As people start doing a whole lot more in groups again, it’s time for some good party games to come out for people to play at those get gatherings. So Clover is a new one that came out during the pandemic, and it’s from the same company that brought us Just One, one of my favorite party games. Can they get lightening in a bottle twice with their second cooperative party game?

How To Play So Clover!

In So Clover, each player is given a four leafed clover. This has little spots to slot in cards, four little square ones. On each edge of the card is a word, so when they are slotted into the clover, you have two words per side. Then, without the other players seeing how those cards are on the clover, players write down one hidden clue per side of the clover, so four clues total.

Then removing the card, players add in one more and shuffle up their cards face down. Once everyone has completed, you go in a circle with the other players trying to match up how the cards were originally without help, obviously, from the player who but down the clues. The team gets points for how many they get in the right spot and oriented in the right way, and how fast, many guesses, it takes them.

What Doesn’t Work?

One annoyance that I have with the game is manipulating the clover to write down the clues. Only because the cards, while they hold on pretty well, can drop out. I think the times I’ve played it, I’ve had one fall out, generally face down, that I need to put back in. That means holding it at a steeper angle where other players are less likely to see, means it’s more likely you are dropping a card.

Another thing, not a massive issue, is that there’s some downtime. If I write my clues quickly and you write your clues slowly. I wait then for everyone else to finish. Now, not a massive issue, no one takes too long that I’ve seen, but know there is that downtime.

What Works?

The puzzle of the game is great. I like trying to guess what other players have put together and what they are thinking. Since you are matching two words per side, people tackle that different ways. I might do something that prefixes or suffixes, like Crescent and Walk, I would do moon. Or you might link the words with something that’s between them. And some links aren’t that great, but if you have a strong link on the other clover leaf that can help orient a card.

The scoring also works in this game. I complain about scoring fairly often in party games. There is not good end. Here, every players board is guessed. Then the game ends. And the scoring is simple, you get one point per correct one you get, so up to a total of four. But if you guess all of them the first time, you get six points. So in a four player game the max is 24 points, very simple.

I find the concept of the extra card interesting as well. An extra card throws in a monkey wrench that no one can expect. You might write all perfect clues, but the wrong extra card can mess everything up. And the person who wrote all the clues can do nothing to stop it. But hopefully there is a clever way for the players guessing to get it still. And most of the time there is. Also, most of the time it messes it up.

Finally, I like being clever with my clues. So Clover! is named because of the shape, but also because it is really clever. Sometimes your best bet is to give a really strong clue for one of the cards, and hope that the other card just gets oriented right. This is where the extra card really can mess stuff up. But I still feel clever with the clues I put down.

Who is This For?

I want to say everyone, but I think So Clover is a bit more of a gamers party game. Now it is not that hard a game. I think that mom and dad can probably play it. But you need to know the audience you pull it out for. Repos Productions other game, Just One, works in any situation, So Clover! just being that much cleverer limits it.

You also need to trust players not to dump all their cards or show their board. I don’t see this as an major issue, but that might limit it from someone who doesn’t have a steady hand. You get around this by getting some shields to hide it and you don’t need to pick it up at all. But that is adding to the game itself.

Final Thoughts – So Clover!

I really enjoy this game. I really enjoy Just One. And obviously, I compare the two because of the company. I think that Just One will travel more to holiday gatherings than So Clover! will. But I also see So Clover! getting played more at game nights.

If I were to say what So Clover! is like, it’s the combination of Just One and Cross Clues, two of my favorite party games. So I am not surprised that I really like So Clover!, so much that it might be preferred to both of the other games. And I think that So Clover! is going to be one that gets played a lot at conventions and any get togethers.

My Grade: A+
Gamer Grade: A
Casual Grade: B+

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