LLAMA

Get rid of your cards, or give up and take the smaller punishment.

Knizia again, and again doing a great deal with almost nothing. LLAMA is a shedding game where you play a card matching or one above the last, and if you cannot — or will not — you quit the round and stop taking penalties. Cards left in hand cost you chips. So does quitting, but less.

The whole game is that decision. Staying in when you might get stuck is how you lose big; quitting early every time is how you lose slowly. Nominated for the Spiel des Jahres in 2019, plays in fifteen minutes, and fits in a coat pocket. One of the best small card games of the last decade and priced like an afterthought.

Perfect for: Pubs, planes, and the twenty minutes before dinner is ready.

2–6 players | 15–20 minutes | Age 8+