Safari Jack Review
For a sensitive soul such as myself, a game based on the merciless tracking and hunting of innocent and possibly endangered animals doesn’t sound too appealing. As it stands though, Safari Jack is pretty abstract - so there’s not really much danger of me being upset about the carnage that is supposedly going on throughout the game.
This edition of Safari Jack – the remixed version - replaces the old game which came in an envelope on rather plain, low quality card like many of Cheapass Games' standard products. The new edition comes on high quality, full colour card, complete with slightly tweaked rules. Safari Jack places the players in the role of a hunter, on an expedition to seek out fantastic new creatures and then kill them mercilessly. As mentioned above, the gameplay itself is pretty abstract so the killing isn't strictly necessary - which is good for those of us with a slightly more eco-friendly outlook than the average big game hunter. The rules even helpfully suggest a few alternatives, such as taking photos of the animals or playing chess with them. Yes, the humour of James Ernest is very much apparent in the rules of Safari Jack – and forms a large part of the appeal of learning how to play, much like the majority of Cheapass Games.
The game is played using the cards that are supplied in a small resealable bag, with the players providing a pawn to represent their hunters and some form of counters or stones to represent their kills. To start, two cards are placed face down adjacent to one another with a pawn on each. Face down cards are base camps, which different terrain types can be placed onto. Their are four different types of terrain that can be laid - Desert, Forest, Water and Mountain - and each one can only be attached to either a terrain card of the same type or a base camp. End caps (terrain with entrances and score values) are what the hunters are aiming for, as these contain rare and beautiful animals that are shot upon arrival at the end cap, with a counter marking the kill which is worth whatever points value is marked on the card. The first hunter to reach 15 points wins the game. Each player has six cards in their hand, and on each turn must draw one card from the deck, lay one card (which could mean expanding the map or playing either a move card or a special card) and then move their hunter one space on the map. If a player moves onto the same space as another player, they can bump the stationary hunter to anywhere they choose on the map, except to an end cap.
Gameplay is pretty fast and very entertaining, and with the rules being so easy to grasp, strategies tend to begin formulating in the player's mind after just a few turns. One set of cards is enough for two players, but add a second deck and up to four players can be involved, which ups the stakes considerably and throws out any carefully concocted strategies that the players may have had for the two player game! The map grows faster and the game tends to get a lot more unpredictable, and it is just as much fun (if not more!) as the two player version.
Safari Jack Remix is one of the best Cheapass games available in my opinion and is most definitely one of the most underrated. For a few pounds, it is most certainly a game with immense value and potential for replaying it is huge. For the price of less than the average pint of beer (where I live anyway!), Safari Jack provides countless hours of entertainment and provides almost unprecedented cost-per-play. It really is a superb game, and comes highly recommended by myself and the countless opponents I have beaten over the last few years.
Summary
Presentation: Obviously, being a Cheapass release that costs a couple of quid, presentation isn’t Safari Jack’s strong point. However, the cards are well made and colourful, with photos of terrain and brightly coloured ‘special’ cards. 8.1/10
Clarity of Rules: James Ernest has a well deserved reputation for writing rules that are entertaining, amusing and easy to learn. I sometimes find myself wishing that Ernest would write all game rules! 9.5/10
Game Length: Short and addictive, Safari Jack excels as a quick game that can be taught and played multiple times in an hour. 9.2/10
Value: As with most Cheapass games, Safari Jack provides more fun and replay value than many games that cost 10 or even 20 times more. 9.8/10
Overall: A brilliantly simple and yet highly compulsive game of wandering and hunting with some superb mechanics – all at an amazingly cheap price. 9.3/10 (not an average)
This edition of Safari Jack – the remixed version - replaces the old game which came in an envelope on rather plain, low quality card like many of Cheapass Games' standard products. The new edition comes on high quality, full colour card, complete with slightly tweaked rules. Safari Jack places the players in the role of a hunter, on an expedition to seek out fantastic new creatures and then kill them mercilessly. As mentioned above, the gameplay itself is pretty abstract so the killing isn't strictly necessary - which is good for those of us with a slightly more eco-friendly outlook than the average big game hunter. The rules even helpfully suggest a few alternatives, such as taking photos of the animals or playing chess with them. Yes, the humour of James Ernest is very much apparent in the rules of Safari Jack – and forms a large part of the appeal of learning how to play, much like the majority of Cheapass Games.
The game is played using the cards that are supplied in a small resealable bag, with the players providing a pawn to represent their hunters and some form of counters or stones to represent their kills. To start, two cards are placed face down adjacent to one another with a pawn on each. Face down cards are base camps, which different terrain types can be placed onto. Their are four different types of terrain that can be laid - Desert, Forest, Water and Mountain - and each one can only be attached to either a terrain card of the same type or a base camp. End caps (terrain with entrances and score values) are what the hunters are aiming for, as these contain rare and beautiful animals that are shot upon arrival at the end cap, with a counter marking the kill which is worth whatever points value is marked on the card. The first hunter to reach 15 points wins the game. Each player has six cards in their hand, and on each turn must draw one card from the deck, lay one card (which could mean expanding the map or playing either a move card or a special card) and then move their hunter one space on the map. If a player moves onto the same space as another player, they can bump the stationary hunter to anywhere they choose on the map, except to an end cap.
Gameplay is pretty fast and very entertaining, and with the rules being so easy to grasp, strategies tend to begin formulating in the player's mind after just a few turns. One set of cards is enough for two players, but add a second deck and up to four players can be involved, which ups the stakes considerably and throws out any carefully concocted strategies that the players may have had for the two player game! The map grows faster and the game tends to get a lot more unpredictable, and it is just as much fun (if not more!) as the two player version.
Safari Jack Remix is one of the best Cheapass games available in my opinion and is most definitely one of the most underrated. For a few pounds, it is most certainly a game with immense value and potential for replaying it is huge. For the price of less than the average pint of beer (where I live anyway!), Safari Jack provides countless hours of entertainment and provides almost unprecedented cost-per-play. It really is a superb game, and comes highly recommended by myself and the countless opponents I have beaten over the last few years.
Summary
Presentation: Obviously, being a Cheapass release that costs a couple of quid, presentation isn’t Safari Jack’s strong point. However, the cards are well made and colourful, with photos of terrain and brightly coloured ‘special’ cards. 8.1/10
Clarity of Rules: James Ernest has a well deserved reputation for writing rules that are entertaining, amusing and easy to learn. I sometimes find myself wishing that Ernest would write all game rules! 9.5/10
Game Length: Short and addictive, Safari Jack excels as a quick game that can be taught and played multiple times in an hour. 9.2/10
Value: As with most Cheapass games, Safari Jack provides more fun and replay value than many games that cost 10 or even 20 times more. 9.8/10
Overall: A brilliantly simple and yet highly compulsive game of wandering and hunting with some superb mechanics – all at an amazingly cheap price. 9.3/10 (not an average)
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