As members of The CR celebrate the annual Winter Harvest and end of year festivities, we’re spending this week closing out 2014 by recapping the best new games released for each of the gamer archetypes. We announced the overall winners in our podcast, but here we look at the final five choices for each group.
And with that, here are the top five games of 2014 for Socializers:
#5. Pairs
Unlike many modern games, though, Pairs doesn’t actually have a winner – just a single loser instead. Once someone reaches a set point value for their cards, they lose the game. Thats it, really. In a sense, Pairs is like a card game version of Hot Potato.
Pairs epitomizes the notion that a game doesn’t have to be all about winning to be enjoyable, and it’s a lesson that Socializers are very willing to be part of. Pairs shows that a game’s worth can easily be just as much about how you play the game (and with whom) as it is about crossing the finish line. With rapid-fire rounds and an almost binary ruleset, this is the type of light group game that Socializers never mind pairing up with.
#4. Splendor
Because, really, trying to get fleeting attention from rich people is all that matters.
In this game, players collect gems so that they in turn can secure gem mines, jewelry shops, and a means of transporting said gems. In exchange, this makes you richer and more prosperous, pushing you towards the necessary 15 points needed to win.
For only being a half hour game, Splendor provides a decent amount of light strategy without ever becoming cumbersome, wonderfully illustrating that Socializers can enjoy games with mild depth to them. The mechanics are elegant and gameplay is quicker than it first appears, but it ultimately is kept pretty surface-level. Either way, Splendor makes a splendid choice for this group.
#3. Red7
Red7 consists of 49 cards – seven values in seven colors – and each player gets a handful of them to start. The game gets its namesake (and selling point) from the fact that there are seven different victory conditions in the game, but only one of them is in effect at a time.
On your turn you must play a card towards the current victory condition and / or discard a card to change to a victory condition that you would also then be winning. If you can’t, you lose.
This game requires a little thought to it, but as aforementioned, games don’t have to be devoid of strategy or substance for Socializers to enjoy (otherwise they’d only like bad games). Each lightning-fast round of Red7 can be over in as few as five minutes, making it a quicker exercise than more involved or complicated trick-taking games. It also endears itself to Socializers more than its contemporaries because, in typical Asmadi fashion, Red7 rewards you for engaging in a basic card game that could be over before the coffee is ready.
#2. Pyramix
(Click for our review of Pyramix)
One of the lesser bandied titles of the year, Pyramix by Gamewright Games was even a surprise for us when we first came upon it.
Played out in about 15 minutes, Pyramix is a wonderfully simple game. In it, you have a pyramid shaped stack of dice that you are deconstructing. Turns are incredibly simple: you remove one die from the pyramid, which come with only a handful of restrictions. Different dice types are worth different points at the end of the game, making for a pretty straightforward and effortless game to play while chatting around a table. The most fun part about this game is that if you pull a lower-level die, the higher ones slide down, changing the landscape.
Pyramix is the ideal sort of game for a Socializer, as you’re able to carry on full conversations and interact with one another while still participating in an enjoyable pasttime. It’s easy to set up, easy to follow, and certainly worth a look.
#1. Camel Up
(Click for our review of Camel Up)
In this simple camel race by Z-Man Games, players are a bunch of wealthy folk who have decided to head on down to the track in the hopes of – what else – making some more money. In this half hourish game, a handful of camels speed around the track, while you bet on which one will place during each of the race segments and / or who will win overall. However, the camels in this game stack when on the same location, leading to a bit of brevity and light silliness while still feeling like it has purpose.
With short turns and a goofy premise, Camel Up makes for a surprisingly light and fun game that Socializers undoubtedly will enjoy. You can bet on it.
Be sure to check out the 2014 Top Five lists of the other archetypes!