Ken from Michigan
United States
Howell
Michigan
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We just received and played pick picknic a number of times this week. It was one of my 6 year old daughter's birthday presents.
Packaging: Very sturdy and extremely compact. This is the type of game you could bring with you almost anywhere, even backpacking with the family. Very light weight.
Components: It's pretty standard--cubes, mini playing cards and 6 sturdy boards that will last a lifetime of plays. The art is perfectly suitable and fun. Oh, and 1 die.
Basic idea: You put corn (green-1pt, blue 2-pts, yellow-3pts) into 6 different yards. Each round a new batch of six pieces of corn are randomly assigned to each yard. Each yard features a different type of bird represented by a different color. Each person gets a number of cards to choose from. Most of the cards are numbered, colored birds. If you put down that bird, simultaneously, and nobody else puts it down, you get all the corn on that board/yard. If there is a fox there, he eats any birds that show up. That's the basic idea. If 2 or more of the same birds show up, they have a dice battle to see who gets the corn.
Age Range: This is a family game and that includes the whole family down to about 4 years old (with help). Get one of those card holders for kids if they have trouble holding cards. Those things were perfectly. They will need help with the final scoring. My 6 year old can pretty much do it herself though. My wife and I, 35 and 38, also enjoy it and would play it with adults friends if given the right group and time.
2-player: It was okay. Nothing that my wife would pull out and play together, but my daughter and I would probably do a game or two without mom.
3-player: Much better than two. There are some modified rules, but it plays well.
4-6 player: This is where the game shines, but still, with 3 it was decent. Don't let it deter you from buying if you play more frequently with 2 or 3.
Rules: The rules are very clear and all variables are described. We read through them once and played.
Anaylysis Paralysis: Ha ha... Almost none at all. Though my daughter will take a moment to think through the cards in her hand. I actually feeling like she is learning things while we play.
Time to play: The game is over at just about the perfect amount of time for some 6 year olds. It lasts about 15 minutes and there is practically no down-time. All moves are made at the same time.
Luck: Yes, there is luck involved. You cannot win without the right set of cards throughout the game. I lost terribly and I promise, my strategy was not weak. There's a lot of second-guessing about who will take the corn and when to put the fox down.
Fun: The main thing is, does it work? Yes! Is it fun? Yes! My daughter loves this game and laughs hysterically, especially when she can eat her mom and dad's birds. She also enjoys the simple idea that she is eating "corn." I never thought about it, but kids tend to love corn and she even said, "Oh, they picked the best color, yellow, for the best corn. I don't think green corn would be good, so they only gave it 1 point."
This is a must-have game in any collection. Great for family game nights, larger family gatherings, a quick round before bed-time or even with a get-together with a couple friends.
Overall rating: 8/10
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Gerald McDaniel
United States
Lakewood
Colorado
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Nice review. Our grandchildren really enjoyed this game and learned some math from it (figuring their scores), when they were very young. Even the adults in the family have enjoyed playing a session of it now and then, for a change of venue. It is ideal for children who are not yet reading, but can count.
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Roger Lai
Australia
Churchlands
WA
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Thanks for the review, I'll have to add this to Gulo Gulo!
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Nathan Clark
New Zealand
PORIRUA
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Thanks for your review. I agree with your conclusion. I played this game with 3 kids and 2 adults and really enjoyed it. The game is simple to learn and easy to play, but still has some strategy to it - which I like. Most of all, however, Pick Picknic is fun to play. It is on my "to buy" list.
Cheers,
Nathan
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