Cabanga!

• Designer: Michael Modler
• Publisher: Amigo
• Players:3-6
• Age: 8+
• Time: 20 minutes
• Played with review copy provided by publisher

In Cabanga!, players try to get rid of their hand of cards as quickly as possible — but ideally without picking up penalties along the way. After the row cards and starting cards in all four colors have been placed in the middle of the table and players each have a hand of eight cards, the round begins. Players then take turns placing one card next to the matching row card in the middle, ideally with as small a difference as possible because the larger the number gap, the greater the chance that the other players will call out “Cabanga!” and throw cards with the values between the two number cards to the active player. These thrown-in cards are placed on the discard pile, then the active player must draw the same number of cards from the penalty pile. When a player has no more cards in hand, the round ends and all players count the points on their cards. As soon as a player has collected 18 points, the game ends and the player with the fewest points wins!

To start the game, the 4 row cards are placed on the table, and then the 8 grey starting cards are shuffled and one is placed to the left and right of each of the 4 row cards.  The deck of 72 number cards (1-18 in each of the four colors) is shuffled and each player is dealt a hand of 8 cards.  The undealt part of the deck is placed facedown on the table as the penalty stack.  A starting player is determined, and play will go clockwise from this player.

On a player’s turn, you place a card from your hand onto the row that matches the color, but if you play the same color as the player before you, you must take a card from the penalty pile.  As you play, all players look at the card you played, and IF they have a card which is in the gap between your card and the card it was played on, they shout out Cabanga!  They throw those cards at you which you then put in a discard pile, and you draw one card from the penalty pile for each thrown at you.

The next player then goes, following the same pattern.  The round continues until a turn is finished and someone has no cards left in hard – this can result from either playing to the table (and no one yelling Cabanga!) or from passing the final card in their hand to someone else.  At this point, all players look at the cards left in their hand and scores minus 1 to 3 points per card (icons on the card show the value).  Mark the score down on paper.

The game ends when a player has 18 or more negative points. The least negative person is the winner.  There is no tiebreaker.

My thoughts on the game

So far, I’ve only played this with 4 or 5 players, and at that player count, it’s been a blast!  Admittedly, there isn’t really a lot of earth-shattering strategy here – try to play a card that is close in value to the card on the other side and hope for the best!  However, there have been so many laugh-out-loud moments when players think they are safe, and then get multiple Cabangas from other players who were just waiting for the right opportunity!

Sure, good memory skills may help near the end of the hand; if you can remember which cards have already been played, a large gap between cards may not be overly dangerous if most of the intervening cards have already been played…

As you play multiple hands, sometimes the game is more about managing your hand than trying to go out.  If you get one of the cards at the extreme end (a 1 or an 18), they can be difficult to play, or they put you at high risk of multiple Cabangas… On the other hand, they are only worth one negative point, so you might simply try to hold onto the card, wait for someone else to go out and just take a small penalty for it.

But, who am I kidding… Cabanga isn’t the sort of game that wants that much planning – it wants you to wait for the right opportunity, play the card, cross your fingers/say a prayer, and then rejoice when you make it or watch everyone bust into hysterics as the Cabangas come out.  

I have loved the game so far mostly for the laughter and fun it has produced.  I probably couldn’t tell you who actually won the game, but I do remember all the fun.  For me, that’s the sign of a great game.  It’s easy to teach and fun to play, and I suspect it will be in my pocket at all of my holiday gatherings this season.

Thoughts from other Opinionated Gamers

Jonathan: (one play) play with people who like flinging cards at each other and can tap their inner schadenfreude.

Joe Huber (six plays): I have never played Cabanga with three, having been warned off that count before trying it.  But with four, five, or six players, it’s a blast.  I also believe there’s more strategy to the game than Dale suggests above.  And I have twice had the chance to make a play leaving a range at 1 to 18 _without_ enduring a Cabanga, which is great fun.

Mark Jackson (one play): I initially described this as “6 Nimmt-ish” – which isn’t wrong, but it doesn’t do an adequate job of explaining why this silly game is so much fun. Players are attempting to clear their hands – but when they leave a numerical gap between the card they play and the other card of that color on the table, the other players can call “Cabanga!”, discard the cards between the numbers, and force them to draw penalty cards. Lots of laughter ensued. Highly recommended.

Dan B. (four plays): It’s a fine last game of the night (especially at a con), or to play while waiting for the pizza to arrive. At other times I would generally prefer to play something else, hence my “neutral” rating. (I agree that it feels something like 6 Nimmt, but I prefer that game.)

Tery (three plays): I have to admit that when the rules were being explained that I was dreading actually playing it, because it sounded terrible. I also have to admit that I was totally wrong; this is a fun game and would be a great start or end to a game night. There is some strategy involved, and it is more fun than it should be to yell Cabanga and toss or discard a card.

Ratings from the Opinionated Gamers

• I love it! Dale Y, Joe H., Mark Jackson
• I like it.  John P, Jonathan F., Eric M, Jim B
• Neutral. Dan B., Steph H
• Not for me…