At Origins 2011 I played a lot of prototypes. This was unexpected and also wonderful. So far, only one of the games I experienced as a prototype has hit my table as a real and published game. Who won this race? Well, that would be Carnival by Dice Hate Me Games.

Carnival was about a week old when I first met this little “deck and dice game.” What do I remember of that first play? Well, I didn’t fall asleep through it that’s for sure. I remember the game feeling familiar but fresh. It was easy to learn, quick to pick up, and fun to play.

Was it perfect? No. I hit a wall in one game that had something to do with card drawing or something like that… but even with my quibble it was as good as anything already on the market. It was a game I wanted to play.

I had my second opportunity to experience Carnival at the World Boardgaming Championships in August. This time I was able to play the game with the designer (and not just the designer’s husband!) I played the game with the newly formed team rules…and I was informed that the game now carried a rule that was in direct response to my complaint from the original game. How could I not be impressed? The changes were great. The game flowed even better. It looked better…it looked like a published game.

And then… it was. The kickstarter campaign happened and it was well received. Cherilyn and Chris did an amazing job presenting and promoting their product. Their customer service has been immaculate. I’ve been following the forums for the game on BGG and the two of them answering questions on Twitter since the game dropped right around Christmas. It’s been amazing, quick, informative, and absolutely personal and kind.  If you don’t think that kind of behavior helps when someone is reviewing a game, you need to rethink the world you’re living in. Sorry, it’s true.

Now, I have an actual copy of Carnival for really real. It’s in my possession out of the shrink wrap and looks beautiful. It’s well packaged and all my extras (thanks Kickstarter) are there. I even ended up with an extra die which is supposedly worth a million dollars! Who could ask for anything more?

Having a game does not a review make. Playing the game is imperative. Have I done that? Yes. Yes, I have with the new final published version. So, what do I think?

I still enjoy the game. Yeah, let’s put it in perspective: I’ve only played a handful of games so saying “Still enjoy it” doesn’t really mean much. I enjoy the game.

Carnival s a card game at heart, you need to know that going in. Carnival is a deck and dice game, so it’s a card game with dice. You’re cards and dice mean there’s a little bit of luck involved. If I am to believe others, there’s a lot of luck involved. I have never felt that. I have honestly felt that I have always had a set of legitimate choices to make throughout the game. In a way, I find that reminiscent of Alien Frontiers. You have these dice and they will dictate what you’re going to do, but your choices are actually pretty well balanced and can be used offensively and defensively.  

The basic gist of the game is that you have a hand of cards which you use to collect sets, 4 types of cards in 5 different colors. You take two (or three) actions each turn and then play cards to your midway or move cards around in your midway.  Your actions in this game are determined by rolling dice. You have three dice and you roll them…and what they land gives you choices for your actions. All the actions involve different permutations of gaining cards.

There are a few wild cards in the deck (everyone starts with one) and those are helpful throughout the game. Wild cards are usable in a few different ways, and each one has the power to make an awesome move.

The game also provides each player with three tickets which can be used to counteract their opponent’s actions or change your own dice rolls. They’re key. You have to have great control and know when is a good time to use them. Don’t hold back too long though. They’re useful if you USE them.  They increase the interaction level of the game.

Okay, let me tell you why I like this game before I tell you about 1 of my recent experiences…

A. I am generally not a fan of cards with lots of text. That’s the easy way out for most card games. Just make a lot of cards do lots of different things to other cards and stuff. That’s the game. Carnival is not that type of game. The cards are simple (they could really be 5 different colors and numbered 1 through 4 and that’s it. These are basic easy to understand cards without lots of text or different rulings for different things.

B. All the actions are central to the main purpose of the game. Every choice on every roll deals with you and your cards in a way that moves the game forward. Yes, this does seem like a no brainer, but there are plenty of card games out there that contain actions that if you removed them would make a tighter more centralized game experience. This is a tight, well designed challenge.

C. Being evil is okay. No seriously, a lot of people don’t like the ability in a game to do things to hurt their opponents. They want to play nice games. I get that… but I also get how being evil in Carnival is being telling. There are lots of subtle things that each steal and trade and draw action tells you about your opponents needs and what they’re looking for. It’s kind of fun to pay attention to that and use that information to your advantage. It’s a game with a winner, so at some point you will need to actually beat your opponent to win, but I’m okay with that and you should be too. That’s a non-cooperative game in a nutshell. It’s not being evil it’s playing against your opponents.

Those three things are important to me. Now… if only the game could have a metered ending…(That’s not a criticism as much as it is a comment on what I like. Carnival has a very visible end condition, when one player collects all four sets. The end of the game is no real surprise when it occurs. Yes, it may occur suddenly, but not without warning…if that makes sense.

Recently, I played a few two player games with my girlfriend. She’s heard me talk about the game and be excited about it for a while. She was looking forward to it. I used the online tutorial instead of me teaching her the game, and that worked well. I’ve heard some complaints about something that’s not completely clear in the rule book, but is clear on the video. I’m not sure what that is (I’ve forgotten at this moment,) so I figured the video was a safe bet. To my memory, all the questions we had during the game were answerable through the rule book. So, I have no complaints there.

Anyway… the first game in our series was a definite win for her. It has a lot to do with me turning a pair of twos into a triple using one of my tickets. She hadn’t realized she could do that (there’s a lot to take in on your first play.) She rolled a pair of sixes and a five on her next turn and played triple sixes with a ticket. It was beautiful…and I was proud. She got the hang of the game fairly quickly and kicked my butt. How did she always have more cards in her hand than I did?…

My second game was a little better. I used my tickets more sparingly and was able to counter a few more deft moves on her part to eek out a 4 set to 3 set win. One more turn and she would have had me…it was a tough win, but I was victorious.

So, the reason I tell that story (such as it is) is because I think it illustrates another one of the great things about Carnival, it’s fairly easy to learn and quick to play. Both games took no more than 30 minutes total. They weren’t one sided. It was a great little contest of wits with a smidgen of luck thrown in for good measure.

Carnival played as well as a two player as it does as a three or four player. I haven’t done teams with my own copy yet, but soon. Carnival has plenty of interaction, with the dice rolls and the tickets, so keep that in mind. Teams do make it an even more interactive experience though.

Oh! We did play with the wild die in the second game and I enjoyed it. Beautiful die that wild die.

Anyway… what you need to take from this is that Carnival is fun. It’s a good game. It’s worthy of your time and your expenditure to get it.  I am looking forward to my next play of Carnival and you should be too!

Carnival is designed by Cherilyn Joy Lee Kirkman and is published by Dice Hate Me Games. It’s available on GameSalute.com .