The Bottle Imp
This ingenious card game is a bit of a brain burner. The deck of cards is a set of consecutive numbers, divided into three suits. It's a standard trick-taking game – unless somebody plays a card that's lower than the current value of the 'imp'. This card wins the trick and sets the new value for taking the imp…
As in Robert Louis Stevenson's short story, from which the game takes its inspiration, the aim is not to be the person holding the bottle (warning: contains imp) at the end. This unfortunate gets negative points, while the other players add to their scores.
It sounds simple enough, but it's actually quite fiendish. It's also one of the games I stocked when I started Games from Pevans, so I'm pleased to see it back in print in a smart new edition (which includes the wooden 'bottle').
For 2-4 players, aged 10+, playing time 30 minutes: £14.00 (£11.67 without tax outside the UK)
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