Description
On Madagascar, ring-tailed lemurs are gathering prickly pears. In Mada you play as the lemurs: you stack cactus cards on your pile and try to have a card with as many fruits as possible on top at the end of the round. Higher cards are worth more points, but they also bring the round to an end faster.
How to play Mada
Everyone gets three cards. On your turn you do one of three things: play a card on your pile, which must be equal to or higher than the top one, draw a card (you hold at most three) or announce out loud that you are taking a risk. Then you place the top card of the deck straight onto your pile. If it is lower than the previous one, you lose the round.
When someone loses the round, all the other players set aside the top card of their pile for points. The game ends when someone collects their fifth card. The player with the most prickly pears on their set-aside cards wins.
Why you will like it
- Every turn is a small decision: play, draw or take a risk.
- A lemur pulls the top card to the bottom of your pile, so you can start again with low cards.
- A double lemur swaps your pile with another player's pile.
- A scorpion you draw takes a card from your hand.
Who is Mada for
The game is for 2 to 5 players and takes about 20 minutes. It is easy, and players like it best with four. It suits families with children who already know numbers up to 13. There is no text on the cards, only numbers, cacti and animals.
What might you not like?
A lot depends on drawing from the deck, so it may not be the best fit for those who prefer games with more planning and less luck.
What is in the box
- 60 cactus cards with values from 1 to 13
- 10 special cards: 4 lemurs, 3 double lemurs and 3 scorpions
- rulebook
