by Laura Elnairab
A game named after the famous character spy, is a great depiction of the classic card game. James Bond is one of my favorite card games due to its flexibility with players, satisfying organizing objectives, and speedy mechanics. I love that this game can be played from 2 up to even 12 characters. I have tested this myself in a classroom back in high school!
So what is James Bond’s set up?
James Bond is a card game where one needs a classic deck of cards to play. Let’s pretend 4 players are playing the game. Each person would get 3 decks of 4 cards each randomly shuffled. That would take up 48 of the cards’ deck. The 4 remaining cards would be placed in the middle for all players to see. Every game, even with a different number of players, must have 4 main cards left.
How does it work?
In each standard deck of cards there are 4 cards with the same number or letter. For instance there are always 4 cards with the number 3, and 4 cards with the letter Q for queen. The goal for each player is to have each of their decks with the same number or letter.
How do they do this?
This is where the middle 4 cards are necessary. A player can look at their decks individually and see what cards are necessary and not necessary. The player can take and leave any amount of cards they wish into the middle deck. The only rules are that there must always be 4 cards in the middle deck and 4 cards in each of their 3 decks. This means if the player takes 2 cards, they must set down 2 back into the main deck. All players are going at the same time, so the main 4 cards in the middle are constantly changing.
What can’t you do?
You cannot switch cards between your decks. For instance, lets say you have all 4 queen cards in your 3 piles, you cannot simply move one of your queen cards in one deck to another. Instead, you must cleverly place that queen card into the middle deck, and be able to finally grab that queen card from the middle deck. While doing this you must place down cards that you no longer need.
Why should I play this game?
The reason this game is so fun is because sometimes another player may be wanting the same card you have and grab it before you do. The reason the rules are fascinating is because it makes the game chaotic yet organized. The objective is simple yet makes the players very nervous and excited to get the cards they need before the other players. Another great mechanic is fairness and balance. I have played this game various times with various people including newbies and advanced players. Sometimes skill set, speed, or luck can make a player win. The great thing about this game is that even though a person might seem like they will win, sometimes they don’t. For instance, I would say I have good knowledge of this game, yet sometimes newbies beat me during play! Because all of the cards are being organized in a team effort, people tend to win seconds close to each other. 1st and 2nd place tend to win by quite literally only 1-2 seconds.
What makes this game stand out?
The variability is also great. As long as 48 cards can be evenly distributed to players, the game can work! James Bond can be played with 2, 3, 4, 6, or even 12 players. With 2 players each player would use 6 decks of 4 cards each. With 12 players each player would get 1 deck of 4 cards each. Although a 12 player game ends quickly, the ability for a game to have that range is fascinating.
An amazing player interaction I have seen is rare but it definitely happens! Sometimes during the game, all 4 cards from the main deck are the same. In this case once everyone understands that someone can simply snatch all 4 cards and have a completed deck, the race begins! SMASH! A bunch of hands strike the middle of the table in a rush to grab those 4 cards and place down any other random deck that was still not arranged.
James Bond is a game I highly recommend for all to play, especially with family and friends. This game is great if you like a fast paced game that has a finite ending, unlike a card game like War or even BS. If you like sorting cards this is great too! And of course, if you like a competitive and anxiety inducing game James Bond is the definition of that!
(Image from Etsy)
