Guillotine

Caution: Licensed guillotine operators at work. ᕦ⊙෴⊙ᕤ

Guillotine is a fast paced card game about collecting the most valuable heads. Each day twelve nobles are lined up for execution. Players take turns playing action cards to manipulate the card order and behead the first noble in line. After three days of executions the guillotine operator with the most points wins.

While the topic is a bit macabre, Guillotine delivers a silly and enjoyable experience. The art on the cards perfectly sets the mood of the game. From the comical tripping & stumbling nobles, tough crowds, and indifferent public, to the royal caricature of King Louis XVI, haggard leprechaun-like Landowner, and hatchet-faced Unpopular Judge it's clear that great care was exercised in keeping the artwork consistent and meaningful. The irreverence shown to the various public figures combines with the comical style in such a way that Guillotine often feels like an interactive political comic.

Although Guillotine is largely luck based, players can modify the game via their action cards. With larger groups Guillotine essentially becomes a game of chance as each player only gets a couple of turns per day. In a two player game each player takes six turns per day, so there is a much greater level of control and planning.

Unfortunately, the box design and cardboard guillotine have apparently declined in quality in newer releases. Comparing the images below to those on Board Game Geek it is easy to spot the decidedly inferior box design used in our version.

Regardless, Guillotine is an interesting addition to our collection. It's quick gameplay and fun attitude make it a good light filler, gateway game, and family game.

Summary:

• 2-5 players, 30 minutes
• + family game
• + gateway game
• + humorous
• + perfect art style
• + great 2-player game
• • action cards can overwhelm some non-gamers
• - cheap box
• - wish we had the cool guillotine

More information about Guillotine can be found at Board Game Geek.