The Holidays are almost over. BUT they aren’t over yet! This is the week that time forgets; that week between Christmas and New Year where you are never really sure what day it is at any given point. [Note, don’t be a Karen to the people who are still working to make sure you don’t have to. -dc] Something that often shows up at holiday parties is a White Elephant Gift Exchange. It’s not a specifically Christmas thing, it’s not specifically a New Years Thing, it’s not really a specifically anything thing, which makes it perfect to close out our holiday series this year.
The traditional game has many names, some less appropriate than others, but in most areas (that I’ve been, at least) White Elephant has become the predominant name. Wikipedia claims the term white elephant refers to an extravagant, impractical gift that cannot be easily disposed of. The phrase is said to come from the historic practice of the King of Siam giving rare albino elephants to courtiers who had displeased him, so that they might be ruined by the animals’ upkeep costs. You’ve likely played this game at some party at some point, so I don’t really think we need to dwell on it any further.
For Atheris Games’ card game of White Elephant, the goal is to “enrich your personal collection without accumulating too much junk.” Each round is a combination of card drafting and set collecting, with a touch of bidding tossed in for good measure. The full deck consists of numbered cards in eight suits, with certain suits removed based on the player count. At the start of each round a number of cards (again, based on player count) are dealt face up and face down in the centre of the table, with a peanut token on top of the face down cards.
On each player’s turn they will choose to take two or more cards from the middle, pay a peanut into the centre to steal all the cards another player took in that round, or clear the Gift Exchange by taking all the cards remaining in the middle, and the first player token for the next round. Clearing the Gift Exchange immediately ends the round, otherwise play continues to the next player without cards in front of them from the round. When all players have cards, the round also ends and any remaining cards are left in the Gift Exchange in addition to the new cards being dealt for the next round.
Some important notes: facedown gift cards may not be looked at until the end of the round, unless you pay one peanut to peak at it. Facedown cards also have a peanut on them, that may not be spent until the following round.
Scoring is simple. After the round when the deck runs out, if you have the most cards of a given suit, that collection of cards is worth 1 point each. Every other card is worth the point value showing on that card (0-10 points) and unspent peanuts are worth -1 point each. The lowest score wins.
It’s not a hard to learn game, but the strategy can get interesting. The number of cards in each suit varies but is printed on the cards so everyone knows. It runs fast and inevitably the second game becomes significantly more cutthroat. The game is recommended for ages 14+ but that is mainly due to math, strategy, and potential for getting butthurt. Honestly, younger players could probably handle it, but it’s not the sort of game where you can rely on luck to win. I played with an interesting group of players, and everyone enjoyed themselves. It’s a unique spin on not-uncommon cardgame mechanics, and all around a great game. The art is super fun and bonus points for the first player token being a large elephant meeple; white, of course.
You can find Atheris Games online at www.atherisentertainment.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/AtherisGames.
Don’t forget you can read all of our current and past holiday reviews at TheRatHole.ca/Christmas!
We are going to end our holiday series on an important (and fun) note. Dave’s family LOVES their sausage rolls and supporting good causes. So today we present Sausage Rolls for Everyone by LadBaby featuring Elton John and Ed Sheeran. (Don’t skip the intro stuff, it’s fun.) Money raised from this charity single will allow The Trussell Trust to support more than 14 MILLION people in the UK living below the poverty line.