Pyramid Magazine Online
March 2001
Brad Weier
USA

Shipwrecked Card Game
Published by Out of the Box
Designed by Matthew Kirby and Mark Alan Osterhaus
Illustrated by John Kovalic
24 Bid cards, 24 Resource cards, 65 gemstones, rulebook; $15.95

Two to four castaways are stuck on a deserted island and must compete with each other for food, shelter, water, and friends in this new bidding game from Out of the Box Games. In the tradition of their previous games, Apples to Apples and Bosworth, Shipwrecked is simple, fun, and hysterically illustrated by John Kovalic.

Kovalic provides a unique illustration for twenty Resource cards. The Resources are divided into the four types mentioned above and are ranked from ten to 50 Points each. The first Crusoe to win 100 Points worth of cards of a single type of Resource, or to win 150 Points worth of cards of any type, wins the game. Each Resource also has an Income number that gives players gemstones, the local currency, at the beginning of their turns. Finally, they have a Value number players can use to sell the card to the bank for a quick cash infusion. As the Points of the cards increase, the Income decreases, so a player lagging behind in Points receives more help from the bank each turn.

Players win Resource cards by bidding on them. On each turn, a player reveals the top Resource card and begins a six round bidding session. The price of the Resource cards begins at five gemstones for the first round and it decreases every round until a player wins the Resource. This system makes it possible, but highly unlikely, that a castaway could win the card for free.

Players do not bid with their gemstones, however. They bid with one of six Bid cards, played face down each round. Each player has two Stop cards, three Pass cards, and one Strike card. If a castaway is the only one to play a Stop card during a bidding round, that player wins the Resource and pays the bank the appropriate amount. A Strike card trumps a Stop card. Two or more Strikes in a single round, however, cancel each other. The Pass card simply allows the bidding to advance in hopes of winning the Resource at a later -- and cheaper -- bidding round. In a final bit of strategy, playing a Stop card does not necessarily stop the bidding. A player must announce that she is stopping the bidding. This allows players a last minute change of heart should they suspect a Strike has been played.

Players can tie during a bidding round if two or more play Stop cards at the same time. Ties are broken by the number of Pass bids played during previous bidding rounds for this card. The Resource goes to the player with the most Passes. If a tie remains, then the tied players pay for the Resource and must begin a new bidding session with just those players involved. This is an expensive outcome, and if a player can not pay for a Resource card, then he is bankrupt and out of the game.

The fun of Shipwrecked is trying to out-guess your opponents. Players must decide how much each of their rivals are willing to pay for a Resource, what their bidding strategy will be, and how to win while avoiding a dreaded tie.

Shipwrecked is not a revolution in bidding games, but it is quick, easy to learn, and fun. And John Kovalic's illustrations are a riot; the picture of the monkey sitting atop a disgruntled castaway's head is almost worth the price tag alone.

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