If you have a spicy personality, chances are that others won’t be able to handle your temperature and temperament in the long run. Well, don’t let this bother you: some people even find mayonnaise to be spicy… To win the hot bluffing game Spicy, you have to have to pack some heat. So the age-old adage applies to this game: don’t act like a tiger if you’re a pussy(cat). Are you of a sweeter disposition? In that case, Sweet & Spicy may offer the solution. This (child) friendly edition of Spicy has sweet cat pictures and a little twist to keep your head cool.
Background
Ready to have a cat fight with your fellow tigers? Go have a spicy eating contest! At least that was the story behind the awesome card game Spicy. Century-old divine tigers decided to put aside their violent habits and instead measure their strength on the Scoville scale. These tigers offered each other chili, peppers and wasabi (cards) and bluffed about the heat of the eat.
In Sweet and Spicy, the tigers were replaced by house tigers (aka kitties). These sweet cats were hungry, but instead of kibble or tasty pieces of meat or fish, they found chilis, pepper and lemons. Not the tastiest meal for a cat. Like the tigers from Spicy, the cats from Sweet & Spicy offer each other cards, but may lie about the value of the card or the spice pictured. Just as spicy as its predecessor, but this time players have the option of adding a card they can always play with. Get the buckets of milk and fire extinguishers ready and bluff your way through this spirited card game, the next hot thing.
Gameplay
Each turn, a player plays one of the cards from their hand. Normal cards contain a number (from 1 to 10) and a seasoning (chili, pepper or lemon). Also, there are wild cards in the game that count as any number or seasoning. Each player also receives a wild card at the beginning of the game that counts as any number and any spice. This wild is printed double-sided, though, so other players can see that you still have this card in your hand. If you omit this card, Sweet & Spicy’s cards also allow you to mimic the “classic” Spicy.
When a player plays a card, they must indicate the number of the card and the flavoring depicted. A player must indicate a higher number but the same flavoring as the previous player who played a card on the table.
The card a player plays does not have to match what the player says: in fact, players may lie and bluff. Players can challenge each other by stating that the named number or named spice is incorrect. Is the challenger correct? Then that player gets the pile of cards as points. Otherwise, the challenged player gets those points. If you clear all the cards from your hand, you get a trophy. Does a player have two trophies? Then that player wins! Otherwise, the player with the most points wins once the “end” of the draw pile is reached (indicated by a card pushed into the draw pile at the beginning of the game) or there are not more trophies to hand out.
Conclusion
Bluffing in Spicy has been and continues to be quite spicy, and it is no different in Sweet & Spicy. The new cards make it a little easier for younger players, but don’t throw the game off. You can leave them out, but it gives an extra friendly way out to play a card without players immediately realizing you’re bluffing around. In the heat of the moment, you quickly misjudge and unfairly challenge another player. This delightfully short bluff game with great and cute artwork is in good taste!
