Voodoo, Game Review

When playing Voodooyou cast curses to make people do things they usually wouldn’t do, like clicking like a chicken or howling like a werewolf. There is not much more fun to younger game players than getting people to do silly things.

Put that in a game where and add a competitive element of watching the other players to make sure the actions are done and you soon have a group of kids sitting around and laughing at what’s happening. This is especially true if they have their parents playing the game with them.

Voodoouses a dice pool to determine what resources you have available to buy cards or to cast curses. Buying cards leads to more opportunity to cast curses and protect yourself from the curses the other players are casting.

The rules are simple enough that younger players are able to learn it. The strategy at the beginning is straight forward on casting curses. But, the combination of curses and a complication added by the game makes it more difficult to remember everything you have to do. Every time a curse is cast it builds on the earlier ones. The target of the curse has to change so there is no piling up on one player. Even the game gets involved with the casting of curses. As players pass certain scoring points permanent curses are added into play. These curses apply different consequences, like fewer dice in your pool.

Voodooplays fast. When you play a curse you score the points for the complexity of the curse (1–3). If, more like when, a player interrupts a curse, and the player who cast it catches them, the caster gains another point or two. A game only goes until eleven points, so the games we played completed within the 30 minutes Voodoo is designed to last.

The permanent curses played by the game are a little different, they last the remainder of the game. Permanent curses occur every time a player hits, or passes, the score of 3, 6, and 9. When theses curses are interrupted, you pay the penalty, but the curse stays in play.

Voodoois a great game for younger players who don’t want to sit at the table to play a game. They are involved in doing something and watching others to make sure they are doing the actions when they have to. Get the right combination of curses going and you can be doing some aerobic exercise.

Playability for younger players went well, they were fine with having to do the same thing again. Older players were not doing as well with handling the curses.

Voodoowas designed by Francesco Giovo and Marco Valtriani. The illustrations are by Guido Favaro. It is published by Red Glove with the English Edition licensed to Mayday Games. The game is designed for 3–6 players of ages 8+, and to last 30 minutes.

If you have a comment, suggestion, or critique please leave a comment here or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.

You can also join Guild Master Gaming on Google+, Facebook, and Twitter(@GuildMstrGmng).