YORKTON - If there is one type of game where the options for your game table seem to grow near daily it is the world of ‘filler’ card games.
Frankly, there are so many they have become also what The Meeple Guild sees as disposable games.
By that we mean such games are generally quite affordable -- $25 or less seems a solid benchmark.
So you grab a game, take it home, invite your neighbours over – most play four – and spend the evening chatting over coffee and a new game.
A couple of hours later your entertainment cost per person per hour is so low that if the game was underwhelming you can toss it in a little library in the neighbourhood and be fine with the decision.
Others might be good enough for very occasional play, meaning ideal for the cabin or camper for that once or twice a year rainy day on vacation.
Recently The Meeple Guild cracked the wrapper on MOW, and it is most certainly a filler card game.
This one has been out since 2008, but is new to the roster of games by Canadian distributor Ilo307.com, and is by designer Bruno Cathala.
So the first thing you will notice with MOW is the rather whimsical art depicting cows. It is the highlight of the game actually and the trio of David Boniffacy, Cyril Bouquet, and Sandra Tagliabue are to be commended.
The game comes with a dual pack of cards allowing for up to 10 players, although it doesn’t ‘feel’ like this one would stand up to that crowded a table in terms of fun.
So MOW is a quick learn. You are dealt five numbered cards and on your turn you play ‘a cow to the herd’, basically it must be a card with a higher or lower number than those already on the table. If you can’t play a card you must claim the entire herd.
Now most cards have flies on them, and those are bad. At the end of a round – when the deck runs out – you count the number of flies you have and when someone breaks 100 whoever has the fewest wins.
Giving MOW a bit more than a simple card dropper are a few ‘special’ cows that let you basically break the general rules of the game, for example play on top of card already on the table. They are handy but also have five flies so you don’t want them – unless you can get all of them and score zero. That is hard as opponents are going to thwart that effort if they can.
In fact, you are not required to play a card even if you have one you could play. You can simply take the cards on the table into your herd and start a new one. This tactic doesn’t sit well with everyone as you can really spoil things for other players that way – so beware it can feel nasty at times.
Playing the special cards also impacts the direction of play – a little quirk of the game that is easy to forget but can have impact on who gets stuck with a herd.
Whoever has the most flies in a round gets a random farmer card which have special abilities – toss a herd with no one getting it, look at an opponent’s hand, switch a few cards etc, that again adds to the game. When you play the ‘one use’ farmer card its the most impactful decision you will make in the game – at least with the better farmer cards.
You might try dealing everyone one before a game to see them ‘in play’ a bit more.
It is thanks to the few additions to the basic play that lifts MOW just a bit. Now this is not a great game. There are just too few impactful decisions to be made, but for a few games of mindless card tossing on a rare occasion you could do worse.
