The number seven apparently held a lot of meaning back in the day…some might even refer to it as having magical powers. All I know is that rolling one at the “Craps” table is generally a good thing, and rolling one in “Settlers of Catan” means you get to ruin someone’s day with the thief…fun times. “Seven7s” is a relatively simple to play card game that revolves around some of the most famous sevens in history, like the 7 Wonders or 7 Deadly Sins. The object is to have the highest point total in your hand at the end of the game, though playing particular cards will have varying effects on said totals and allow you to perform special actions. Interested? Keep reading to find out more.
Seven7s: 2-4 Players, Ages 7+, Average Play Time = 20 Minutes
Components
The game includes 49 standard cards and 4 quick reference cards.
Setup & Gameplay
The cards are shuffled to form a draw deck and each player receives three cards to form their starting hand. The top card of the deck is draw face-up to form the first column for the card type drawn (eventually, there will be seven columns total). The player whose age is evenly divisible by seven goes first, otherwise the youngest goes first.
The game is broken up over a series of turns. On a player’s turn, they’ll play one card from their hand and place it into the matching column (with the exception being the Ages of Man and Wild cards). If there are no columns of that type, then a new one is formed. Cards should be stacked so that you can still see the numbers behind them (like in “Solitaire”). The card’s ability is activated after it is played. Finally, the player draws back up to three cards and their turn ends.
This continues until one column contains seven cards, in which case the game ends immediately (it does not trigger its power). The card that ended the game is placed sideways on that column as reminder that it is used in end-game scoring. Players then add up the value of each card in their hand plus any Lucky Gods bonus cards (two points each) they may have. The person who played the last card (the one that is sideways) earns that point value as well. Whoever has the most points, 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.
Card Samples
The Review
I have to give the game a lot of credit for being very easy to pick up and play. After all, the process of playing a card and drawing a card is not rocket science by any means. Yet the cards you play and the cards you keep have all the bearing in the world, especially when it comes to the Ages of Man card. While this card can be placed on ANY column to end the game sooner, any cards placed in its own column will nix the highest scoring value. This means that if there are two Ages of Man cards in their own column (any others sitting among the other columns don’t count), then they’ll reduce the cards having a face value of seven and six to zero. This can be devastating if you happen to have sixes and sevens in your hand and there are a few of Ages of Man cards sitting in their own column.
Of course, the Ages of Man card isn’t the only card to offer some strategic value. The most recently Colors card sets the Wild Color, which then allows cards of this color to be played on ANY other column to use the power of that column. Cards of that Wild Color in a player’s hand also act as the highest valid score at the game’s end, meaning if the Ages of Man nixed the seven and sixes, then these Wild Color cards a player may have act as fives. The Lucky Gods cards are also interesting in that their special ability allows the player to try and guess the next number OR color in the draw deck. If they guess right, they place the card in front of them for an end game bonus. Needless to say that the other card types manipulate the gameplay in various ways.
As simple as the gameplay is, I can see where some of it may be overwhelming to casual players…especially with regards to the card effects and how they chain together. Sure, the goal is simple enough, but trying to orchestrate things to your advantage is easier said than done. I found it to be solid strategic experience, one that can easily be played in twenty minutes if players know what they’re doing. Your average play time may vary, depending on how long folks ponder over their options. The price is right for $10-$15 on Amazon, so my advice is to grab this one if you enjoy light to moderately complex card games.
Final Verdict: 8/10
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