__Overview: __*My Precious Presents *is all about collecting presents (large shiny silver ones to be exact). It's a set-collection card game where players start with small gifts and trade their way up. There's plenty of player interaction along the way, so if you want to win then you can't be afraid to reach over and say "hey... that's my present!" when stealing from your opponents. *My Precious Presents *is one of the first games released by new Canadian-based publisher Tartan Grizzly Productions.
__Players: __2-5
__Ages: __8+
__Playing Time: __25 minutes
__Retail: __$39.95
__Rating: __One to pass on. A few fun moments don't overcome the fact that this extremely light card game is trying to be more than it is.
__Who Will Like It?: __Families with very young children who are just learning to follow instructions from a card. The box says ages 8 and up, but it will work well below that range.
__Theme: __There is no particular theme to *My Precious Presents *other than the receiving (and stealing) of gifts. Given the fact that the components have a bit of a Christmas feel and everyone in the game is receiving gifts, it's easy to picture this game set around that winter holiday.
Components:
- 120 Game cards
- 30 Small presents (6 Gold, 6 Blue, 6 Red, 6 Green and 6 Purple)
- 30 Medium presents (6 Gold, 6 Blue, 6 Red, 6 Green and 6 Purple)
- 9 Large silver presents
The presents are the real stars of the show, as they provide a tangible scoring system for what would otherwise be a completely abstract game. They look beautiful, too. Each present is a foam cube individually wrapped by hand using foil paper and gold twine. You don't see a game coming with a box full of handmade components every day.
The cards, however, are another story. Card quality is an issue as they are a bit too thin to hold up over time without careful players. On the graphic design front, the card artwork is average cartoon quality but suits the theme and target audience well. The layout of information on the cards is consistent throughout the deck and would benefit from some symbology to quickly differentiate the various types of cards.
__Gameplay: __The goal of *My Precious Presents *is to be the first to collect three of the large silver presents. Through the play of cards, players can collect small or medium presents in hopes of trading up to a larger size. Three small presents of matching color can be exchanged for one medium present of that same color and two medium presents of matching color can also be exchanged for a large silver present.
To keep the game moving fast, players are given three possible actions and must choose only one to perform on each turn.
- Play a card
- Exchange presents
- Pass
Players start the game with a four-card hand and will begin each turn by drawing an additional card. During the action phase, if a player chooses to use a card, there are four possible types they may play:
- Present cards: Allow players to take one or more presents from the center of the table.
- Action cards: Grant a single-use rule bending action such as stealing presents from other players or more easily exchanging from the center of the table.
- Table cards: Cause lasting effects, such as preventing any player other than yourself from claiming a certain color of present.
- Reaction cards: These are not played during a player's turn, but are rather saved to use for instant benefit such as blocking a theft.
One of the major flaws in this game is the inconsistent power of the cards. Many simply allow you to take a small present or two, while others allow the instant receipt of a large silver present. This is not a catch-up mechanic for players who have fallen behind. Instead, it is a random distribution of overpowered cards. There is nothing quite so dismaying as working to trade up from small to medium and then medium to large, only to see an opponent race past you with a few strong cards. With a victory condition as simple as receiving three large silver presents, it's hard to watch their ownership left up to chance.
__Conclusion: __The gameplay and components for *My Precious Presents *simply do not match up. The game itself is very light in strategy and is more social activity than actual game. There is a time and a place for such titles, and every gamer should have a handful in their collection but those games do not typically warrant a large box with deluxe components and a $39.99 price tag.
__Wired: __Beautiful present components.
__Tired: __High price, flimsy card quality, little to no skill involved.
Disclosure: GeekDad received a review copy of this game
