Smash Up

OVERVIEW

What it is

Smash Up is a card game that pairs two factions together in a fight to defeat base cards against other sets of two factions. There are a number of expansion packs, but there are 8 factions in the base pack from which to choose.

Quick start rules

Players choose two factions to play. They take those decks and mix them together. Bases are laid out: one base more than number of players in the game. Players then draw 7 cards from their own deck. 

The first player can, in any order, lay down a minion on a base and complete an action. There is some variability to this due to the nature of specific cards (some allow extra minions or extra actions). Some cards are one use only, whereas others can be used even when it is not the player's turn (see card text). 

When the power level (top left) of the minion cards add up to base power level (top left of the base card), the base is "tipped." The player with the most points towards tipping the base gets the number of Victory Points on the far left of the card, the player with the second most points gets the number of Victory Points in the middle of the base card, and the player with the fewest gets the number of Victory Points to the right. If a player has not played any minions, s/he does not get any points towards this base. 

Play completes when one player has reached 15 Victory Points. 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Smash Up was an instant hit for our entire family. Even our 2 year old got into the excitement. Keeping track of the constantly changing math was definitely a job for the adults (with the help of pen and paper!), but the rest of it was easy for our 6 year old to play, and she started developing strategies to maximize winning potential from the first game. Some of the cards could get confusing, however, and we quickly developed a couple of house rules to make things more streamlined for us. 

WHAT WE THINK NOW

This is the card game we will bring just about anywhere, regardless of audience. Who doesn't want to find out if Robot Dinosaurs are more powerful than Sorcerer Zombies? We have discovered that there are certain factions that are better suited for younger players (Dinosaurs are powerful and fairly clear cut, but Robots and Tricksters get confusing quickly, either due to math or keeping track of abilities), but our daughter can play any faction pretty readily now (though sometimes her strategy suffers a bit if she has one of the more confusing factions). Adults love this game, as well. Although we rarely want to run out to buy an expansion pack immediately upon playing the game, we put an expansion on our wish list for this game immediately because the number of players can be expanded by doing so, and because we want to introduce this game to absolutely as many people as possible.

MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION

Suggested ages

Box:

Developmental Skills Actually Necessary:

Players should be able to read and comprehend well and keep track of sometimes complex strategy. Math skills are important (addition and subtraction to around 30 or a bit higher). 

Rating and Maturity:

I found very little questionable in this deck. Some of the female characters are clothed in stereotypical "fantasy wear", which I find demeaning but not offensive. I would give this game a "G" rating. Though the very youngest players will find game play too difficult, they could hear all the text on all of the cards without worry.

Our Final Assessment:

This is a definite winner. It is one of the games we can play through and immediately play again. Games are never the same twice, and there is a lot of flexibility in changing up how one would play by switching factions or by simply drawing different bases. Kids and adults should like this one. 

Play Time

Highly variable based on cards, but we can typically complete a game with 4 people in 45-60 minutes. 

Space Necessary

Our kitchen table is adequate for this game, but only just barely. It takes up a surprising amount of space for a card game, since minions must be laid on bases and there must be enough distance to avoid confusion. There is no board, but bases must be in the middle and create their own "board" space. It uses up about the same amount of space as a game of Monopoly in which all players lay out their property cards and all of their money. 

Munchkin

OVERVIEW

What it is

Munchkin is a game for 2-6 players. It is essentially a card game and can be played with or without the included board. Players use skills from the cards to attack monsters and collect treasure. Winning occurs when one player reaches level 10. 

Quick start rules

Lay out the board. Each player receives 4 door cards and 4 treasure cards. Players immediately lay out cards of class, race, weapons or armor in front of them for all to see. These cards give various benefits. Play begins by the first player "kicking down the door" and drawing a door card from the deck. If the door card is a monster, the player must attempt to defeat the monster. To defeat a monster, the player's level plus bonuses must be greater than the monster's level (there are some exceptions to this rule, outlined in various cards). If the player cannot defeat the monster, s/he may run away (by rolling a 5 or a 6 on the die), play a card that allows the player to defeat the monster or run away, or may ask for help from another player. If the card drawn is not a monster, that card is discarded and the player then may either defeat a monster from his/her hand ("look for trouble") or may "loot the room" and draw another door card, which will be placed in his/her hand. The player may play any armor, weapon, class or race cards in front of him/herself. The player's turn is now over. If the player has more than 5 cards in his/her hand, s/he must either give cards to the lowest level player(s) to get down to 5 or, if the player is the lowest level player, discard. 

Players may play cards on other players or on monsters at any time, even if it is not his/her turn. 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The first play through of this game was a little bit tricky with our 6 year old. With so many cards in play and so many different strategies available, keeping track of everything was a little hard. Rules "change" without warning because cards take precedent over the rule book, so game play was a little slow as everyone had to read each card. We allowed her to place her hand down so that we could guide her through some potential strategies, and that helped immensely, but did slow things down. 

However, we all enjoyed the game immensely and chalked any difficulties up to learning curve. We finished the game ready to play again.

WHAT WE THINK NOW

This is one of our favorite go-to games currently. After having learned many of the cards, play moves smoothly and quickly. Our daughter's instinct is to "play nice", and Munchkin gives her the ability to try being a bit ruthless and aggressive, as the fastest course to winning (and sometimes the only one) is to play cards against other players. Everyone keeps a good attitude about this, and we have had some good laughs as a couple of players gang up against one temporarily. 

MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION

Suggested ages

Box:

Developmental Skills Actually Necessary:

Young players should be good readers and capable of thinking in many different directions at once. They should be able to store a fair amount of information in their head at once (or have some help with being able to do this in the form of making known their hand to an unbiased adult). They should be able to do basic math (addition to just beyond 20 would be adequate) and have enough number sense to know which number is more than/less than another. 

Rating and Maturity:

There are a number of "questionable" cards in this deck. For our purposes, they went over the head of our daughter, but "knee pads of allure" and the like are referenced. Not all cards are like this, and some of the humor is acceptable to younger players. This is probably a "high PG" game, but not quite PG-13. 

Our Final Assessment:

I was surprised at how well this game played for younger children, but with enough appeal to play well as an adult game, as well. 

Play Time

The game is as fast paced as you would like, but no turn lasts particularly long. Game play can be shortened by helping younger players or by setting time limits to decision making. Play is somewhat variable based on specific cards drawn, but typically lasts around an hour for up to 4 people, a little longer for more. 

Space Necessary

The board is largely optional, in which case players merely need a space to lay out some cards and room for a stack of door cards (plus discard pile) and treasure cards (plus discard pile). We have more than adequate space on our kitchen table, even including the board. Cards laid out can be somewhat extensive for some players, however, and it might be tight for four people at a card table in some games.