Punchbowl - Kickstarter deluxe

The Story

Nobody remembers exactly when the fruit started growing to absurd sizes, but one thing is certain: it makes the best punch in the world. Pick a side – Orange, Lemon, Grape or Strawberry – and take charge of your own crowd of party-goers. Three huge bowls stand in the centre of the table. Get your most valuable fruit into a bowl before it is poured, and most of it ends up in your cup.

Game Mechanics

All players begin with identical 12-card decks, which quickly grow apart as the game goes on.

• Draw three cards each round: play one, set one aside for later and discard one permanently.
• Cards put your fruit into your part of each bowl, pull out opponents' fruit or swap pieces with the orchard.
• A gold ring marks each bowl's special ingredient, which counts double – and cards can move the ring.
• A die adds a ladle to a bowl each round; a bowl that already has one is served to the player leading it.

Because the die decides which bowl pours next, you need to keep the lead wherever you can. At the end, each fruit and ice cube in your cup is worth 1 point and each seltzer 2, while anything left unused in your supply costs points. The game ends when a player has no fruit left or the decks can no longer provide three cards, and the highest score wins. A solo mode lets you take on the spirits of the punch on your own.

What Makes It Special

Instead of building a deck, you slowly take one apart. Losing a card every round forces hard choices, and by the last round your deck reflects every decision you made, so no two players finish with the same cards. The components live up to the theme: acrylic fruit gems, ice cubes, clear punch cups and watercolour illustrations by Kevin Ruelle. The game won Best in Show at the Boston Festival of Indie Games and comes from Runaway Parade, the publisher of Fire Tower.

What's in the Box

• 3 punch bowl boards and 1 orchard board
• 4 player supply boards
• 4 acrylic punch cups
• 60 Action cards, 18 recipe cards and 16 spirit cards
• 68 fruit gems, 20 ice cubes and 4 seltzers
• 3 ladles and 6 metal rings
• 1 metal serving die
• 1 wooden lime wedge first-player marker
• 1 rulebook

Click the image below to see the original crowdfunding campaign: