Toe Sham Bo: Review

Information:

Mechanics: tic tac toe, hand management, rock paper scissors

Player Count: 2 Players

Time to Play: 5 - 10 Minutes
Game Designer: Frank Alberts

Game Artists: David Thomas

Publisher: Zafty Games

Disclaimer: A review copy for the game was provided by the publisher.

Objective:

The aim of the game is simple; connect three of the same cards in a row of either rock, paper or scissors. Much like the traditional tic tac toe, your connection must consist of all your own cards, differentiated here by colour.

How to Play:

To begin, each player will draw three cards from their respective decks (either blue or orange). On a turn, the player will place one of the cards from their hand either on top of a purple card (designating the middle) or in an area surrounding this marker card. The intended game area will result in a three-by-three grid (similar to tic tac toe). Sounds easy right? Well, that is exactly what the base rules of 'Toe Sham Bo' is, however, there is a catch. On your turn instead of playing at an empty location, you can place one of your cards on top of another card (even your own). This must be performed in the style of Rock Paper Scissors, whereby a rock card can cover the scissors card, the scissors can cover the paper card, and the paper can cover the rock card. Now it's getting a bit more intricate, right? Well, there are also two special cards to add to this mix. ‘Undo’ will remove the previous card played, and the ‘Bomb’ is placed on top of any card and will remove itself along with every card underneath it. At the end of your turn draw one card so you now have three cards again.

Final Thoughts:

Pros:
- Simple, light and fun
-Perfect filler weight
- Leaves room for mastery like traditional tic tac toe, but reduces the constant nature of ending in ties

Cons:
- Can be restricted by the cards you draw, but once you know the number of cards of each type it can help mitigate this luck

'Toe Sham Bo' is a fun and simple game that can be played amongst any age group. It feels like an evolution of the traditional tic tac toe, intertwined with the much loved Rock Paper Scissors, but it allows for more strategic play while still maintaining the light innocence of its predecessors. This is a perfect filler for family members unfamiliar with the board/card game hobby or as an approachable filler for any time.

Click...feed the addiction:

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