AbluXXen (Linko!) How to Play and Review

AbluXXen is a hand management, set collection game.

Title: AbluXXen (or Linko!)

Year Published: 2014

Designer: Michael Kiesling, Wolfgang Kramer

Publisher: Ravensburger

Players: 2-5

Game Time: ~25 Mins

Set-up Time: >1 Mins

Ages: 10+

Theme: Abstract

Mechanic: Hand Management, Set Collection

How to win: Score the most points.

Game Description

In AbluXXen, you take turns playing number cards, and the more cards of the same number you play, the better as cards score points at the end of the game. If someone else plays the same amount of cards with a higher number, however, your cards get nicked! Stealing cards can be good, but if you can’t use them later, and end the game with cards in hand, they’ll cost you points.

Set Up

Deal 13 cards to each player and turn 6 face up in the middle of the table… yep, that’s it.

Game Play

On your turn, you can lay out in front of you any number of the same value card.  Cards put down in this way are played on top of cards you have played previously but just make sure you can see the value and number of the cards on top of that stack.

When you play cards you look clockwise around the table for players who have the same NUMBER of cards as you on top of their stack.

If the number of cards matches and the value of those cards EXCEEDS they must be stolen… You can steal cards once from each player who meets these criteria in clockwise order.

When stealing you have 2 choices, you can take those cards and add them to your hand and make the victim draw that many cards.

Or you can let the victim decide what they want to do… they themselves have two options.

They can return them to their hand OR discard them and draw that many cards.

When drawing, you can draw from the top of the deck or the face-up cards in the middle of the table. The cards in the middle of the table are replenished once a player has finished drawing.

Play continues to the left

Game End

As soon as one player puts down their last cards in hand, the game ends immediately.

The game can also end if the draw pile and central cards are depleted.

You get 1 point for each card you have played, -1 point for each card left in your hand.

Most points wins.

AbluXXen Round-Up

This is a very simple and fun game. You definitely need to play it a couple of times to see the tactical side… It’s easy to think you just need to empty your hand but that’s just one way to go.

You have to decide which is best between taking cards or picking them up. It depends what’s in your hand and what’s available.

Rating

A very fun game

I give it 7/10