by richcharters
We played our 1st ever game of Hanabi last night. Me, my wife, and 3 of our 4 kids played a 5P game....my oldest daughter is away college.We scored 15 points before we got the 3rd strike.....and we had just drawn the last card from the deck at that point.
It was a very entertaining game. We were all playing for the first time. I had read through the rules twice. When we started playing the game, my kids didn't know the victory conditions (didn't understand the 5 sets-of-five thing) or even know the 3 things they could do on their turn. So the first round around the table was all about re-explaining how the game worked. It would be someone's turn and they would ask: "What can I do again??"
Also, because we were a bunch of newbies, we had a bit of conversation as we played the game.....I suspect more conversation than the game designer had intended. But we needed to make sure we were all on the same page in regards to some things. Example, once we had all five 1s on the table. I pointed out that someone had two ones in their hand. Then I asked the question: "Do you know what that means?"....and stared at them until they got it. Although it was obvious....it's not so obvious for an 11-year-old kid!
But we had a lot of fun......there was more laughing and bonding in this game than in any game I have played of late.....that what was most valuable to me as a dad. It was a challenge....and all of us contributed to our success (if you can call 15 point success.
)I can see that the most fun part of this game would be learning it. I don't see a ton of replay value once you've 'mastered' the game. But I'm looking forward to the first 15 or 20 plays. I'm afraid that as you play more than that, you will start to employ "rules of thumb", like if someone has three 2s in their hand, the order I reveal them could be the best order to play them, etc.... Stuff that like would take the challenge (and fun) out of the game IMO.
At any rate, we had a great time playing our first game, and I would recommend this game.....especially for families.