Pikit: Review
Information:
Mechanics: Push Your Luck, Take That, Dice Rolling, Hand Management
Player Age: 8+ Player Count: 2 - 4 PlayersTime to Play: 20 Minutes
Game Designer: Corentin BrandPublisher: Repos ProductionYear Published: 2024Disclaimer: A review copy for the game was provided by the VR Distribution.
Player Age: 8+
Game Designer: Corentin Brand
Introduction:
Pikit has players rolling two dice to collect a Kaiju in the middle of the play area that matches either; the difference between the dice, the dice added together, or one card matching the value of each die. Every card has points equal to its value and a special effect attached to it. The most valued card isn't one of the Kaijus, but is instead the mecha cards worth 15 points. Whenever the player rolls a double they take the corresponding mecha and their token. If someone else has this mecha you instead get to steal a card randomly from their hand, hoping to steal that coveted mecha. The player with the most points in their hand at the end of the game wins.
Game Anatomy:
Kaiju Cards:
The cards are available in values between 1 and 11. Most of the cards appear six times in the deck however 9, 10, and 11 only appear once. Each card also has a discard effect or special effect attached to it.
Discard Effects:
In order from left to right in the image below, the card effects will allow you to; re-roll one or two dice, steal a random card from an opponent's hand, take the top card from the deck, cancel the effect of a card just played by another player, turn one die over to a face of your choice, and the last effect om card 9 - 11 can be used as any of the above effects. Remember, when you discard a card for its effect you are sacrificing their value as end-of-game points.
Special Effects:
The one, three, and eight numbered cards each have a unique effect tied to them that doesn't require them to be discarded.
At the end of the game, the player with the most ones will earn a bonus 15 points.
The number three card is a way to counter players stealing from your hand. If an enemy player steals this card they instead discard it and gain a negative three token.
The number eight card likes to band together. If you ever choose to take this card from the center during your turn, all other number eight cards that are revealed will also go into your hand.
Mecha Cards:
Mecha cards are awarded to players as a bonus on their turn if their result is a double. Each mecha has a token that will help show which player has each mecha during the game. If a player rolls a double result and the mecha is already taken, that active player will be able to steal a random card from the player holding that mecha.
Setup:
- Take the card holder insert from the box and place it on the table to create a dice tray.
- Give a player aid card to each player.
- Place the six mecha cards face up then place the corresponding pair token at the bottom of each card.
- Set the negative three tokens within reach of all players.
- Shuffle the Kaiju cards (removing values 1 and 8 from a two-player game).
- Place the kaiju deck into one side of the cardholder and leave the other side for discarded cards.
- Reveal the top eight cards from the deck and place them in two rows at the center of the table.
- Each player will draw their starting hand. The way this is done is by each player drawing one card at a time until the combined numeric value of all cards in their hand is 10 or excess.
How To Play:
Each turn is split into rolling dice, playing cards, and adding cards to your hand. At the end of each turn, a player will refresh the center cards so they equal eight cards. The end of the game will trigger once the kaiju deck has run out of cards, each player will have one more turn and then scoring will commence.
Rolling the Dice:
Each turn, unless the card is discarded to change this, the dice are rolled once and those are the results you have when selecting cards to keep.
Playing Cards:
You can play as many cards as you want in this phase by discarding the card and applying its effect.
Adding Cards to Your Hand:
The player can add 1-2 cards to their hand by matching the value in the following way:
- One card by adding the value of the dice together.
- One card by gaining the difference between the two dice.
- One or Two cards by matching the value of the face of the current dice.
- If nothing is matched then no cards are gained.
If the players roll a double they can also gain the mecha if no one else has claimed it. If someone else has this mecha the active player is able to steal a random card from the mecha's owners hand, hopefully gaining a mecha.
Scoring:
Scoring is easy in the game as it is the point value of every kaiju in your hand, negative three points for every negative token, 15 points for every mecha, and the player with the most one-valued cards will receive a bonus of 15 points.
Final Thoughts:
- Quick gameplay
- Fun interaction and the take that elements don't feel too negative.
- Interesting aspect of sacrificing points for effects.
- Fun art and theme.
Pikit is a fun frantic card collection game where players are vying for control of the high-scoring cards, in particular the mecha cards. Each turn you are trying to decide the best use of your dice. Do you go for the lower-value cards so you can use their effects or do you keep the high-value cards for scoring and is it worth manipulating the dice to get that coveted mecha. Normally I am not the biggest fan of take that games but due to the fast nature of this game and the fact that you are constantly stealing cards from each other, it wasn't a negative element, it was simply a core part of the game that you need to cater for. If you have valuable cards then you should find a way to clog your hand with many cards or fill them with (my favourite) the number three card that causes negative points to the player who steals it. This is a great filler game to get the night started. There's plenty of fun to be had with Pikit.
Click...feed the addiction:
Comments
Post a Comment