What do you think makes a “good” Christmas game? To me, that answer is complex. On the one hand, a good game for gamers is a good game regardless of the theme. Actually, that holds true on both hands. But a gamer’s game is only good for gamers, but Christmas is a time for spending time with family and friends who may not be gamers. So, in many cases, what makes a good game is whatever everyone will try to play. Wicked Christmas is such a game. In fact, I had the pleasure of playing with a group of gamers. Every one of them wanted a copy of the game for their collections, specifically because they knew non-gamers would love it as much as they did.
Wicked Christmas is a hand management game based on Swoop, a game played with multiple decks of standard playing cards. Gift cards are numbered 1 through 10. The first player plays any card or set of cards to start the Gift Pile. , the next player must play a card equal to or less than the initial card(s). If four of the same number are ever played, the entire Gift Pile is Blasted (discarded). If a player can’t or doesn’t play a card of equal or higher value, they must pick up the entire Gift Pile and put it into their hand. That’s the body of the game. But that’s not what makes it special.
Each player starts with 20 cards, including three piles of three cards on the table in front of them. The top card of each pile is face up, but the remaining cards remain facedown at all times. The top card may be played at any time, but that can mean playing a facedown card and potentially risking having to collect the Gift Pile. There are also two types of special cards: Blast cards and Mischief cards.
Blast cards are what they sound like, given my earlier description. A Blast card takes the entire Gift Pile and discards it, keeping it from being collected. Mischief cards are all unique, each with its own action associated with it. For example: KRAMPUS – Everyone else with only one card remaining must skip their next turn. NAUGHTY OR NICE – Choose One: All opponents discard one Blast card, or all discard their lowest card. Mischief cards add a bit of festive chaos to the game.
The first player to run out of cards wins the round. Everyone else totals up their score: Numbered Gift cards are equal to their face value. Blast cards are worth 50 points, and Mischief cards are worth 25 points. The game ends when someone reaches a predetermined point total, at which point the player with the lowest score wins. The rulebook suggests 300-500 points, but we found that the bad luck of being caught with a couple of facedown Blast or Mischief cards can result in that being a short game. Going to 1000 points makes for a longer game, but there is something to be said for playing several shorter games in the same timeframe. At the end of the day, it’s up to you how you end the game, and that makes it even more fun.
I love the art in this game. The numbered Gift cards are pretty simple, being piles of gifts. But all the Blast and Mischief cards have fun art. Everything from the Easter Bunny stomping on Christmas gifts to angry elves, to Ebenezer Scrooge and a cute Krampus. The art makes it a Christmas game, but the gameplay is what makes it a great Christmas game. Even if I didn’t love Wicked Christmas (I do), any game where the entire table wants a copy is bound to be a success at your holiday game table as well. Wicked Christmas is wicked fun, and I have zero doubt that you’ll agree.
You can find Wonky Penguin Games online at wonkypenguingames.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/wonkypenguingames.
