6 nimmt! – A Deceptively Simple Card Game
Many awesome games never make it across the water to the United States, despite being in print for 20 years or more in Germany. Among those classic, well-loved games is the 6 nimmt! series of card games by Amigo Spiel. 6 nimmt! has been winning awards since 1994! So, to help celebrate its 20th anniversary, let me tell you about 6 nimmt!.
In 6 nimmt!, which translates as “6 Takes!”, there are 104 cards numbered 1 to 104. Every card has at least 1 small bullhead on it, which will score against
you, while some cards have several bullheads.
Each player gets 10 cards and 4 are dealt face up onto the table to form the start of 4 rows. In each round, players choose a card from their hand and place it face down in from of them. When everyone is ready, players reveal their cards and place them, in numerical order, on the ends of the rows according to simple rules.
As play progresses the rows get longer. A row with 5 cards in it is considered “full.” If your card would be the 6th, you have to pick up the 5 cards in the row, and your 6th card restarts the row. The cards you pick up do not go in your hand, but sit in front of you to score against you at the end of the round (players begin with 66 points).
The round continues until all cards have been played. Each player then counts the bullheads on the cards he took, losing 1 point for each. Several rounds are played until one player reaches 0. The player with the highest remaining score wins.
The play of 6 nimmt! is fast and deceptively simple. On repeated plays, however, you’ll discover there is some strategy, it’s not just the pure chaos it at first appears. Lots of laughter… and groans always ensue when you play!
Over the years, 6 nimmt! has been honored with many awards.
6 nimmt! Honors
- 1994 Deutscher Spiele Preis Best Family/Adult Game Winner
- 1994 Fairplay À la carte Winner
- 1994 Spiel des Jahres Recommended
- 1996 Mensa Select Winner
- 2005 Hra roku Nominee
- 2006 Japan Boardgame Prize Best Japanese Game Nominee
- 2008 Juego del Año Finalist
6 nimmt! celebrated its 20th Anniversary in 2014 with the release of 6 nimmt! Jubiläum, which includes 10 new Joker cards numbered 0.1 to 0.9, new rules for their use and two new variants. Speaking of variants, I recently found eight variants for 6 nimmt! that I’m dying to try.
6 nimmt! has spun off several other games including: 11 nimmt!, 6 nimmt! Junior, Hornochsen, Bullenparty, 6 nimmt! Jubiläum and my personal favorite – the sadly now out of print – Tanz der Hornochsen board game.
6 nimmt! supports 2 to 10 players, ages 10 and up and plays in about 45 minutes. I see no reason younger folks couldn’t play, too. Anyone who can compare numbers can play 6 nimmt!. This and its ability to support up to 10 players make it a great card game for gatherings.
Copyright © 2015 by Tina G. McDuffie. All rights reserved.
Photos courtesy of Amigo.
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