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A group of adventurers has just left town after clearing out a nearby dungeon. The townsfolk have worked up the courage to go see what valuable loot they may have left behind.
An asymmetric grid of cards featuring different types of loot is laid out. The first player splits the grid along any single straight line between cards, claiming one set of loot cards for themselves.
Each successive player can choose to further divide any pile in play. If another player has laid claim to the pile you choose to split, that player is "kicked off" that pile of loot and will take another turn. If turn order returns to you without you having been kicked off your loot selection, you keep those cards.
Once everyone has collected their loot, and organized it by color, players draft a merchant card, each with different scoring mechanisms. Each merchant is assigned to a color of loot, with their scoring mechanism only counting towards the loot collected in that color.
Players move to the next room in the dungeon (represented by a new loot card configuration being laid out) and repeat the process of cleverly splitting loot and looking to draft the most useful merchant.
After 5 rooms of loot have been split, players score each color of loot based on the merchant assigned. Most points wins!
-description from publisher
- really clever
- fun twist on I cut, you choose
- scoring conditions make it really, really interesting
- collecting loot
- a cave
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Drafting — Whoever gets their loot first gets to pick one of these first... So, they could do this blue one that says, 'Size one items or two coins each.' ... They will take the one that they want.
- I Cut, You Choose — It's a take on the I cut, you choose mechanism, but it's I cut, I choose until you don't let me choose.
- Set Collection — The cards have different numbers within the same color. And that may be a scoring condition. You're going to be taking your scoring conditions each round... They are going to score them is by color.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- So, this game is really clever because it is not the standard I cut you choose, but it has an element of that and a fun twist to that and the scoring conditions make it really, really interesting.
References (from this video)
- Offers multiple viable strategies to pursue based on merchant and patron card interactions
- Strong, accessible theme of sharing and bargaining within a fantasy loot scenario
- Scoring is influenced by both color-grouped sets and patron/merchant card synergies, creating depth
- Scales from 2 to 4 players with varied round setup and tension across the hunt for loot
- Loot division and bargaining over treasures among competing villagers.
- Villagers or townsfolk explore a dungeon after heroes have cleared monsters, returning to claim leftover treasure.
- negotiation-driven, emergent strategy with cut-and-choose style mechanics
- I Cut, You Choose
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Color-grouped scoring and color limits — Players assign merchant cards to color groups with a limit of one merchant card per color; patron cards can overlap with merchant scoring for synergy.
- Compound Scoring — Players assign merchant cards to color groups with a limit of one merchant card per color; patron cards can overlap with merchant scoring for synergy.
- End of round and merchant selection — At round end, players select among available merchant cards, influencing scoring and strategic focus for subsequent rounds.
- Group division (split piles) — On a turn, a player divides a group of treasure cards into two groups along a straight line (horizontal or vertical) to set up potential claims.
- I Cut, You Choose — On a turn, a player divides a group of treasure cards into two groups along a straight line (horizontal or vertical) to set up potential claims.
- I cut, you choose flavor (negotiation-led disposition) — The overall flow emulates I cut and choose, where negotiation and timing determine if a player lets another take something or defends a preferred outcome.
- Merchant and patron card scoring — Merchant cards assign scoring to groups of a given color, while patron cards provide scoring based on broader hand composition and card interactions.
- Standee placement and claim — A player places a standee on a group to indicate intent to claim it; if another player divides that group, the standee may be returned to the owner of the group.
- Treasure collection and layout — After actions, players collect treasures and arrange them into rows or columns by color in front of them.
- Turn Order: Claim Action — A player places a standee on a group to indicate intent to claim it; if another player divides that group, the standee may be returned to the owner of the group.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- it's an i cut and shoes card game by gold seal games
- this is i cut and i choose
- there are so many different strategies that you can use in the game to try to get the cards that you want
- ultimately this is a spin on the i cut and you choose
- you'll figure out how to split something up without one getting mad about it
- balance between getting the most cards that you want or that you can versus cards that will really help you score points