Scary Tales

Eric Jensen mentions in many of his works the importance of keeping the brain activity going for all, especially children. In that light, we play games a minimum of once a week that force the children to do some critical thinking. The game of the week this week was Scary Tales. Only two can play at a time unless you buy more sets. Since we have anywhere from 3-6 in the house wanting to play at a time, we bought all three sets. The game pits two fairy tale characters against each other in an attempt to gain as many relics from the tales involved as possible. The person whose relic points total a certain amount first wins.

This game moves very quickly, so quickly, in fact, we changed the rules and played for the highest number of points after the last relic was won. In addition to the strength, wisdom, luck, and magic each player may possess, a fairy can enter the game at any time and give a player an advantage. Dice and Power Cards determine whether or not a player can obtain a relic. Companions, characters from the tales such as the dwarves for Snow White or the cricket for Pinocchio, can also aid a character.

What made this game interesting was not only the fairy tale connections woven throughout the deck but also the thinking process required in each turn. Players must constantly evauate how to make a move, why relics require certain attributes more than others, and what kind of strategy will serve best long-term. Some cards can only be used once, so thinking about the best time to use an advantage requires reasoning. If this all sounds complicated, don't be fooled. The nine year old in the house had us all beat the first time out. We enjoyed this game a lot, and because it does not take long to play, I think it will make the rotation of favorites.