Bilder: Review

Bilder: Review

Mechanics: Party, Pattern Building, Charades
Player Age: 8+ 

Player Count: 2 - 12 Players

Time to Play: 15 - 60 Minutes 

Publisher: MonkeyShine Games

Year Published: 2018

BGG Weight: 2

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

Objective:

The aim of the game is simple; create masterpieces from an assortment of wooden blocks (bilding pieces) to have players guess your words. Think charades but with wooden pieces. Players will use ‘how’ and ‘what’ cards which contain a letter and one victory point each. These letters are to be collected to form the word ‘Bilder’ and once this is done the player with the most points is the winner.

Card Anatomy:

What Cards:

Each what card has two word options that the player is able to choose from, this will be the word you are trying to convey through your two minute build. These cards are won by the guessing player.

How Cards:

These are the cards that spark life into the clue giving. They add a rule or condition to how the word is conveyed, if done correctly the builder wins these cards.

Challenge Cards:

These cards work in the same manner as the how cards, but do not require a what card to achieve. No letter is inscribed on these challenge cards, instead they will work as a wild if you are lucky enough to succeed.

Setup:

- Create a central pile of bilding pieces
- Shuffle the what cards into a face-down pile
- Shuffle the how cards and deal a row of three face-up (used with the advanced rules)

How to Play:

On a turn, the bilder (the clue giver) will draw a what card and chose either of the two options to try conveying to the other players. When trying to express the clue to the other players there are several rules to follow, (unless a how card overwrites this):
- Do not make any sound
- Do not act out the card with anything other than bilding pieces
- With the advance rules, use a two-minute timer for an optional time limit
- Use any amount of bilding pieces in any way

Once a player successfully guesses the what card, they receive that card as a victory point and as a component of the word ‘bilder’. The turn will now move in a clockwise direction to the next player.
If the how card is choosen on a turn, the bilder may attempt one of the face-up challenges or try to incorporate a how cards when giving clues. This may include humming a tune to help with the guessing or by using the long bilder pieces as chopsticks (a hinderance to the bilder but more points if they succeed). If the how card is completed correctly, the bilder will gain this card as a point and it can help spell ‘bilder’. The game ends once a player has spelt the word ‘bilder’ and scores are tallied one point per card for each player. The player with the highest score wins.

Final Thoughts:

Pros:
- The game shines with the use of the how cards
- You can aim to speed up the game by picking how cards that have the missing letters you need
- Some of the bilder pieces interconnect, such as hats for the meeples
- It's a party game that brings entertainment, even at two players

Cons:
- The scoring does not work at two players, because the price will normally be ties.

'Bilder' is a fun twist on charades that uses objects instead of body signals. The pieces come in a wide selection that can even interconnect. The game really shines with the use of how cards as they add a unique twist on how to undergo portraying the what cards. For players that do not enjoy being forced to do silly actions for no apparent reason may still enjoy these cards as you select any how card revealed. The how cards needn’t even be used, a player could win by simply being the best guesser. This is a fun party game that has a realistic timer and doesn't overstay its welcome, while at the same time remaining fun and creative. If you enjoy charades-like party games with quirky actions then you should definitely seek this one out.

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