Description
LLAMA (originally L.L.A.M.A.) is a fast card game by Reiner Knizia that was nominated for the Spiel des Jahres award in 2019. The llama commands: get rid of your penalty points! You have to play the cards from your hand as quickly as possible, because whatever is left in your hand earns you penalty points.
How to play LLAMA
Everyone gets six cards with numbers from 1 to 6 and llamas. On your turn, you play a card onto the discard pile – the same number as the one on top, or one higher. A llama goes on a 6, and a 1 goes on a llama again. If you can't or don't want to play, you can draw a card or quit the round.
The round ends when someone plays all their cards or when everyone has quit. The remaining cards earn penalty points, each value counted only once, and a llama is worth ten. A player who plays all their cards may return one token. When someone reaches 40 points, the player with the fewest points wins.
Why you will like it
- Every turn is a small bet: one more card or quit now?
- Because each value counts only once, it sometimes pays to keep several identical cards.
- If you play all your cards, you can even return a ten-point token.
- Rounds are short, so the game moves quickly even in a larger group.
Who is LLAMA for
The game is for two to six players aged 8 and up, and a game takes about 20 minutes. The rules are simple, and players like it best with four or five. It is a good fit for families and friends.
What you might not like
Which cards you get depends quite a lot on luck. So the game may not suit those who prefer games with more planning.
What's in the box
- 56 cards (8 cards each of the numbers 1 to 6 and 8 llamas)
- 70 tokens (20 black worth 10 points and 50 white worth 1 point)
- rules
