This game has great depth, simple rules, player interaction and trash talking. 24 cards from a 33 card deck are flipped over one at a time. You can pass a card by playing a chip, but what cards should you pass up? Cards in sequence count only the lowest card, so a high card may not bother you, but will but another person out of the game. You are constantly making nail biting choices. A brilliant game.

I just wrote a review for Fluxx which was pretty scathing. Here is the game that Fluxx should want to be. It is 10 times more simple than Fluxx, and there is 10 times more control over your fate. The games are also very short. I like that. People who are having a good time will play again but the few (if any) who are tired of playing get a chance to duck out and do something else (watch the game on TV).

In this game, you are bidding to not take cards because cards are worth negative points. You bid by putting 1 chip on the card, then the player to your left must either put a chip on the card, or take the card and all of the chips on it. If you have run out of chips, then you must take the card. So chips are good and cards are (usually) bad.

When scoring in the end, you only get points for 1 of the cards in a run so having card number 20, 21, and 23 is not any worse than having only the card number 20. This means some of the players won't mind taking specific cards that would be a lot of points for other players. In that case, they are trying to figure out if they should take the card and the current chips on it, or whether they can wait another round and get more chips.

So that's the entire game. Simple and brilliant!

No Thanks! is the English version of Geschenkt. The game contains cards numbered 3-35, and 9 of the cards (unknown to all players) are removed prior to play. Each person also gets a certain number of chips, worth -1 point each at the end of the game. The lowest score wins, so chips are good. A card from the top of the deck is turned over, and the first player decides if he wants to take it. If he passes, he must place one of his chips next to the card. The next person then decides whether to take the card or pass, & this continues around & around the table until someone takes the card. Of course, when the card has a pile of chips next to it, it becomes more tempting for each player to take the card because they also receive all of the deposited chips near it. When you take a card, it counts as the face value of the card at the end of the game. However, if you have a sequence of at least 3 consecutive numbers (like 19, 20, 21), you only get points for the lowest card in the sequence (19), instead of 60 (19+20+21). You keep your chips hidden, but cards you took are public.

No Thanks! is fun & quick, and it's easy to teach & learn. The game is fun because you're always wondering: Should I take this card at all? If I want it, should I wait for others to maybe place more chips near it before taking it? Should I take another card hoping that I can make a sequence, or was the card I need removed from the game, or will someone try to ruin my sequence by taking another card I want? Will I run out of chips & be forced to take an unwanted card? Yes, there is luck involved, but there's enough strategy to make this game an ideal filler!