Win as a Raider or Valkyrie in Light Card Game Ravens

Combat, speed, and a good eye combine in this light card game of speed and luck, which has you taking on the role of a raider or ascending to Valhalla where you can win from beyond the grave.

Published by Joy Hammer Games, Ravens is designed for 2-6 players.

Gameplay

The deck is dealt out to all players as evenly as possible. All players begin the game as raiders. Players cannot look at their cards but hold them in a stack in their hand. Cards can be ruins, ravens, and weapons of different colors.

Raiders take turns drawing the top card of their deck and placing it face-up on the table, next to the last card just played. When a weapon is played, a contest has begun. Different weapons show a different number of notches. The next raider draws cards up to the number of notches on the played weapon card. If he fails to draw a weapon card, then the player whose weapon card defeated him collects all the cards from the center of the table and adds them to the bottom of his deck. However, if the second player does manage to draw a weapon card, it is now the next player’s turn to try and draw a weapon card, and so on.

At any time, if there are three cards in a row of the same color, two cards of the same symbol, two cards of the same symbol separated by only one other card, or an aqua-colored raven, the first player to slap those cards gets to add them to the bottom of their deck.

If you incorrectly slap cards, you must discard two cards to the table. If you cannot discard cards, you become a Valkyrie.

As a Valkyrie, you do not play cards but you can still slap cards. Any cards you correctly slap are removed from the table and go into a discard pile named Valhalla. If you collect a raven this way, it is placed face-up next to Valhalla. If the Valkyrie manage to collect both ravens, they win the game. If they incorrectly slap, they lose a raven or cards from Valhalla. If a raider manages to collect all the cards that are not currently in Valhalla, this player wins the game.

Review

Elements of Ravens will be familiar. It has a lot in common with classic card games you probably played as a child. There’s not really any strategy or choices here: it’s mostly luck and some speed. That can still be fun, though, and Ravens does combine light gameplay with a really nice aesthetic and component quality.

It’s a nice touch that you have a chance to win even after you’ve been eliminated, and you can track which decks the ravens go into if they appear on the table. The fact that one colored raven automatically allows you to slap it helps make the Valkyrie’s job a little easier — although it’s going to be up to chance if the second raven ends up in a position where you can nab it.

The rule book does leave one or two points ambiguous, which for such a light, casual game can be frustrating. They are questions that you can make a pretty good guess about, but you really shouldn’t have to. However, the cards are of very nice quality, and the artwork is lovely and elevates the game.

Ravens is a game that’s best played as an opening to a game night, or when you want something that doesn’t require too much brainpower. It’s laid back and easygoing. It’s a game that won’t be for everyone, but taken for what it is, it can be a fun, speedy little game for a casual setting.

Pros: Great component quality and artwork, alternative win condition for players once they are technically eliminated

Cons: Very high on the luck scale, some points are left ambiguous in the rules

Disclosure: we received a complimentary review copy of this game.