Designer: Doris Matthaus and Frank Nestel
Artist: Doris Matthaus
Publisher: Doris Matthaus and Frank Nestel
Pico 2, like Khmer which I recently reviewed, is a micro card game that plays in 5 minutes and is one of the card games that you play on the go. I mean you can play it at home too of course, but the portability and the duration of the game makes is a great filler when you just need to kill some time while waiting in line, waiting to pick up kids, waiting in traffic, waiting…… well, you get the idea. Unlike Khmer, there are fewer piles in Pico 2 which makes it even more suitable for the above mentioned activities.
At heart, this is a bluffing game with more nuances and subtlety than at first blush. Unlike Khmer, this is also a perfect information game with no unknowns. You know what you have and you know your opponent’s hand and it will all boil down to a guessing game. Yes, it is a guessing game, but also a mind game combined because if you play your cards correctly, a crappy hand may not doom your chances, especially if you manage to trick your opponent in a way that benefits you.
There are eleven cards in the game, one is set aside face up and the ten cards are dealt -five apiece to each player. Numbers on the cards range from 4-13 and then a 16. The numbers for each card is not the value of the card because there are pips on each card. Card #4 has one pip, cards #5-7 has two pips, cards #8-13 has three pips while card #16 has four pips. The pips are points and whoever has the most points win after two hands.
Each round players select a card and play them simultaneously. The higher value card wins UNLESS it is more than twice the amount. So a “10” would beat a “5” but not a “4”. Just as important, the loser of the round gets to retain the card will the winner sets it aside for scoring. I think another brilliant rule of the game is that it ends when one player has a single card left at hand. Which means you don’t have to play the entire hand to win. That also means you can trap someone with a high value card to end the game.
There are some really interesting possibilities during play if you choose to think hard about it. If you can successfully bluff and time things perfectly, a low value card can beat a high one. Cards #4-7 can beat an #16, but are you able to guess when that will be played? Fortunately, the #16 card is not lost forever and returns to the hand if beaten by a lower card. Even if the #16 is won by the opponent, the game is still not over since the remaining cards may have enough points to overcome to deficit. The way you structure how cards come out will enhance your chances of winning, but, be forewarned, the ability to hold that information in your head or to juggle the probabilities still requires effort and thought.
In another brilliant move for Pico 2, a game consists of two full hands. After the first round is over, the cards are exchanged. So, you have a chance to play your opponent’s hand, but with some foresight as to the possibilities of how the game can progress after the first round. Points across both rounds are summed to find the winner.
Despite all the possibilities, we are still talking about a short card game here. Perhaps 3-5 minutes of play time is all it would take per round. This is never going to replace any sit down two player board game with more meat to the bones, but as a micro card game of reasonable substance, and one with a bluffing element, it is a perfect distraction for two when you just want to tune out from your surroundings for a couple of minutes.
The Dao of Board Gaming 