I played Numbsters for the first time last week. But things didn’t go as well as they could have when I played it. So it is time to try again on Malts and Meeples. Will I beat Numbsters this time or is it going to be a series of follies as I play? Because we all know in Numbsters seven eight nine.

Thoughts on Numbsters

Clearly I enjoy the game. And if you want to see how much, you can do that here. But let’s do the review of it here as we talk about how the play went.

How To Play

Numbsters is a simple game in terms of how you play and turn structure is very easy to follow. You take six cards, plus the eight and shuffle them together. You put them in a line or keep them in your hand in the order they were shuffled to. Then you place a new card in front of the line or on top of the cards so you can see what it is. I’ll refer to it as a line from here on out.

After that you get a choice, you may move cards if you want. If you move cards you either move a single card to anywhere in the line or you swap two cards.

Then eight needs to eat. Eight eats two ways. Either eight eats in sequential number order. As it says, seven eight nine. So if you had a seven it could eat the nine. But if you have a one with the eight between it and the two, one eats the two. Or you follow the rule for eating on the first card in the row. You choose which you want to do.

Then that core loop happens until you either win or lose the game. To win you need to end the game with one card in front of the eight numbster. Basically down to the point where the eight can’t eat another card. But it’s not just that, the eight can never be the top card of the pile. If that happens you lose automatically. But if you pull it off and end the game with that one card, you win the game.

What Doesn’t Work?

This is different than most games that I talk about. It might not be a situation where it’s too lucky. In fact, while there is luck in how the cards flip out, you can almost always ignore that luck. If you watched my playthrough video above you did see one time where it just didn’t work out at all for me. But every other time I’ve made it down to two to four cards. That means that Numbsters isn’t that lucky, it’s instead generally going to give you a lot more strategy in the game. For some people it might be too much of a brain burn.

And I don’t think this will ever be the case, but some people might consider it to be solvable. Maybe there is a particular strategy that generally works to the win. But the game also offers you the challenge to win with each card, or each possible card. So that might be enough motivation to keep players going.

What Works?

What works I want to start out with game speed of play and footprint. I play with the game laid out on the table in a row or two rows for the video. But it barely takes up any room. And the game is a Button Shy Game that means you can fit it in your pocket easily. But not only is it small, it is also a very fast game. You saw, if you watched the video, four plays, granted one is extremely short, in under half an hour. That is fast.

The game is also very good when it comes to being that thinky puzzle. But it never overwhelms you with choices. You see me in the video freeze up a few times trying to figure out an optimized choice. But you only ever need to know what is on eight cards. And even then your moves are limited because you either move one card or swap two.

I also like the little bit of luck or more variability in the game. Numbsters is not a lucky game. But when you flip over a new card it’s always a question of, does that change that I’m going to do. Either because it’s not an ability that I can use, or because now I feel that card is a concern that I need to take care of. So you can’t win from the word go because all the information is available. But there is some ability to plan.

Who Is Numbsters For?

Who is Numbsters for? The solo gamer in your life. This one is actually great for a solo gamer who travels a fair amount. The game is small, the game could easily be played on a airline’s tray. So I think it’s great for solo gamers who are on the go. But also just solo gamers in general because this is the type of game I could see playing while watching a sporting event or something where I want to keep busy additionally and don’t need to pay full attention to either.

I think it’s also a solid game for someone who maybe wants to try solo games. It’s going to feel like an interesting enough puzzle for them that it might draw them into the solo gaming side of the hobby. At the same time, I don’t want overstate that it is only a solo gaming experience. And most of the time I think you can play solo games with two and make group decisions, but the decision space is tight enough not sure it’d work as well here.

Final Thoughts on Numbsters

I like Numbsters a lot. I think that the game play is a good time. And I like the silliness of it. It is based off of the joke about six being afraid of seven because seven eight nine. But it’s clever with that. It’s not just there because it’s a silly joke, though that does help, but it’s a good game as well.

I also want to echo my comments around why it works well for me from the what people might like section. It’s fast, it has a small footprint, and it doesn’t lock you up but it still lets you think. To me that’s about the ideal you can get for a small solo only game. I want my solo games to be on either extreme.

My Grade: B+
Gamer Grade: B+
Casual Grade: B-

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