Designer: Ian Smith, Felise Demchy, Sam Haines, Gareth Smith
Artists: Kevin Stark, Daniel Manthe
Publisher: Numpty Games
Year Published: 2020
No. of Players: 2-5 Players
Ages: 16+
Playing Time: 10-60 minutes
Find Out More On BGG HERE or click on the link below to go to their website
Review:
Numpty is defined as a stupid or ineffectual person. You might not know it but you can find many of these people in the office. These numptys can further be classified into smaller groups. You have the jellyfish (the spineless coworker that just drifts around), the moaner (the one that swears everyone is conspiring against them and nothing matters), the hero (the one that comes to help with a problem then slowly takes the credit for the solution), the useless old person (the one that doesn’t get anything done but says they have been working for 30 years and knows everything about the job) and of course our favorite the know-it-all (Fact: bears eat beets). Numpty the game simulates office life as you try to rise through the ranks and try to take the top spot in the company.
A 2-5 player card game that relies on your own luck and your opponent’s lack. Climb to the top of the tower only to have corporate restructuring and have it all go down the drain. Defend your position while pushing your opponents down. A quick game depending on your group that shows who is the numptiest of all.
Created as a coping mechanism for the seriousness of work life. Numpty is meant to get you laughing about those stressful and unrewarding moments.
Setup:
First, shuffle the deck and deal out 7 cards to each player. Place the rest face down on the table. The dealer then can pick the first player (the creator suggests the oldest as they have more years experience at being a numpty). For a 2-3 player game 5 Senior management cards should be removed as well as 3 Middle Management cards.
Gameplay:
A typical turn starts by allowing a player to propose action. This can be a promotion (playing three cards of a management level and raising themselves up a level), playing a card, playing two of the same cards to draw one from the deck, or playing any three management cards to draw one from the bin. A player can do as many proposals as they want on a turn but can only propose one promotion per turn. To end their turn the player draws a card and play is passed to the next person. A player wins when they have all management levels intact and survive a full round of play. During this round, swap cards cannot be played.
Theme and Mechanics:
While not working the typical office jobs, many of the jokes and references make sense to us. Events like getting thrown under the bus are something everyone can relate too. The game works pretty well from what we played. The rules are still subject to change as it is a Kickstarter. Everything worked fine and everything seemed fair.
Artwork and Components:
As we have a reviewer’s copy, our cards and artwork might be different from the final version. However from what we have seen everything looks great. The cartoony art style reminds us of political cartoons and fits well with the theme. The cards are easy to shuffle and play. The game’s final produced cards will be from Ludocards, an eco-friendly producer.
The Good:
Easy to pick up and play
On theme ( we learned some new office slang)
Has good game mechanics
Great for team building in an office
The Other:
The Impulse cards could be differentiated from other action cards better (maybe in a different color to draw more attention to them)
*many of our other notes were addressed in rule changes as the game has progressed. We were sent some updates.
Not ideal for 2 players
Final Thoughts:
Our experience with Numpty was a fun one. We played a few rounds and enjoyed the latter ones. In the beginning, we figured out what the cards did and how to win. We noted some concerns with the gameplay but after seeing the rule updates the gameplay improved immensely. As fans of NBC’s The Office and Channel 4’s The IT Crowd, we found the characters relatable and entertaining. With a good group of friends, this game can become hilarious. We are looking forward to seeing how the game mechanics update as well as any new cards that may be released. Whether the game sounds interesting to you or not we feel this publisher is one to watch. Their social and environmental awareness is amazing and we can’t wait to see what they do next.
Players who like:
Chaotic gameplay
Card Playing
Interactivity
Unstable Unicorns
Two Spartans 