| 👨👩👧👦 | Players: 2-8 |
| ⏳ | Time: 15-30 mins |
| 🎂 | Ages: 8+ |
| ⚙️ | Mechanisms: Card Shedding, Take That |
Steph and I like to think that we’re nice most of the time. Not all of the time though, because when it comes to games, we’re very competitive. We’ve recently had the chance to try out a new card game called Mean! that really let that side of our personalities show.
Designed by a fellow Aussie couple, Mean! combines elements of classic card games with a few neat little twists that are all its own. As you race to be the first person to get rid of all of your cards, you might have to step on a few toes, but who cares as long as you win, right?
On your turn you just pick a numbered card from your hand to play. Depending on what’s been played previously, you might have to play one that’s higher OR lower than the one that’s currently showing. While most of the cards just show a number, a few of them also have special powers. There’s a wild card, a few that change the direction, and a particularly nasty one that forces another player to swap hands with you.
The real star though is the Mean! card. Sharing space with the number six, this card forces the next player to pick up three extra cards unless they can counter it with a wild card or another Mean! card. If they do, the next player gets to try to move it along as well, up until a fourth six is played. After that, you’re out of luck, and the next player has to pick up twelve extra cards. Talk about mean!
Mean! is a lot of fun. While there is a bit of take-that, there’s plenty of room for clever, strategic choices to be made as well. You need to know which cards to play and in which order, and when to hoard certain cards so you can spring them on other players later on.
Card games always get a lot of play in our household and Mean! has been no exception. With a small box and classic feel, it would be a great choice as a travel game or a warm-up for game night that just about anyone can enjoy. We’ve only played at two so far, but you can play with up to eight people. Just be careful not to be too mean, because you don’t want to lose all of your friends at once!
You can see this post on Instagram here and if you are interested you can find out more on the Mean! The Game website!
The copy of Mean! used for this review was provided to A Tale of Two Meeples by the publisher
The Boardgame Detective 