Last Post: 6:20:00pm, 09/04/2020
Sorry, it's been a while since I said I would try to write up the thoughts about the games I mentioned, but work has been crazy for the past couple of weeks. I really want to try and get some done while I can though.
- Push -
2-6 Players
10-20 min play time
Rules: You start with a 120 card deck, the majority of which is made of cards numbered 1-6 in five different colors. On your turn you draw from the deck as often as you want, while placing the cards you draw into piles (up to a maximum of three), with the limitation that each pile cannot have more than one of the same number or color in it. With the number value of a card being how many points it's worth, your goal is to build a pile that is worth a large amount of points without "busting" i.e., drawing a card that you are unable to place into any pile. You can choose to quit drawing and end your turn whenever you feel like and can choose any pile you've made to keep for yourself, with the other players in turn order being able to pick up leftover piles. The game ends when the deck is empty, and players count how many points they've obtained with the most points winning.
If you do bust however, not only are you unable to keep a pile for yourself, but you also have to roll a die featuring every color (plus a neutral result). If you roll a color, you must discard every card you've obtained during the game of that color. To prevent this, on your turn you can choose to skip drawing cards to bank a color and keep the cards you have of that color safe for the rest of the game. There are also dice roll cards that can be arranged in a pile like any other that force a roll if you choose that pile.
Review: While ultimately a very simple game, Push has ended up being one of my absolute favorites simply because it contains so many great elements that make it an enjoyable game in many different ways:
1) It's Easy to Get Into. There have been plenty of times where my group start up a game and try to invite a friend to join who just doesn't feel up to learning and trying out a new game. But Push always has no trouble breaking them down. The rules and strategy are extremely easy to comprehend, and the game is very fun to watch other people play. It doesn't take long for anybody sitting in the sidelines to want to join the next game, and people from all sorts of different gaming experiences have an easy time having fun and doing well playing the game.
2) It's Fun to Watch. Continuing on that point, this is a fun game to watch people play, even if you're playing it and are just watching someone else take their turn. At it's core, a large part of the gameplay is deciding whether you want to push your luck and draw juuuuust one more card or not, and it's great fun seeing people struggle with the decision and egging them on hoping they'll blow it and bust. It's a game that generates great reactions as people despair if they bust or roll poorly, or even when they scrape by and do well when everyone expected them to fail. It's also often not easy to tell at a glance who is leading, and has a habit of generating unexpected victories which can be really funny.
3) It Combines Luck With Strategy. I know a lot of people might be wary of a game featuring a lot of luck, and I personally HATE a lot of dice-rolling games, but Push manages to find a nice balance where the strategy you bring to it still has value while still keeping things unpredictable. Even if your luck didn't go your way it always feels like you had an option to avoid it (Ended up busting? Well, you could have always just called it quits and taken what you already had. Lost cards to a dice roll? You always had the option to bank). While it ultimately is a party game in the end, it never feels like you're at the complete mercy of chance as there are definitely specific strategies and choices that will help you get ahead, but there's enough randomness that you can't rely on a singular playstyle to carry you through the game (which I feel ends up making a lot of games feel boring after a while). You do have to make adjustments and take risks sometimes which is fun.
4) It Has Great Replay Value. For one thing, because you never know what to expect from a draw or dice roll, each game will always be filled with surprises, but still on the subject of strategy I've noticed the game changes significantly depending on the number of players you have. If you have more than three players then you're not guaranteed to get a pile of cards every turn, which greatly affects the usefullness of banking. The more players in a game, the less turns and less chances you have to get cards, which encourages a more risky playstyle. Additionally, there's an optional rule where you can choose to make the neutral facing on the die change from "you lose no cards" to "you lose EVERY card". While a bit silly and unbalanced, it certainly keeps things interesting and swings things back around to making banking cards more important.
5) It's Fast. A game of Push shouldn't take more than 10-20 minutes (it's mostly dependent on how indecisive people act when the risks are high), and it's very much the type of game that people immediately want to play another round of after it's over. It makes a perfect game to act as a prelude to a longer game or while waiting for other people to arrive, and I've brought it to pass time at hangouts like getting ready to see a movie or other events. And in that vein...
6) It's Very Portable. It really is nothing more than a deck of cards and a die. It fits easily into any bag, and without the casing you can probably fit it into your pockets if you wanted. A great game to bring traveling that doesn't take up too much space.
7) It's Cheap. It's like $13, so even if you're on the fence about trying it out it's not a major commitment.
Overall, while it may not satisfy people who enjoy more serious and hardcore tabletop games, I think it's a game that's ridiculously fun and easy to jump into. The element of risk-taking and the excitement that comes from daring to push your luck as far as it can go is always an incredible feeling in gaming and this game distills it into a very fast and fun experience. As I said, it has such a low commitment that I highly recommended giving it a chance even if you're unsure. I think it'll pay off.
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Okay, I rolled a 14. What's that mean? Hsu
That you're a cheater. This is a 12-sided die. Chan