Coloretto

Day 8 - Coloretto
Designed by Michael Schacht
Guest Reviewer: The Wife

While Lou is off buying me delicious fro-yo as my consolation prize, I thought I'd take this opportunity to try my hand at the game reviewing business. Coloretto is one of my favorite quick card games that we own. It is meant for 2-5 players, ages 8 and up, and takes about 20 minutes to play. Tonight we played the two player version; however, it is equally as delightful with more players. Game play goes as follows: each player starts with one of the six colors (different from other players) lying in front of you, the objective is to score the most points by collecting the most of three colors (or there is a version of game play where the optimum number of cards in one color is 3 and more than that is worth fewer points). Any other colors collected will be subtracted from your score. A typical turn consists of drawing a card and adding it to one of the three reserve piles, when playing with two players. One reserve pile holds one card, the next holds two, and the final pile holds three cards though it isn't required for the pile to reach its limit before taking it. (When playing with more than 2 players the number of reserve piles equals the number of players and each pile can hold up to three cards) If you want the cards in one of the reserve piles for your own then you forfeit the opportunity to draw a card and simply take the pile from the center. This ends your game play in that round. The person who took a reserve pile last starts the next round. (When I say pile, I mean cards that are laid out and you can clearly see each one, perhaps pile isn't the best word...) Anyway, the game ends after there are 15 cards left in the deck and then every one proceeds to finish out taking a reserve pile in the center. We usually play best of 3 games or to a pre-determined point value.

(Note: Things get tricky when other people are collecting the same colors as you or decide they can afford one minus point if it means you obtain more... it depends on how vindictive your opponents are.)

All and all, this is a happy game where you collect chameleons. Play the game in the airport while you are waiting for a plane and need a quick distraction or have a continuous tournament going for the rest of your lives, Coloretto is the game for any time frame and many ages. And that is How The Wife Sees It.