Tabletop Tuesday - Spot It

Welcome to another edition of Tabletop Tuesday - Your weekly exploration into games of dice, cards, luck and more of the Tabletop world.

This week's game...the game of red balloons and yellow moons that is Spot It.

Players: 1-8
Time: 5-10 minutes per round
Genre: Casual Family Game



Spot It is a very simple matching game in which players try to find matching symbols on these round cards.  Interestingly enough though,  there is always one, and only one, matching symbol between any two cards.  This clever mathematical hook makes every search for a matching symbol frantically fun and furious.  The game includes four variations of play: The Tower in which players try to gather the most cards by grabbing matches from a tower of cards.  The Well in which players try to get rid of their deck of cards by discarding matches into the central well.  Hot Potato in which players hand off matches to other players, trying to get the fewest amount of cards.  And the Poisoned Gift, in which players try to give matches from a tower of cards to other players, while trying to retain the fewest amount of cards also.  The short nature of this game and the variety of play styles makes for a game with often repeated plays desired.

Each card contains one and ONLY one match with each other card.  Math!

The game is cleverly designed so that while you may be looking for matching symbols, the sizes of the symbols can vary adding just enough extra challenge.  But the color palettes are kept simple, so players will begin to use colors as a means to quickly identify and narrow down their choices.  The rhythm developed of searching for these matches is addicting and so satisfying.  While it wasn't designed to be played solo, it can be fun to just run through the deck finding matches, and then seeing how fast you were able to do so.  And for those who enjoy themed games, Spot It is also available in a variety of themes such as sports, Disney, to even hipster symbols.  I recommend this game for those who enjoy short games and have quick reflexes.

If you have any questions about Spot It, be sure to ask in the comments.  Otherwise, look forward to future installments of Tabletop Tuesday!