Rummathon Royale
Players: 2-6
Playing Time: 60
Board Game Geek
*disclaimer – All for One Games was sent a review copy of this game from the publisher but the thoughts contained are our own*
There is something truly special about card games for many of us. Whether it be Hearts, Spades, Euchre, Oh Hell, Gin Rummy, Uno, or countless other regional games, there is a high likelihood that a game was happening at some family gathering. My family didn’t play a ton of games when I was growing up, but Rummy is one that I have fond memories of.
Rummathon Royale is a new game but is built on the tried-and-true foundations of classic Rummy variants, with some updates. Almost like a Rummy, Uno, Phase 10 hybrid with some additional gameplay elements to make it special.
Gameplay is dead simple; draw a card (mandatory) and discard a card (optionally). The main hook though, is that everyone has a unique Rules card with different round conditions. For example, I might be going for a run of eight cards and two cards of the same color, while one of my opponents might be shooting for two sets of three and a run of three.
The objective is to play your cards, but ultimately to shed your entire hand. Then score points based on the number of cards your opponents are all still holding. There are some unique wrinkles with the cards here, even aside from the slight asymmetry of what each person is trying to play in a round. There are several special cards; the Flex acts as a wild to help you lay down your goal quicker. There is also the Sabotage, to remove all the Flex cards from another player. And others that also target players to hamper their progress.
Players can also call ‘Rummathon Royale’ to declare that they think they can pull off the next round’s objective before someone else goes out. It’s a great bit of pushing your luck and has got to feel so sweet, if you think you’ve got the right stuff to pull it off (but I was never able to see it work in action).
I think the game’s biggest hurdles come from the rules sheet. As written, learning the game seemed a little disjointed to me. Considering the target audience seems to be people that grew up on Rummy-style games, and not ‘gamers’, it might be hard to get started playing since the rules were kind of difficult for me to parse, at times.The publisher did send us a link to some revised rules, which helped tremendously, and there is also a QR code for a tutorial video on the box, but it’s something to consider.
Another potential downfall from the rules, as written, is the 12 rounds of play in a default game. While this may not seem like a ton, with a full 6 players, I could see it easily going over an hour and potentially much longer. I could absolutely see competitive families or game groups doing the full gauntlet of this and having a blast, but prepare for the long haul. The rules do also recommend shorter variants and I think that’s definitely more of the sweet spot for me.
Overall, the game left me feeling nostalgic and while I enjoyed my time with it, I wasn’t necessarily hungry for more. At least for me, it feels like the type of game you would pull off the top shelf of a gaming closet at a relative’s house and gather a few cousins around to play at a yearly gathering. I would gladly play it in this type of situation and recapture the feeling of playing card games with my family after eating a big holiday meal. I feel like the game shines brightest in casual settings, where its mix of familiarity and fresh mechanics can bridge generations.
Presentation
+ Colorful and easy to read cards
+/- Rulebook may be hard to follow
Getting it Played
+ Easy to understand twists on a classic card game
+/- Slight asymmetry might throw folks
– Playtime could be a drag unless playing a short game
Gameplay
+ Feels like an updated classic
Fun Factor
+ Nostalgia for Rummy games will be a huge plus
+/- If you don’t have that nostalgia there may not be a huge pull to playing this
– The full 12 round game might be pushing it even for hardcore Rummy fans
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Allie