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In Surplus of Sloths, the rivers are flooding, and players are wildlife rescuers each trying to save sloths and make them happy so that they can be awarded even more sloths!
To set up, use as many types of sloths as the number of players, plus one. Each player takes three cards in hand, then discards one card to the "surplus net". Deal out two rows of cards, with each row having one more card than the number of players. The active player drafts one card from a row, then each other player drafts from the same row, with the final card falling into the surplus net. Add a new row of cards, then the next player clockwise starts the next turn.
When you all the rows have been drafted, with remaining cards falling into the net, players compare their longest run of each sloth type. A type has cards numbered 1-7, along with three Xs, which are wild. Whoever has the longest run of a type, with ties being broken by whoever has the highest numeral in their run, claims all cards in the surplus net of that type. The value of a type equals the sum of the numbers in the net multiplied by 1-4 depending on how many sloths of that type (0-3) are also in the net. Whoever has the most points wins.
You can also play with four baby sloths of value 0 that count as all types. They aren't worth any points in the surplus net, but they can lengthen all of your runs...assuming they would otherwise start with 1, that is.
Surplus of Sloths
- Fast and accessible play experience (roughly 15–20 minutes once learned).
- Engaging tension between taking cards for your hand vs. protecting favorable surpluses for end scoring.
- Charming sloth theme with approachable mechanics suitable for families and casual gamers.
- Clear push-pull decisions and color-based scoring provide meaningful choices.
- Prototype status means balance and components may change before release.
- Endgame multiplier system can feel opaque until players grasp the timing of surplus value.
- Potential balance questions with different player counts as color counts and river sizes adjust.
- Cute forest animals and light strategic drafting with a push-pull tension around which cards to take for hand-building versus surplus scoring.
- A colorful card-driven game about collecting sloth cards and navigating two river lines as sloths fall from trees, with endgame scoring based on color-specific surpluses and multipliers.
- Array
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- color-based scoring — At the end of the game, the player with the most cards of each color earns the corresponding surplus cards for scoring.
- Compound Scoring — At the end of the game, the player with the most cards of each color earns the corresponding surplus cards for scoring.
- end condition triggered by river exhaustion — The game ends when the river cannot be replenished, at which point scoring occurs by color and multiplier values.
- surplus management — Collected surplus cards determine the multipliers; players must decide whether to push multipliers into the surplus or deny opponents a color boost.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- the really fun and adorable game surplus of sloths
- this game plays two to four players
- it's that interesting push and pull of do I want to take this card from the river because it's going to help my hand or would it be better in the Surplus
- I love sloths I love card games I'm excited for surplus of sloths
- it's like a 15 20 minute game