Designer: team SAIEN

Artist: team SAIEN

Publisher: team SAIEN

If there is a single designer cum publisher that I admire and puzzle over, it would hands down be team SAIEN. Really, no competition. SAIEN makes games that are simple, like many games that come out from Japan, with some containing only a handful of cards or a deck of cards. Yet, I do not understand how to approach the game ……. not from a rules standpoint, because I do know how to read and follow the rulebook, but I do not grasp the variables and how they relate to each other in order for me to win consistently. That is something to say for a hobby gamer of 20+ years and also coming from a game that consists of nothing more than a deck of cards. The variables in play ought to be pretty clear. RecuRRRing is a shedding game and it is one of the most intriguing and puzzling game in this genre that I have played recently.

RecuRRRing has a simple deck of cards but with a unique distribution.

To be fair, I have played but half a dozen hands and many games require patience to uncover the winning strategy. However, I have also played 3 other SAIEN-designed games and they are all similar in that they are brain burners. RecuRRRing is no different. As with other shedding card games, you are trying to shed all your cards in your hand to win. Players are dealt a certain number of cards each hand depending on player count and all cards are dealt, meaning every one knows the type and value of cards in play. The deck is simple. It has a value of 1-9 with the number of cards matching the value of the card (i.e. 9 cards of value 9, 3 cards of value 3, etc). Another popular card game that feature this distribution is Pairs by Cheapass Games. In addition, there are 12 “R” cards with no value. Again, the number of cards are scaled according to player count, with higher value cards (8s’ or 9s’) removed at lower player counts.

Restrictions on playing higher ranked combinations while picking up the losing combination makes the different and challenging

The player with the “1” card starts the round and players either pass or play a card to beat the previous combination. Single cards on the table can be beaten by a higher rank or with more cards. Cards with lower numbers have a higher rank, so a 2 would be stronger than a 9, with R having the lowest value and it is not a wild. A card or combination can also be beaten by playing a set with more cards. Importantly, players are allowed to play only a set that has 1 more card than what is shown on the table. Hence, a single “1” card can only be beaten by a pair and not a triplet. Technically, there is no limit to the number of cards in a set that can be played so long as it is just a +1 card to the previously played combination.

The twist here in RecuRRRing – and it is dirt simple – is that a player that plays a combination to the table must pick up the previously played combination into the hand. So, while playing and shedding cards to the table strengthens one’s position, it is also simultaneously weakened by picking up a lower ranking set. That is it. Once all players except one has passed for the hand, the last person standing picks up the winning combination on the table and keeps it for points and starts with one single card to lead the next trick. Game then continues for as many tricks until one players sheds the final card to the table, and the card that is picked up in exchange is discarded and not counted. Players then count 1 card as one point, with the Rs’ worth nothing unless you are the player to win the hand, in which case, they are worth one point. Easy peasy but yet so complex.

RecuRRRing is slower than most shedding games but is a unique take on the genre

A few observations for RecuRRRIng: first, each hand is significantly slower than what you would come to expect for a typical shedding card game. Unlike the traditional trick that consists of many cards contributed by all players, there is only one combination to win each round – that of the winning player’s. As a result, a game of RecuRRRing meanders and flows at a much slower pace, to a point that I think a trick-taking enthusiast may find it too slow. To be clear, I do not think every hand is slow, but due to the restrictions of playing only one card to start the trick and the requirement of playing only a combination that is one card larger to beat the previous trick makes RecuRRRing play at a quirky pace that I am not used to at all. I do not think it is bad, just different. Be prepared.

Most people compare RecuRRRing to Abluxxen, but I do not see that at all. Sure, you get to play combinations to “steal” the trick, but really, the context in which you would do so is entirely different and more restrictive in RecuRRRing. For one thing, in Abluxxen, you will always be able to play any set of cards regardless of what the previous player has played. Not so in RecuRRRing. Even if you have amassed a set of eight cards of 8s’ in your hand, you must still obey the card play limit requirements and either pass or tear apart the set of 8 cards into smaller units to play. You cannot plunk down the entire 8 cards to win the game. In a way, RecuRRRing reminds me of SCOUT in terms of evolution of the round that is played on the table: there is only one active combination on the table at any point in time, and that combination will continue to grow in rank and size until everyone passes on the table and the winner scoops it up for points. Of course, there is no scouting option in RecuRRRing.

In summary

What makes it puzzling for me is that after playing half a dozen hands, I am still not clear how to play well. At all. Much of the game I believe is in figuring out when to pick up the weaker combination on the table versus passing and sitting out for the round. The traditional understanding of what qualifies as a strong combination at hand is really challenged in RecuRRRing because a larger set with more cards is not always necessarily the strongest due to the limits of playing card combinations. Even though it feels that having a larger set of similar cards is still preferable in RecuRRRing, that is not always true as much of what you can play is determined by the strength or number of cards from the previous play – something that maybe out of your control. Of course, in playing your combination, one must also constantly pick up more cards from the table which alters the composition of the hand. One thing is clear – do not get too enamored with your starting hand of cards because it will quickly shift.

Another aspect of the game we have not explored is the distribution of cards and how they impact the decision space. The rules explicitly state that tricks won by any player must be displayed face-up so all players can gauge which cards are still available and in what quantities. I imagine this is important for set collection and understanding how many cards are available when picking up the losing combination on the table. Likely, players who can integrate this information will have an advantage. Something we have completely ignored in our initial plays.

Once again, I am faced with the same dilemma when playing a game designed by team SAIEN: is it a good game? I end up with the same answer of “I think so”. I say that after having the experience of playing the 2-player Khmer (later reimplemented as Elements) and Dazzle. All three games are brain burners to the extent that I end up having the same post-game experience of not knowing how to play consistently to win. Normally, that is not a great attribute in a game where you can win but not knowing how you arrived at the victory. This has happened to me for games that are either too chaotic and too random for the length of play. The feeling I get while playing SAIEN games is not the same partly because these are such simple designs and I have always felt that I am close to understanding the game, but never really reaching a point where I am comfortable for saying so. That is true for Khmer especially after a lot of plays and certainly true for RecuRRRing up to this point. It leaves me with this feeling of “if only I can play a few more games, or rounds, or tricks, I am sure I can figure this out”. That is perhaps the calling card for SAIEN games that I have played thus far and come to appreciate. If anything, I just want to play it again to try and figure it out.

For some reason unknown to me, most of the games from SAIEN are so underrated and so under the radar that I bet most hobby gamers have never heard of a single game from this design team. Even with the reprints in Western markets, the reception has been really muted. They are other games in their collection I want to try, but they are hard to find in any marketplace. The designers deserve more hype and publicity if only to expose gamers to an entirely fresh take on game design. Recently, team SAIEN outputs have dropped off, with their most recent game, Waltzing Cats coming out 6 years ago in 2018. I hope they continue to publish new designs for wider distribution. To be honest, I cannot conclude if the games from SAIEN – RecuRRRing included – are considered great. Most of their games feature partial information available to players, but the opaque strategies make it hard to synthesize which information is actionable and how to assemble a winning approach for each game. However, what is true, at least for me, is that it pulling me back to the table, asking me to go figure it all out. In this day and age of trendy, disposable games that flood the market, that is a good sign, right?

Initial impression: Good