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Choose your hidden pirate role, convince the captain to pick you for their crew, and beat the others to the buried treasure! But watch out for the traitor... they will keep it all for themselves.
SlackJack is a fast-paced 4-8 player hidden role game that plays in 10 minutes. Each round, one player takes the role of captain who must choose 1-2 pirate players to join them, aiming to form the best Blackjack hand. Every other player has hidden roles with powers and values that could be favorable or treacherous for their crew. Can you convince the captain that you are the right pick? Be warned: if the Captain picks the devious SlackJack, he’ll steal the whole pile of gold for himself.
Once the captain picks their crew, the remaining players form their own treasure hunting party and all roles are revealed. The team that is closest to 21 in pirate value will all win gold for their own pockets. Pass the captain role to the next player and head back out on another hunt. The game ends when any player reaches 5 gold: exactly enough to retire to a tropical, traitor-free island.
-description from publisher
- The game offers strategic depth with Blackjack as a base.
- Deck customization options like burning and awakening cards are appealing.
- The 'exploit' mechanic adds an interesting layer to the betting.
- The 'hollow' and 'whisper' mechanics provide interesting card interactions.
- The visual presentation of cards with special abilities is good.
- Some boss mechanics are described as 'annoying' and 'tricky'.
- The 'drain' mechanic can be problematic.
- The game can feel like a 'pickle' at times.
- The 'choo-choo train' mechanic is frustrating.
- Losing a close final hand felt 'robbed'.
- escaping hell by playing a souped-up version of Blackjack
- hell
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Awakened Cards — Cards with special abilities that can be acquired or some existing cards can be awakened.
- Betting system — Players bet coins, and winnings go into a pot, with the goal of depleting the opponent's money.
- Blackjack — The fundamental game is based on the rules of Blackjack, aiming to reach 21 without going over.
- burning cards — Removing cards from the deck, often to make it more efficient.
- Card Play into Slots — Cards are played into specific slots, with some slots costing extra coins but offering special abilities.
- Card Reserve — Players can put a card into reserve at a cost.
- Deck Building — Players build and modify their decks by adding, burning, or awakening cards.
- devour — Playing a card on another card adds the devoured card's value to the host card's value.
- Drain — An effect that removes or affects opposing cards.
- exploit — Forces the opponent to add coins to the bet.
- Hollow — A card effect that activates when another card is played on top of it, allowing for playing multiple cards in one slot.
- Insight — Allows players to look at the top card of their deck and decide whether to put it at the bottom or back on top.
- Raise — Effects that are converted to exploit effects.
- Roguelike — The game features a journey structure with progression and a permadeath element if money runs out.
- Sleeve — Holding a card in reserve to be played later, which discards another sleeved card.
- Whisper — An effect that triggers when a card is played onto the card slot.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- My name is Shaggy and this is totally digital.
- Hell doesn't know the laughter of children.
- Niv's eyes, yearning for a friendly face, meet only the hollow gaze of the lost. He fears becoming like them.
References (from this video)
- familiar, quick to play
- can promote gambling motifs that some families avoid
- Spades
- Pitch
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- N/A — Traditional betting/hand comparison using card values to reach 21 without busting; in family contexts, often simplified to basic aim of beating dealer without busting.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I love playing cards card games I feel like are what got me into modern board gaming
- there are so many different games that you can play with just a simple deck of cards
- get your cards out get some games played
- there were so many different variants of rules I got really confused
- this is board game Brody I hope you enjoyed this video