Pyramid Review
Toppo
Published by Rio Grande Games
Designed by Reiner Knizia
Art by Christof Tisch
Full-color boxed set with 150 symbol cards & rules (English, French, & German); $17.50
It almost seemed like Rio Grande Games had stopped putting out card games, at least of the small boxed variety a la Toppo.
The object of the game is to be the first to run your hand down to fewer than 10 cards.
The players (two to four can play) start the game with a hand of 33 cards apiece. Three more are drawn and placed in the center of the table, and the remainder form a deck from which penalty cards are drawn. The game doesn't use turns; as soon as the "start player" begins laying down his cards, everyone plays as fast as they can.
The cards show one of five different symbols, and the symbols appear in one of five different colors. Each player starts by taking the first three cards from the top of their deck and placing those on the table. Comparing these to the common cards in the middle, if you can match all three in either symbol or color, you can yell "top." The game stops while you place your cards atop those cards. Everyone else must place theirs at the bottom of their deck for later reuse (though you can shuffle your cards at any time).
If a "top" isn't possible, you may match other cards exactly; that is, if both color and symbol match, you may place those on the corresponding cards. Any unmatched cards get taken back into your hand. If at any time . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: September 8, 2006
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