Accumulating sets is the aim of the game. . . It's holding onto them that's the trick! Taking an opponent's set is easy, just place a matching card from your hand on top and slide the captured set in front of you. But beware! With players matching and stealing sets faster than you can say "Ruckus," fortunes change quickly.
TDmonthly Review:
What Is It?
Players are each dealt seven cards. If a player has more than one card in a suit he places this "set" on the table in front of him. If another player has one card in that suit, she can "steal" the first player´s set, placing her card on top of the laid-down set, moving it in front of her. When all players have played all the cards they can, or want to, the dealer deals one more card apiece to each player and another round commences. Play ends when one player plays all of his or her cards. Players count one for each card in front of them and subtract one for each card left in their hand. High score wins.
What We Thought
The more players, the more of a ruckus. The fact that there are six cards in a suit means there is much opportunity for sets to be made and stolen multiple times, increasing the energy level of this fast-paced game. Another clever twist is that while players are required to place all sets in their hand upon the table, they are not required to place single cards in their hand onto laid-down sets. This way, if someone steals their set they can steal it right back. However, they risk being dealt the same card in a future round, meaning that while they may have had a shot at stealing a set of three cards, they are now stuck with a set of only two (sets can only be stolen with a single card).
Why They´ll Want It
Not only is this an easy game to learn and play that forces participants to think strategically, but the card design is endearingly unusual as well. "Pig in the Attic" cards depict the back end of an oinker dangling from a square, black void. "Fish Man" cards show a turquoise fish head attached to green human legs, and "Eye Box" cards reveal a black hand holding up a green box surrounding two worried eyes. Odd indeed, and yet, fitting for a rousing game of Ruckus.
-- Vanessa VanderZanden, 8/30/05
