I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve wasted building a house only to have it explode because of some cheeky little creeper. Fans of the game know that I’m talking about “Minecraft”, because the only creepers in real life are those who haven’t figured out what boundaries are. “Minecraft Card Game?” tasks players with crafting items and earning points by drafting materials from a central pool.
Minecraft Card Game?: 2-4 Players, Ages 8+, Average Play Time = 15-30 Minutes
Components
The game includes 25 Craft Cards, 24 Wood Cards, 11 Wild Cards, 9 Stone Cards, 8 Iron Cards, 7 Gold Cards, 6 Diamond Cards, 5 Creeper Cards, 5 TNT Cards and 4 Card Holders.
Setup & Gameplay
Simply put, each player receives a card holder which allows them to reserve a card should they wish to craft it in the future. The twenty-five craft cards are shuffled and put into four even stacks (tool side face-up), with the one remainder card placed off to the side to form a discard pile. The resource cards are shuffled and put into five even stacks.
On a player’s turn they can take a total of two actions. These two actions include drawing a resource card from one of the five stacks, taking a craft/item card by discarding the appropriate resource cards, or reserving a card. Resource cards come in various forms like wood, stone, gold, diamond, and etc. with each listing a number indicating the quantity of that material. Each craft card lists a recipe along with the number of victory points they’re worth.
There are some cards among the five stacks that effect players a bit. TNT, when revealed, must be played immediately. The active player takes the top card from the other four piles, chooses two to keep, and discards the rest along with the TNT card. The creeper, when revealed, forces players to discard material card unless they have a crafted sword that they haven’t used yet to negate the effect. Each craft card has a one-time use ability, though you retain the victory points on the card.
The first player to reach a certain point value (depends on the number of players) wins the game!
Editor’s Note: The above doesn’t cover all of the rules found in the manual, but should give you an idea as to how the game is played.
The Review
“Minecraft Card Game?” reminds me a lot of “Splendor”, what with the central mechanic of taking resources and then using said resources to acquire cards with victory points being the same. The reserve a card mechanic is similar too, though “Minecraft Card Game?” is much more simplistic. With that said, I enjoyed playing this one because A) I like “Minecraft” and B) I enjoy playing “Splendor”. Sure, it’s not on par with games like “Agricola”, but sometimes a simple card game is all you’re looking for on a busy weekday night. I bought it for about $12 on Amazon, making it an easy recommend for any child or gamer family who enjoys playing “Minecraft”, “Splendor”, or both.
Final Verdict: 8/10
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