As every year, since 2004, Lucca Create e daVinci Editrice have decided to reward an author by publishing one of his games and giving him the coveted title of Unpublished game. Over the years the competition has given space and visibility to many deserving authors and illustrators, who have seen their dream of publishing a game realized; among the exceptional members of the jury there was no shortage of famous names such as Bruno Faidutti, Emiliano Sciarra, Eric Lang and many others.
For the 2018/2019 edition, the jury coordinated by Daniele Boschi and chaired by Luigi Ferrini, with Ryan laukat as honorary president, he attributed the recognition to Penguinramids di Guido Albini. On the occasion of Lucca Comics and Games 2019 we had the opportunity to try Penguinramids with the author. Here is a brief overview and some impressions.
The game
Penguinramids is a card game from 2 to 4 players in which you compete to create the most beautiful pyramid of penguins (as the title suggests). Each player has 5 cards with a value from 1 to 5, each associated with a special power. During the round there will be as many penguin cards as there are players available to be won; each secretly chooses one of his five cards to bet to get one of the available penguins. Whoever has bet the lowest value will have the possibility to choose first and so on the others based on the value played. The penguin cards will then be arranged in front of each to form a pyramid of 4 levels, paying attention to the value of the penguin itself, which indicates both its weight and how much it can support, effectively limiting the penguins that can then be placed on the upper floor.
The game ends when the top floor of the pyramid is completed and the points are given by the sum of the highest value penguins for each level and by any bonuses obtained through three objective cards chosen randomly at the start of the game.
Considerations
During the test match we understood why the jury awarded this title. Penguinramids it is a very simple game that can be explained in five minutes, but original and not trivial in the choices to be made. Betting on the best card at the right time is crucial to making a good score and you can put a spoke in the wheel by choosing the card that was essential for an opponent. We were pleasantly surprised by the lightness of the game, immediate even for casual players and we can't wait to try it again.
… And an appointment with the next Unpublished Game
During the test of Penguinramids we witnessed live the communication of the theme for the next edition of the Unpublished Game: Chocolate. 2020 will be full of games as the winner of the 2019/2020 edition will also be announced together, whose theme was Leonardo da Vinci. We therefore look forward to discovering the two winners of next year.
