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Elements, a.k.a. Khmer, is a bluffing and deduction game for two players that contains only sixteen cards, with each player trying to figure out the best time to end the round so that they can win. The goal each round is to have a hand of cards with a higher sum than the opponent, but equal to or less than the sum played to the table.
To set up a round, deal six cards face down to each player, then remove the remaining four cards, unseen, from the game. On your turn, you take one of these five actions:
1: PLAY a card from your hand to the table, overlapping any cards previously played and announcing the sum of all revealed cards.
2: DRAW the most recently played card from the table and place it in front of you; this card counts as being in your hand, thereby increasing the sum of your hand and lowering the sum on the table, but you cannot discard or play this card.
3: DISCARD a 6 card from your hand, placing it to the side out of play for this round.
4: KNOCK to end the round and see who wins; you may do this only if the sum of cards in your hand is equal to or less than the sum on the table. The players then compare sums, and whoever has the highest sum (without going over the sum of cards on the table) wins 2 points; if the players are tied, the player who knocked loses.
5: FOLD to end the round because you think that you will lose; the opponent wins 1 point.
Shuffle all the cards, and redeal; the player who scored in the round starts the next round, and the first player to collect 6 points wins. Alternatively, players can play only a single round to determine the winner, ignoring the FOLD action since that's a sure loser...
- The sun and moon mechanic is kind of cool.
- The tile drafting mechanism is interesting.
- Not loving it.
- Seems a bit like a game of chicken.
- Doesn't seem very intriguing.
- Annoying to pick the order of the tile stack.
- Seems like a lot of wasted time.
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — The dome tiles that come out that you have to build your board with.
- Push Your Luck — It seems like a little bit of a game of chicken.
- Set Collection — You want to complete the diagonal for 10 points.
- tile drafting — When you draft out of the middle, you get all the tiles of that color. Since they are little onesie twosies and you only show the top tile of a tile, but when they're the same color, you get them all.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I don't know I'm not loving it.
- It seems it seems like a little bit of a game of chicken.
- I found that mechanism interesting so if like if that mechanism was in a game that I found more compelling.
- It's good, it's good enough for the show, it's it gives it like a nice little logic puzzle.
- It has a ton of game.
- My character was getting developed, I was getting all kinds of cool stuff to do.
- I thought it was cool.
- The rule book is good but you want I for some reason I was like annoyed with the real book.
References (from this video)
- fast and accessible
- works well with non-gamers
- good two-player experience
- random swings can dominate
- subject to luck of the draw
- numbers and strategy; a pub-game feel
- abstract, fast-paced duel with cards
- Capital Lux
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card Drafting — draw and either play toward the center or build up in front to reach a moving target
- card drafting / simultaneous choice — draw and either play toward the center or build up in front to reach a moving target
- set collection / scoring toward a moving target — score based on hitting a shifting center target with chosen cards
- two-player focus — designed for quick, accessible head-to-head play
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- this is definitely one of those games with a bit of laborious start but great payoff after you get your head around it
- it's a wonderful family-friendly filler, a puzzly style game
- one of my favorite games that i played last year
- it's essential if you like your two-player games