Christmas Conniptions By Steve Jackson
T
hough we’ve done several Christmas releases for Munchkin, and once for Zombie Dice, we have never done a specific Christmas-themed game. But retailers have asked for some impulse-priced Christmas add-ons. And if something is worth doing, it’s worth overdoing – so this year we’re releasing two. Both are small, simple, and intended to sell for under $10, so they can be stocking stuffers or even hang from the tree.
The 12 Dice of Christmas
Yes, it’s an awful pun. And this concept started out as a simple package of dice. The game came later. It’s a family-style game; the vibe is like Yahtzee, though the play is very different. In fact, one of my first playtest groups was with my family – all nongamers – and they had a good time. My brother stomped me . . . The basic idea: Everybody has a score sheet with numbers from 1 to 12. Each number represents a gift. You use your dice rolls to build up to these totals. The strategy comes with HOW to use those dice – and which ones to save for later. What with one thing and another, we ended up setting this design aside after it was first created, and then using its mechanics for the Bullet Dice game (which is now in its third printing). I’m quite happy to see The 12 Dice of Christmas back in
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its original form, if only because I really love the “wreath” packaging concept. This is a good game for one gamer to teach a family of non-gamers!
Bad Christmas
Have you ever played “Dirty Santa”? It’s also sometimes called the “White Elephant Game.” It’s a real-life thing – a Christmas gift game where you exchange (or steal) small presents. Bad Christmas is just an implementation of the Dirty Santa idea, with funny cards. Everybody has a list of all the presents. You mark three that you really want, and one that you really don’t want. Then the cards are dealt and the game begins. Half the fun is reading the cards. Illustrated by Greg Hyland, they show “presents” that nobody in their right mind would ever want . . . things like the Santa Toilet
Brush and the Chocolate-Covered Pickles. And don’t forget the Inflatable Birdhouse! Once you get the cards, you start “opening” presents by revealing the cards. Then they can be stolen. And stolen back! But once a gift has changed hands three times, it is locked down. The winner, of course, is the one who gets closest to their wish list. This is a game for anybody, including complete non-gamers. The rules are short and the cards are cute.
sjgames.com
11/2/22 1:58 PM
