Ten Wickets: Rapid Review
Rundown:
Ten Wickets by Seabrook Studios is a game themed around cricket, which as someone that doesn't follow sports it didn't originally intrigue me. There is no reason to be scared away by the theme though, the game does not relate to sport as much as people might think. Instead Ten Wickets is a smart auction duel between two players only. Players will auction for wicket cards in pursuit of gaining ten Wickets first, but every time they claim a winning bid on a wicket the other player will gain that bid as points. How much is each wicket worth in the players pursuit to ten Wickets first. The turns are quick, on a turn the player can do one action, draw one card and good ball tokens or discard a card and draw two; start or alter a bid; or taking a wicket.
Once a player has gained ten wickets the game ends, the player who lost ten bids will calculate the ten scores on their sheet.
The other player (one who ended the game) will be able to gain the points allocated on the unmarked wickets on their sheet. This scoring can be very confusing but after playing the game once, the understanding falls into place. ultimately players gain points for the amount the opponent's bid, and the player who ends the game will get bonus points based on the wickets types the opponent did not collect, so bidding on some wicket types to keep their end game scoring avaliable may be required.
Auction:
The auctions are the focal point of the game. It is crucial for players to remember that the other player will gain the winning bid as points. The starting bid for each wicket is dependent on the value randomly determined by the face-down wicket card underneath. Players can play one to three good ball tokens to reduce the starting value by ten for both players if this is the first bid from either side on this wicket.
As the bid action players can start a bid as discussed above or alter an existing bid on their side. When they alter a bid they will pick up the cards they have placed in the bid and can alter it up or down as they decide as long as it doesn't fall below the starting limit or the opponent's bid. The run cards are valued 1 to 62 so playing the right valued bid can be reliant on a large hand size (max hand size of eight) which players have to factor in.
Production:
This game is a beautifully produced package. Starting with the game box it is a great size for presence and compact. The good ball tokens are poker chip quality and the art is very vibrant and eye catching creating a fast paced theme. Even as someone who isn't drawn to sports.
Interaction:
There is a lot of interaction that comes from this bidding dynamic and the wicket types. The play area is built up of three wickets with space for players bids on either side. Creating an interactive board state that is constantly changing. If two out of three of the wickets is won by a player their action has to be to claim one, this also creates scenarios that require fast decisions by players to trap each other into less optimal moves. Players can't simply stock up on cards they have to be involved in the bidding battle. Players can bid low on wickets creating challenging choices for the opposition that may only have large valued cards in their hand. Do they decide on playing the large bid (scoring for the opponent) knowing the opponent won't counter or do they let them have that wicket?
There is also a limit to card types a player can have if they end up forced into taking a wicket they have exceeded, that wicket won't count towards the ten and the score for the opposing player won't cross off a new wicket they will instead gain a bonus to a previously scored wicket. I like to think of this as a foul on the player for exceeding their wickets of that type.
There are also two wild types the Pitch Hitter which is a wicket that goes to any other wicket type when gained and the Tail Ender which will cross off the lowest score on the right hand side of the score sheet.
Ultimately players are racing towards ten wickets. The player that ends the game will be able to fill the unfilled wicket scoring with the uncrossed off wicket spots at the bottom of their scoring sheet. If the score has a one or two cards symbol then that means that score will have an additional score added from a randomly drawn card from the opponent's hand. Based on the run cards they have this could be a very large score bonus. So players are constantly weighing the pros and cons of bidding high or low in their pursuit to finish their ten wickets first and gain these bonuses.
Determination:
- The amount you spend on a wicket is the point the opponent gains.
- Bidding is based on the value of cards which adds a hand management layer.
- Great production and art.
- This is a game that needs to be fully played for players to fully grasp scoring and objective.
- Theme will not be for everyone.
Ten Wickets is a game that wouldn't instantly intrigue me with the theme alone. Being someone that isn't sport minded. Don't let that keep you away from this game. Ten Wickets is an auction two player duel that leads to very smart plays from the players. The amount that the wicket is won at will go to the opposition as points. Players will race to get ten wickets though so only they have bonus scoring. Players constantly have to weigh up how many points they wish to give their opponents on this quest to ten wickets. There is a lot of under bidding, forcing players to pay their high bid, blocking opponents certain bonus scoring prospects, and managing hands. With the great art, quality poker chip tokens, compact size and smart plays I can easily recommend this to any fan of unique two player games.
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