Hoity Toity
A board game
From: Uberplay
Reviewed by: Marc Shayed
Hoity Toity is a new board game from Uberplay. Players take on the roles of the members of an elite club of antiquities collectors, and are in a never-ending battle of “one-upsmenship”. Trying to out do, out class, out buy, out wit, and even out-right steal to have the best collection of antiques. This fun and interesting game from the near legendary Klaus Teuber is sure to be a huge hit, for those looking to prove that they are the most “Hoity Toity” of their friends… or at least can fake it.
From the back of the box:
“An exciting bluffing game with thieves, detectives, and eccentric collectors!
Eccentricity is what makes the world go around. Well, your world anyways. As a member of the pretentious “Antique Club”, you feel inexplicably compelled to outshine your other snobby friends. What your wacko group lack in refinement and true sophistication, you certainly make up for in lack of scruples. You are oddly convinced it is your destiny to become the antique collector with the most valuable collection – by any using any means necessary. Unfortunately, you aren’t the only one without a sense of right and wrong. Your egotistical friends are also not above bluffing, trickery, or even theft! Outwit your fellow snobs to be come the most “Hoity Toity” of them all.”
Ok… that sets the mood nicely. As stated players are all trying to out do each other and to gather together antiques of greater values than their neighbor. This is done by either buying them at auction, trading with your fellow collectors, or by stealing.
Players are all given 2 location cards and 8 action cards. The location card are either “The Castle” or the “Auction Hall” both locations can be used to for different actions, but if you are in the same location as another player (chances are you will be) then you may end up in competition with that player for that turn. The 8 actions cards are: 4 “Cash” cards (with different values), 2 “Thief” cards, (to try to steal from other players or from the locations), 1 “Detective” card (used to thwart players who played “thieves”), and 1 “Exhibit” card (used when players want to show off their items, and thus score points).
Each round the players will secretly draw 1 of their location cards and 1 of their action cards. When they are all revealed players then see what everyone else played and then the actions are resolved.
For Example: If 3 players played the Auction Hall for a location, they would then choose what action card to play. If 2 played “cash” and 1 played a “thief”, then the player who played the larger amount of cash would put it on the ‘cash register” and take one of the items in the auction hall (a stack of antique cards), while the player who played the smaller amount of cash takes his money back and does nothing else that round. The player that played the “thief’ takes the money that the player left on the cash register.
Actions at the castle are a little different. Players can “exhibit” their collection (of similar items per the rules), which gives them a score, the higher scored collection wins points and lets the player’s pawns move around the board. The thief in the castle actually steals items from other collectors after the collections are scored. These items are added to the thieving player’s collection. The “Detective” although won’t stop the theft, will catch the thief and put him in jail until he is freed.
As you can see the game is simple, but there are many options open each round to the players. Although reading through the rules presented a chore, explaining them was very easy.
So… what does Marc really think?
It’s a pretty good game. The rules were not entirely easy to get through, but once I did get through them, I was able to explain them to my play-testers with ease.
I was amused by the game, but my play-testers generally received it with little enthusiasm. It was good fun game, but not what they (or I) would consider exceptional.
I would suggest this game for families and for people looking for a good “non-conflict” oriented game.
Above all I suggest you judge for yourselves. Check out Uberplay and their new board game Hoity Toity at their website http://www.uberplay.com …and of course at all of your local game stores!
Hoity Toity
From: Uberplay
Type of Game: Board Game
Game Design by: Klaus Teuber
Game Components Included: board, 48 game “action” cards, 12 game “place” cards, 6 wood player pawns, and rules book.
Retail Price: $ 34.95 (US)
Number of Players: 3-6
Player Ages: 12+
IBSN: 1-932742-03-4
Email: info@uberplay.com
Website: www.uberplay.com
Review Score: 7 out of 10 points (3.5 stars)
Reviewed by: Marc Shayed
Review Editor
http://www.GamingReport.com
