by W. Eric Martin • Odin already appeared in a Nov. 2023 post, but publisher Helvetiq had released almost no info about the game — and now it has, so let's look at this 2-6 player card game from...
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In Odin, you want to empty your hand as quickly as possible, sending all your Vikings out into the world.
The game lasts several hands, with each hand consisting of one or more rounds. The deck contains cards in six suits, each numbered 1-9, and each player starts with a hand of nine cards.
The lead player for the hand lays a single card on the table. The next player either passes (but can play on a future turn) or plays the same number of cards (or one more than that number) with a higher value. When you play two or more cards, the cards must be the same number or color, and the value of these cards is created by placing their digits in order from high to low. For example, if you play a blue 3 and blue 6, their value is 63, not 36. When you play and are not the lead, you must take one of the cards from the previous play into your hand, then discard the rest.
Play continues around the table until either a player is out of cards, which ends the round immediately, or all players have passed in succession. In the latter case, discard the cards last played; whoever played these cards lays a single card to start a new round. Alternatively, if the lead player has cards in hand of a single suit or number, they play all of these cards at once to end the hand. When a hand ends, each player scores 1 point for each card they still hold.
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If no player has at least 15 points, shuffle the deck and start a new hand. If someone does have 15 or more points, whoever has the fewest points wins.
The game lasts several hands, with each hand consisting of one or more rounds. The deck contains cards in six suits, each numbered 1-9, and each player starts with a hand of nine cards.
The lead player for the hand lays a single card on the table. The next player either passes (but can play on a future turn) or plays the same number of cards (or one more than that number) with a higher value. When you play two or more cards, the cards must be the same number or color, and the value of these cards is created by placing their digits in order from high to low. For example, if you play a blue 3 and blue 6, their value is 63, not 36. When you play and are not the lead, you must take one of the cards from the previous play into your hand, then discard the rest.
Play continues around the table until either a player is out of cards, which ends the round immediately, or all players have passed in succession. In the latter case, discard the cards last played; whoever played these cards lays a single card to start a new round. Alternatively, if the lead player has cards in hand of a single suit or number, they play all of these cards at once to end the hand. When a hand ends, each player scores 1 point for each card they still hold.
If no player has at least 15 points, shuffle the deck and start a new hand. If someone does have 15 or more points, whoever has the fewest points wins.
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In Strato, you play together as a team to overcome the game's increasingly complex challenges. Juggle the elements to meet the given conditions before you run out of cards.
In more detail, you take turns placing a card on the table and activating its respective effect. You can move the cards that are already present to place them in the right location, but if you don't have the elements under control, the effects can backfire.
In more detail, you take turns placing a card on the table and activating its respective effect. You can move the cards that are already present to place them in the right location, but if you don't have the elements under control, the effects can backfire.
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I might muff some details, but here's the gist: Each player has their own shuffled deck of numbered cards, and a central deck of numbered cards is present as well. All of the numbers are unique, and the central cards show numbers in red, blue, or both colors, along with point values.
Reveal a few cards from the central deck, then at the same time each player draws their top card and chooses to keep it or discard and redraw; once you like your card, place it face down and say, "NOW!" Whoever is last to say this can use their card in hand or discard it to play the next card from their deck. Whoever has played closest to a central card without going over claims that card, and a player might claim multiple cards on a turn. Reveal new cards, and start another turn. If your deck runs out before the round ends, you're penalized in some manner that I don't recall.
Once the central deck runs out, sum the points in front of you in each color — red and blue — then score points equal to the larger number minus the smaller. Play multiple rounds, then whoever has the high score wins.
Obviously you want to collect cards of only one color, but each player has a range of cards from low to high, and unless you're paying attention to what everyone discards and plays, which is unlikely to happen in a real-time game, you can never be sure you're playing the right card to collect — or dodge! — central cards. NOW! has the feel of 6 nimmt! thanks to the blind bidding and to your constant, possibly mistaken certainty that this card is the right one to play. Fun times when it all works out, or when the cards blow up in someone else's face.
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The short take on how to play: Play a card from your hand each round to claim one of the cards from the market. What will you get? It depends on what everyone else plays! Each color you score is worth a different number of points, so try to concentrate your collection to maximize your score.
• I'm also a fan of Reiner Knizia's No Mercy, which I covered in depth in 2022, and publisher CMYK will release an edition of the game with a new name and new art in the first half of 2024.
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In case it wasn't clear from all of the above, I swoon over card games made of nothing more than colors and numbers. If my stocking contained nothing else, I'd be a happy gamer...