Three Wishes

06 Jun 2015

The What

A memory card game for 3 to 5 players. Plays well at 3 or 4.

The Summary

Players will be dealt three cards each, with two in the center in play, and one card out of play.

Players take turns doing two actions from the following:

• Look at one card.
• Swap a card with another card.
• Shuffle the player’s cards.

Other than the shuffling these the interactions can be purely of other players’ cards.

After four complete rounds, players instead of taking a turn can opt to end the game. The player with the highest point total wins the game, unless a player has two multiplier card, in that case they win the game.

The game includes cubes to mark wins, there is a win streak rule that I believe would be nice to import into other games such as Love Letter.

The Puzzle

Trying to memorize the whole game state, figuring out what cards are in play or at least necessary to have a good chance at winning. It is a game of deduction as players who realize enough of the game state the quickest will typically be the ones with the greatest chance of winning the game. Reading people will also help too.

Tips

• Figuring out where the cards that cause loss is important to being in the running.
• Being able to read people is a good skill to have.
• Shuffling is a defensive mechanic, and you can always swap cards between other players.

The Verdict

I think this is a great game for families, as it is about risk management, a little bit of math, and is a challenge for short term memory.

From a more core audience member this is a filler game. A great game to use as a segue in between a few more denser experiences. This is definitely on the lighter side.

Other Games

• Love Letter, for those who like speedy and the competitive nature of the Three Wishes.
• Mascarade, for those who would like having powers and bluffing.
• Hanabi, for those who like being restricted in their interactions.
• One Night Ultimate Werewolf, for those who an intense and quick deduction game.