Wizards of the Coast Guillotine

Pros- Easy to learn and teach.- Fast to setup and play (less than 30 minutes).- Small table space is enough to play.- Replayable because of the variety in the order of point cards (nobles) as well as action cards that appear from game to game. Some point cards even have effects does affecting the gameplay. Action cards also changes the game in a way thus making each game unique.- Not multiplayer solitaire. Since there is an ordered line of cards which will be get by each player on their turn, all players want the best card from the same line of cards, creating a competition on that by playing action cards that could change that line on their turn. Most action cards also affects other players directly in other ways.- Very fun to play! The effects of the action cards are very fun to plan around and execute. Getting a point card (noble) is exciting as you collect sets of cards that you need to score more.Neutral- Especially nowadays in the connected world, and a softer world, where everyone has a negative comment, the theme might be seen as a negative. I don't mind it because during the game, while it is thematic, it doesn't feel like you're "killing" someone, it just feels like you're "collecting" a card. This is because of the simplicity of the game which makes it feel very light.- No tiebreaker. On my first game as a 2-player game, we both scored 45 points! I don't mind it, I actually prefer no tiebreaker in games because if both of you scored the same number of points, then no one can actually brag about it as it's the same number of points regardless of what tiebreaker rules are there :)Cons- In my collection, including those that I already sold, I had a total of around 67 board game boxes. Want to know what's the most useless one? This Guillotine's box! To emphasize, the art is good, the box itself looks nice, but it's useless. It isn't the usual "open the lid" type of box but rather like the cereal boxes. For you to insert the cards, you have to trust gravity to not scatter them upon landing at the bottom of the box. That isn't even the worst part! If you sleeved your cards, then just burn the box because it wouldn't fit any (since there is also the cardboard for the executioner inside the box). I just put my cards separately in a paper bag.- The additional executioner cardboard could have been just the box itself! If you already saw how Tiny Epic games do it, they maximize the usage of even the boxes themselves. I don't mind additional components if there is enough space in the box, but if the box itself is already trash, then that is where I have a problem. They could have even just designed an insert that also converts to the executioner, instead of a totally separate executioner in a useless thin box.

My friends and I enjoy quick, low investment games like Monopoly Deal, standard deck card games, etc, so when we were shown this game from another friend, we were skeptical, but after a single game, we were hooked. The rules are extremely easy to learn, and the game pacing and length are perfect.I did notice one weakness in the game, but not enough to dock points from my rating, which is that some of the cards have rules that are not fully explained so there are gaps in interpretation. For example, there are cards that require you to swap cards, but does not explain what to do if the other player does not have a card to swap. Can the card not be played at all? Does the player without a card not have to swap? These are few and far between and require the right circumstances, but it was surprising to see the Wizards of the Coast overlook the possibility of these situations.Other than that, I still recommend the game as it is a blast!

A good history tool. and a reminder on what justice was like.

This is a fun, very easy to learn, portable and quickly played game that still manages to have a bit of strategy involved. It requires only about 2-3' of narrow playing area and apart from the cardboard Guillotine, the whole game boils down to a stack of cards about the size of two standard playing card decks.Explaining the rules will take two minutes, tops, and kids as young as 7 can grasp the concepts. It also teaches counting.Basically, play proceeds in 3 rounds which represent 1 day. On each day you line up 12 nobles to be Guillotined, each of worth is worth a certain number of points ranging from -3 to +5. You are forced to take the noble at the front of the line, but you are given action cards you can play first which allow you to manipulate the line to some extent, taking the better nobles and leaving the worse for your opponent. Action cards can also do things like give you bonuses for certain noble types, force people to give up/exchange action cards and nobles, give opponents penalties to their score, etc.At the end of the 3 days, the player with the most points wins.Among other things, strategy is involved when:*You have to decide whether denying a great noble for your opponent is more important than gaining a good noble for you*Certain nobles increase in points when paired, tripled, or quadupled*Do you manipulate the line NOW, or wait until later for greater benefit*You have to decide is more likely to beat you and work to wreck their noble acquisitionFor example, Grey nobles are worth negative points, and you always try to avoid them and force opponents to take them. However, there is an action card, when played, which turns all your grey nobles into +1 cards. If held until the right time, other players may ignore you until you suddenly play it an jump forward in points.Granted, the game is not all strategy; there is a certain amount of luck. A game can turn on a particular card play, but even then one has to decide when the best time is to play that card; if you wait to long you can lose it OR the situation can change, making it worth less or even worthless!This is a really fun, simple game which is more than worth the price.

This is a great game, very few rules to learn, very little set up, and great fun.Highly recommended.I brought it to a family gathering and had to give some as gifts for Christmas because they wanted to keep mine.