When it comes to card games few are any more popular than
rummy.
As a two-player option gin rummy -- created in 1909 -- in
particular is a great way to wile away more than a few hours on rainy summer
days, or cold winter evenings.
Rummy, probably because of it familiarity, and the easily
adaptable mechanic of creating melds, has become the root game behind a number
of variants.
As is often the case the variants, because they are building on
an already well-understood and very workable system, become better than the
root game.
As good as gin rummy may be, there are a few variants out, most
emerging in the last decade which are actually deeper games, without getting so
bogged down in complexity that the game loses its appeal especially for the
more casual card player.
Among the recent developments is Little Bighorn Rummy, a 2012
release by designer John Longstreet.
As you might think from the name the game is themed around the
battle between Col. George Custer and Chief Sitting Bull, one of the most
fabled conflicts of the American west.
On June 26th
1876 Lt. Col. George A. Custer drove his seven companies of the U.S. 7th
Cavalry into the valley of the Little Bighorn River where he met a vast
gathering of Native American nations not willing to back down. Custer's fate
and place in history was sealed as he and 255 of his men were killed at the
Little Bighorn.
It is the
battle which is the backdrop for Little Bighorn Rummy.
Longstreet
said working on a historic theme was a natural.
"Being
a History teacher and having my concentration in 19th century American History
I've always loved the American West," he offered.
"I've
read and studied Native American and Military History for 40-plus years.
Little Bighorn was the apex of much of both of these two cultures.
"When I
decided to tackle the subject I had already played a few board games that you
could classify a typical 'war games'. You know, hex and counter, move and
attack. I didn't want to repeat this. "What always impressed me about the
conflict was the hectic nature of the event. Many of the Indian accounts,
Sitting Bull included, mention that they did not believe that they were going
to win and up until the final moments of the battle they felt the battle was
possibly lost.
"I
began to search for some kind of mechanic that would allow me to play both
sides at the same time, if that makes any sense."
So
Longstreet went looking for what could portray the event in game format to his
liking.
"Searching
my own game database I remembered Mike Fitzgerald's Jack the Ripper Mystery
Rummy. It let you play all of the suspects of the crime," he
said. "So I began to look at a rummy-style game.
"The
only drawback was I knew that 'rummy games' had gained that 'dime-a-dozen'
aspect as so many have been created. I had to try to add new concepts or enough
history themes to make it work."
Longstreet
said he started with the cast-of-characters, Braves, Companies, Chiefs, Custer,
and Sitting Bull. "What to do with them?" he asked.
"The
first thing I decided was to use Custer as a 'bad' guy. He did die didn't he? I
used a little 'Hearts' here and made him count as a negative
number.
"I
started with Companies: a commander worth three-points, a guidon flag
two-points, and five troopers one point each for a 10 point company. I
tried to do the same for Indians and chiefs"
Not all went
smoothly, admitted Longstreet.
"Early
play-testing with my wife was blah, so I went to another idea that was brewing.
The separating Chiefs from Indians and adding the Coup Stick options to steal
points," he said. "This changed play drastically. A move I was
looking for to help build a mechanic that added spice to the game that would
change strategy and play. Next I wanted to find a way to deal with the negative
Custer card.
"I
added the Staff card for a little revisionist history. The staff cards
could be melded alone or could be used to add to Custer to help escape him and
escape the negative point.
"But
was that fair?
"Well
Sitting Bull was Custer's foil, logic said develop a card that would stop Custer
from escaping. Easy, days before the battle, Sitting Bull went into a trance
at the Sundance ceremony and foresaw the Battle. A sundance card
played on Sitting Bull prevents Custer's escape if not yet accomplished.
Now other cards were developed with historical meaning -- scout cards,
villages, and special cards to lend more advantages to build points."
The backs of the cards have a historic photo of both leaders and
it makes for a dramatic looking card back.
Actually the art of this card game is pretty amazing. Card
fronts include historic photographs including personas such as Major Marcus
Rena, Captain Miles Keogh, Chief Spotted Eagle and Chief Dull Knife.
Other cards rely on artwork, much of it primitive in nature, but
equally historic. As an example the 'Chief's Coup Stick" is artwork from a
native American participant in the Sioux War in 1876.
As a variant Little Bighorn Rummy is about set collection, or
melds. In this case players collect melds of both Native America and U.S.
Cavalry.
Where the game adds from the root game is in the addition of
special support cards which impact play. It maybe a situation of being able to
play a single card to the table (rather than needing an initial meld of three
cards), or the special card might allow actions such as going through the
discard pile in search of a card you need.
It is the special cards, and the actions they allow which give
Little Bighorn Rummy its uniqueness.
Now in broad terms this game does not offer anything radically
new, but what it does offer is satisfying just the same.
I will suggest rummy fans are going to like this one quickly,
but the great art and historic western theme should bring new players to the
table to try it.
I loved the art at first look, and the special cards add enough
to make it different enough from gin rummy to make you want to play it again.
Longstreet admitted the art is a definite draw.
"What will attract players -- first I have to admit Matt's
(Art Designer Matt Hulgan) fantastic
artwork is a plus," he said.
"But I hope that the historic appeal and quirky game play
will bring people to the game and keep them playing it. To be honest,
some hands run very plain and simple, but when chiefs and sticks come into play
and point are stolen, Custer shows up and you don't want to lay down you staff
meld because your opponent might steal them to put on that Custer card, or you
can't 'sluff' off Coup cards, etc., hands can get tense trying to go out before
your opponent racks up points.
"To me that's a sign that there is strategy and mechanics
in a game."
Little Bighorn Rummy is easily in my top-10 variants on the
game, and likely breaks the top-five, and there are many out there.
Check it out at www.ftfairfieldgames.com
If anyone is interested in this game, or other boardgames feel
free to contact calmardan@sasktel.net
--Appeared in Yorkton This Week newspaper Oct 3, 2012
