TEN Review
Information:
Mechanics: Auction Bidding, Push Your Luck, Set Collection
Player Age: 10+ Player Count: 1 - 5 PlayersTime to Play: 15 - 30 Minutes
Game Designer: Molly Johnson, Robert Melvin, Shawn Stankewich
Player Age: 10+
Game Designer: Molly Johnson, Robert Melvin, Shawn Stankewich
Objective:
In ‘TEN’ the goal is simple; create a numerical sequence of four different colours. This is done by pushing your luck each turn to either gain currency or cards to fill your sequences. Both is important as the currency will let you buy the desired cards to complete your sequences or will allow you to participate in auctions for exciting wild cards.
Game Anatomy:
Cards:
Number Cards:
There are four colours that players can build sequences in ranging numerically from 1 to 9.
Currency Cards:
These dotted cards numerically range from 1 to 5 and will give players currency equal to the amount of pips shown.
Wild Cards:
The wild cards can only be gained through auction. They will either be a wild number in any of the four colours or a wild colour in any of the nine numbers. There is only one card that is a complete wild of any colour and any number.
Currency and Bust Chips:
The players will gain currency chips as they play from the various currency cards. Each player can only have a maximum of ten currency chips at any given time. Bust chips (White Chips) are unique as they count as three currency chips and do not add towards the maximum chips. These chips can only be gained when a player pushes their luck too far and bust.
Setup:
- The cards will have a small symbol on the bottom right. Based on the player count, remove the cards that are larger than your player count. For example if you are playing with three players then remove each card with four squares in the bottom right.
- Shuffle the deck and place within reach of all players.
- Give each player five currency chips and set the remaining chips aside within reach of all players.
- Shuffle the reference cards together equal to the player count (make sure one of these reference cards have the first player symbol on the top right).
- The player that receives the first player symbol will be the first player.
How to Play:
Throughout a turn, players will be pushing their luck by drawing one card at a time from the deck into a face-up revealed row. The player will either choose when to stop and will reap the rewards or they will keep drawing until they bust. You bust if the currency cards equal 11 or more, or if the value on the number cards equal 11 or more. When a player chooses to stop they will either take the number cards or the currency cards. If you take the currency cards you will gain currency equal to that value and place the number cards into a market available for other players to buy on a later turn. If you take the number cards you will place them in your tableau and every other player will get currency equal to the revealed currency cards. The player will then be able to purchase cards from the market place.
When you exceed 10 in the currency value or number value, you bust and gain a bust currency. All the number cards move to the marketplace and if you bust by having number cards exceeding 10, each other player will gain currency equal to your currency cards.
Players can use the currency in two ways; purchasing cards during a buy phase or by auctioning when a wild card is revealed. In a buy phase you can buy a card that you currently do not possess by spending currency equal to the value of the card. If you do not have enough money you can also discard cards in your tableau for one currency per card. If a wild card is revealed on a players turn, their turn is paused and an auction phase commences. Each player has one chance (in turn order) to bid an amount they are able to/willing to pay for the wild card. The bid has to be larger than the most recent amount or that player will pass. Whomever placed the highest bid spends their currency and receives the card in their tableau.
When the last card is drawn from the deck the game will conclude after that turn. Every player is now allowed one final buy phase. Players will arrange their cards to create consecutive sequences in each of the four colours. Each player will score one point per number in the longest consecutive sequence for each colour. If you have a complete set of 1 to 9 you will score an extra point. The maximum score is 40 and whomever has the highest score is declared the winner.
Final Thoughts:
Key Points:
- Quick filler game.
- Interesting choice of money or numbers at the end of each turn, with the opposite benefiting your opponents.
- The auction can feel lacklustre at two players.
TEN is a quick filler game that is reminiscent of games like ‘No Thanks’. Players are trying to create the longest run in four colours to score the most points at the end of the game. To do this players have to push their luck and avoid two forms of busting, while trying to not give their opponents anything they need. This is where the challenge comes in as you need money for when those auctions randomly appear and to buy more specific cards, however, choosing the number cards at the end of each turn is how you can get the bulk of cards. This is an easy game to get to the table that’s great for family night or a quick palate cleaner between larger games.
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