Fictional Reality Magazine
Clay Richmond
December 2006
USA
Pepper is a fast moving easy to learn and easy
to play card game from Out of the Box Publishing
Inc. On the packaging it says that the game is
for ages eight and up, but I would broaden it some
and say that anyone that can play the game of “Crazy
Eight” can easily master this game (and my
kids were well into playing card games of that
level by age five). The rules are easily readable
in just a few minutes and if you are anything like
me, the rules are actually so easy you might not
understand what the point of the game is. It’s
not until you play your first game that things
will suddenly “click” into place. The
game is for three to five players, though I could
easily see adding an extra player or two without
any real trouble. A complete game from start to
finish should only take five to ten minutes. The
card deck consists of fifty-two cards, but that
is where the similarities with a normal deck of
playing cards ends. There are five suits (or colors)
in the deck, and each suit has two cards of each
of the numbers one through five. Two of the suits
have an extra card being a six (I know, those of
you who are obsessed with perfect symmetry will
be losing sleep of this deck). Also, the deck comes
in a fitted tin carrying box and a card sized folded
set of rules.
There is even an extra card that has
an FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) on both sides
of it. I thought the rules were clear enough not
to generate questions, but if you had any doubts,
this should definitely clear up any of the finer
points for you. As I mentioned in the beginning,
the game is amazingly simple. What I didn’t
quite get from reading the rules was how the strategy
in the game might work (even reading the strategy
tips didn’t
do it for me). But about three seconds into my
first game suddenly the lights came on. The idea
is to get rid of all your cards, but you only get
to play when someone else plays on you. I don’t
what to spoil all the fun and tell you ALL the
rules, but getting rid of cards only when played
on means that if the players (assuming they are
all trying to win) will most likely be playing
on the person who has the most cards. This of course
means that unless you can make a player pick up
their cards, then sooner or later all players will
be down to one card and the player whose turn it
is has to be attentive enough to pick the right
person to play on (in a situation where a player
with one card plays on a player with only one card,
then one of the two always win). Since each player
only has five cards, at most only about half the
deck is used so you can’t really count cards
very easily, but you can play the odds and remember
what a player has played so far and has picked
up (if any). The deal breakers are the sixes. There
are only two in the deck, and they can’t
be beaten, and beat all the other cards (except
each other of course). So having one of these gems
in your hand can really increase your odds of winning
(but by no means insures it). The game moves fast,
and you will probably want to play again after
your first, and second games and then before you
know it you have played half a dozen hands. This
game is a good family game and I think it is especially
good for younger kids and adults with younger kids
you are growing tired of playing “Crazy Eights” again
and again (I remember those days well). It’s
also a good game where socialization is
the prime goal as the game is not overly competitive
and does not require three advanced degrees and
ten years of experience to master it.
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