Will you manage to win the most points in seven rounds in 7 Rounds? What’s in a name?
A game designer once told me that if you have simple game concept, it’s best to incorporate the game idea or description of the gameplay in the title. For example, the original German title of LLAMA stands for ‘get rid off all minus points’. The purpose of the game is immediately clear. 7 Rounds also has a very descriptive title. After 7 rounds, the game is over. Whoever has the most points at the end of these 7 rounds wins. Simple? That’s right, but the game has a little twist, as it is not always easy to get or keep the most points. After 7 rounds full of chaos, you mostly hope to be victorious, but you are never sure of this.
The gameplay of 7 Rounds is simple. Each player gets four cards from the central draw pile. The starting player also gets a pile of 7 cards that are used to keep track of the elapsed number of rounds. During your turn, you take a card and play a card. This already makes it quite similar in terms of gameplay to game concepts that even the least experienced players are particularly familiar with.
The cards show how much the cards are worth if they are still in your hand at the end of the game. The 7 in the title of the game refers not only to the number of rounds but also to the card with the highest value in the game: the 7. A player can score a maximum of 28 points at the end of the game, so the goal is clear.
Cards not only have a value but 6 of the 7 cards also have a special action once you play this card. With a 1, you can blindly exchange a card with another player, with a 2 you can perform another turn, with a 3 you can blindly discard two cards from another player’s hand, a 4 does nothing special, if you play a 5, all players who currently have a value of 18 or more in their hand must discard their two highest cards, with a 6 you can protect yourself from the effects of other cards/players (the classic ‘nope’ cards) and by playing the coveted 7, all players must discard their sevens. Players should always have 4 cards in hand, so when cards (must) be discarded, players immediately replenish their hand to four.
7 Rounds is a simple game aimed particularly at players of simpler card games such as the aforementioned Lama, but also Uno, Exploding Kittens and the trio of games where Beavers play a major role. 7 Rounds is sometimes chaotic due to its various effects, as players on the one hand decide which cards to play to influence their hand, but also have little control due to the cards other players play. However, 7 Rounds is not intended for the experienced frequent player looking for strategic play. Luck therefore plays a big role, but the game has a short playing time, so it will certainly appeal to players who are not averse to a bit of luck and are looking for a simple and quick card game that they will easily play several games in a row.
