When I got ahold of RPS 27, I was rather excited.
It is published by the Canadian firm CSE Games which also produced NHL Ice Breaker: The Card Hockey Board Game, which I still rate as one of the quickest, yet fun, hockey board games (cards really) out there. So I was hoping their new offering was equally as solid.
To be honest, it is not easy to compare the two games.
RPS 27 is rated for ages six and up, but is clearly geared to the pre-teen game player.
The RPS stands for rock-paper-scissors mechanic employed in what they term a Jigsaw Battle.
Players each start out with a central piece to a nine piece jigsaw. In this edition the centrepiece has the Hockey Canada logo, with the other pieces of RPS 27 featuring classic Team Canada hockey jerseys from 1920 to 2010. A nice element, but one I am not sure won't be lost on the younger target market. Vintage jerseys hold nostalgia for those who recall them. Young game players won't have that connection.
The remaining jigsaw pieces go into a common face-down pile which each player then draws a hand of three from.
The pieces have the aforementioned jerseys on them, as well as a symbol representing rock-paper-scissors.
The players 'slam' pieces down simultaneously, with the winner in the RPS confrontation getting both pieces which they can use to fill in their puzzle. If a tie occurs, you repeat, with the winner getting a bigger pile of cards.
The 'slam' mechanic had me recalling Pogs which my son dabbled in a bit in his younger years.
Since the pieces have puzzle tabs, excessive 'slamming', which exuberant kids are apt to do, may cause the tabs to get bent rather easily.
In a single game box here are only 16 pieces, not counting the centre anchors, so I also think older players are going to do the math pretty quickly. As puzzles fill in, and from the cards in your hand you'll get to know there are simply no rocks left to beat your scissors.
The game is two-player out of the box, but can go three-way by adding in other pieces.
Kids are likely to get a short-term blast out of the game, but interest may wane quickly.
That said, spice it up with a second edition so you can slam down a Sydney Crosby versus an Alexander Ovechkin, and the fun would get a boost.
A solid kids game which still gets them playing something other than a video game, which is always good.
If anyone is interested in this game, or other boardgames feel free to contact calmardan@sasktel.net
Past reviews are collected online at calsboardgamemusings.blogspot.com
