentioned. Like many of her classmates, she was not familiar enough with the jargon to use a precisely understood term.
- The number and makeup of the pyramids each player starts out with is never mentioned. It does state how to set out the cards (7 dealt to each), but not the pyramids. My best guess is that each player starts with the "1 set of icehouse pieces" pertaining to himself.
- The rules say that a player draws a card and plays it in his turn; they also say he starts with a hand of 7 cards which is always maintained, which implies that after drawing he may choose any of his cards to play. I don't see how these statements can be reconciled.
- It is never stated what is done if the center becomes empty of pyramids, and a player plays a "Gain" card.
- Most importantly, I don't how this game can work. The goal is to collect all the pyramids of a single color, but many of them will be held by the opponents, and there is nothing to guarantee that they will choose to "Lose" the pyramids you need, unless they suffer a bad string of "Lose" cards, and must either choose their opponent's goal-colored pieces, or their own.
There are a couple of lesser issues:
- To get the playing cards file, it is necessary to register onto Scribd/Facebook, which is not something I was inclined to do.
- The use of the die for the Wild cards seems redundant, since the cards themselves already randomize the typical results you get.
I wish I could play this game the way it was intended to; but I cannot figure out how.
My assessment for the award: this doesn't make the cut.
- BStout