HABA from Bad Rodach, Bavaria, is best known for its diverse selection of children's games. But there are always interesting and playfully rewarding family games. Karuba, Miyabi or Dice King are just a small selection of games that manage to delight both adults and children aged 8 and over. The SPIEL novelty “Showdown” now also joins this list. The test shows whether it can keep up with the quality of the other titles.
Many of those who enjoy playing board games today probably had early gaming experience with HABA games. The iconic design with the yellow frame promised accessible fun for children. For me that was most important Kayanak. Not only does this magnetic fishing game focus on the great look but also the great feel.
The yellow frame has now given way to a light green circular section and the family games have now also been decorated with this uniform optical element. I almost did Showdown I therefore didn't take a closer look at it, as this frame quickly evoked the association of child's play. Luckily, the age recommendation shown on the cover ensured that I took a closer look and tested the game.
Smart prairie dogs
In the scorching midday heat, everyone stays indoors in Slingshot Canyon. Really all? No, up to four thieving prairie dogs roam the city hoping for a big coup. With a little luck and skill, one of the nimble thieves will manage to collect the most money.
The basic card-based mechanic is a bit reminiscent of step by step. You collect cards with the same symbols to carry out actions. On your turn you have the choice between drawing or playing cards.
Each card shows two symbols. To play cards, you choose one of the five symbols and must play at least three of them. Additionally, every card played must show this symbol at least once.
Five symbols for rich loot
No matter what symbol you chose, you . resolve all played symbols. The order is up to you. You use the colorful prairie dog symbol to move your own figure on the game board. You can rob the bank in passing or cover yourself with disguises to hide from the sherif's prying eyes. This patrols through the bank and to his lookout with the white symbol. If he spots prairie dogs from his lookout, they lose five tacken (coins).
You use the brown die to carry out raids. The black cube ensures a physical confrontation with the other prairie dogs. In this way, the hard-earned bags are stolen from them.
The coins are only safe if you collect them in your own money box using the money box symbol.
If the last card has been drawn, the game ends immediately. Everyone receives one more card for their remaining hand cards. Whoever has the most tackles in their own money box and in front of them wins the game.
Information about Showdown – thieves on nimble paws
| Number of people: 2-4 people Age: from 10 years Playing time: 30 minutes Difficulty: Family game Long-term motivation: good Classification: Set collection, Push you luck, Take That Game idea: Jakob & Benjamin Schwer Illustrations: Jacqui Davis Publisher: HABA Official Website: Link Year of publication: 2023 Language: German Cost: 25 Euro |
Conclusion
The specified age recommendation can be lowered by at least two years with a clear conscience. The rules are quickly explained and easy to understand. The choice between drawing a card (and collecting identical symbols) or playing cards creates a gaming feeling that... step by step remind.
Making the right decisions when playing is sometimes not that easy. It usually doesn't make much sense to play all symbols of a type at once. The steps you take with your own figure should also be carefully considered.
The element of luck in rolling dice can be frustrating and Sven You might be surprised that I like a game with such a high proportion of dice so much.
In terms of luck, the take that element, when you steal the other tackle, stands out particularly well. This action is not very fun to play with two people, as the attacks cannot be divided among several people.
In the four-player game, however, moving was not very popular. As soon as you have looted a certain number of Tacken and have quickly grabbed disguises and the contents of the safe, it is better to stay under cover for the rest of the time, as the other three people allow the Sherif to pass the lookout several times and so many Tacken are at stake . The five coins you lose like this are simply too valuable. The best balance for all actions is in the game with three players.
The material is, as you would expect from HABA, very good and especially the wooden figures and dice are very beautiful. The only visual problem, as already described above, is the appearance of the box. Because HABA is primarily known for children's games, and the green border just like the yellow used to evoke this association, this game is not directly seen as a family game. The examples mentioned above (Karuba etc.) from the time of the yellow frame deliberately omitted this and were therefore much easier to recognize as not being a child's game.
The playing time of 15 to 30 minutes is very pleasant and we, as frequent players, also had a lot of fun with this game. Especially if you don't want to rack your brains too much, this game offers a really well-rounded gaming experience. Because the playing time is so short, you'll enjoy playing it again.
HABA proves once again that they can not only play children's games, but also very good family games. Showdown Unfortunately, it flies quite under the radar, but for me it is a real insider tip that would look very good under the Christmas tree.
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