Don't Lose Your Head (Guillotine)

The French Revolution was a huge, life-changing event for the people of Paris, and beyond.  In fact, it became such a significant event, that it has been a part of some famous works.  A Tale of Two Cities, The Scarlet Pimpernel, and all the way down to Assassins Creed!  Though not Les Miserable, wrong century.  Still, with movies, books, and even video games using the F.R. as a theme, it was only a matter of time that the Guillotine would drop, and a tabletop game would get the treatment.



GAME DESCRIPTION: Guillotine is a card game for 2-5 players, and was originally published by Wizards of the Coast.  Taking place during the French Revolution, players slowly kill off French nobles and others.

SET-UP: Shuffle and deal 5 Action cards.to each player, then shuffle and lay out 12 of the Noble cards in a line.  The far right one is considered the first, or front of the line.  Finally, randomly decide the first player.

EXECUTION:  Each turn consists of 3 phases.  First, the turn player may play 1 action card, or skip this step.  Action cards can alter the Noble line order, increase points, or even end the day.  Then, the player collects the Noble card at the front of the line.   Finally, if an action card was played, the player draws up to 5 cards to end their turn.



WINNING:  Once the day ends, by either killing all the Nobles in the line or by playing an Action like the Scarlet Pimpernel, players put all their dead Nobles off together, draw back up to 5 cards, and deal 12 new Nobles.  The game ends after 3 rounds, and players tally up their score.  The winner is the one who scored the most.

CONCLUSION:  Guillotine is a simple game to understand how to play, but surprisingly deep in its mechanics.  It's a fun game you can pull out and just get into with most people.  However, it can take up a decent amount of room, if the Action cards go that way.  That being said, it's a fine game with a strong theme for its mechanics, and a fairly straightforward play.