LogFAQs > #967575648

24. Hanabi

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/98778/hanabi

Category: Cooperative
Key mechanics: Clue-giving, deduction, hand management
Rules complexity (0 to 7): 3
Game length: 20-35 minutes
First played: 2015
Experience: 20-40 plays with 2-5 players

In Hanabi, players cooperate to try to build fireworks - a.k.a. lay out sequences of five numbers in five different colors. Each player has a set number of cards in their hand and can play them freely - except that they cannot see their own cards, but only the cards of everyone else. Instead of playing a card, you can give one of a limited pool of hints.

The tension of the limited pool of hints is what drives Hanabi, which evidently is quite popular among science- and math-oriented folk. There should be an ideal algorithm for understanding one another, through which you can achieve great goals. But in the absence of it, the game can be chaotic... and still fun.

Granted, Hanabi does require that you have some stomach for mistakes. There can definite be a sort of passive-aggressive, "god how could you forget!" energy about the game - so a forgiving crowd is a must. Erring in front of a perfectionist can result in a very unfun experience. Ultimately, the game works well if players recognize that it's about trust and play into that - but don't take it personally if their faith in their friends' memories and powers of inference isn't always rewarded.

There are a few design choices that make Hanabi uniquely clever. There is a distinctly limited number of hint tokens, which makes you have to be really judicious with hints and aggressive about playing/discarding. The "every yellow card/5 in your hand" clue-giving restriction adds some delightful ambiguity which needs to be deciphered every game. And the distribution of cards - three of the 1s, two each of the 2s, 3s, and 4s, and only one of the 5s - really means your discards are likelier to be safe but more painful if you do hit that 5. I also love that 5s give you the clue back when you hit them correctly; that really gives a dopamine hit for completing a color!

Again, in some groups, Hanabi definitely won't work - it can be pretty unforgiving if you're a perfectionist (or playing with one). But if you find people who are on your wavelength or seriousness level, it's a great source of mild brainburn, occasional laughs, and hard-earned satisfaction.