D: Gary Kim, Hope S Hwang, Yolanda Goh
P: Helvetiq A: Crocotame
2-6 pl | 15 min | ages 7+ | MSRP $13 | BGG Entry
Time to teach & learn: 3 minutes
Game Synopsis
In Odin, you will play Viking villager cards to gain favor with the Allfather. Send cards from your hand to Valhalla by surpassing the value of your neighbor’s contribution. This is a modern twist on a classic climbing or “ladder-style” game. Start with a single card. Each card or set of cards must be higher than the last. Points are bad in Odin, meaning lowest score wins. Assemble the best combinations of like colors or numbers to shed your cards before everyone else.
Jury Statement
Odin adds a unique voice to this time honored genre by giving players two different ways to climb the ladder of cards each turn: you can play cards of the same color or cards of the same number. Arrange like colored cards into the highest number you can. My green 5, 7, and 4 become a green 754. You might counter with four like numbered cards, beating my combination with four 8s to make 8888. Each method allows you to see your hand in a new light.
As the card value climbs, Odin’s real magic emerges. If you play a higher combination, you must take one card from the combination you just eclipsed and add it to your hand. This means you must be mindful of the color and number of the card you take to make sure it will help your hand. This also means you must be mindful of the cards you use in your own combinations. One misstep and you could hand the instrument of your own downfall to the Vikings next door!
You must manage your hand as you climb, knowing that your next play will shape your opponent’s hand, too. Like ever extending branches from the world tree, Yggdrasil, each choice, even a single card, is interconnected and influences the overall shape of the game.
The game is fast and easy to learn, but subtle and satisfying strategies will emerge with each rung of the ladder you are able to climb. Every game is filled with surprising choices. Yes, the game does bear the name of the Norse Godking. And you may need his foresight to play well. But, to us, Odin celebrates the unconventional energy and cleverness of his nemesis, Loki, patron saint of Major Fun.
Congratulations to the designers and publisher!
More information on Odin at Helvetiq
