How To Play Verso

Verso is a push your luck run collection game. You create runs of numbers in three different colors and then you trade them in for points. Or you can also get points if you complete a 3 by 3 grid of cards, three of each color. Though you can have more of each color when you create that grid.

Player Turn

On your turn you have a decision to make. You take the top card of the deck and you either add that card, or you flip it and add that card. The cards are double sided so there is always a card that is face up. When you decide to flip a card you can not flip it back to the side it was on.

But you know something about it before you flip it. The number is always going to be one higher or lower, though the numbers do wrap from 1 to 6 or 6 to 1. And it is going to be one of the other two colors. If you flip it and it is the same number as another one in your grid, you discard that card and you don’t add it to your play area.

Scoring

Instead of playing out a card, you can score a run of cards. You score points for each scoring symbol on the cards in the run of cards. And then you discard the two highest valued cards from the run. When you score a color, you also cause your opponents to flip the highest value card they have of that color. So it is possible that will help them complete their 3 x 3 grid or cause them to discard a card or just give them a card in another color.

When you complete a 3 x 3 grid you score seven points.

End Game

As I said, when you end the game the player with the most points wins from scored cards. The game is over when the deck runs out of cards. Then players have one last turn to bank another run of cards.

What Doesn’t Work

The game is fairly basic and a lot of the decisions generally play themselves. There is a push your luck element where you can decide to flip and it might be discarded, but it might help. Because of that, the luck of the game is relatively high. Is the top card of the deck of cards one that is good for me, great, if not, too bad, hope it flips into something good, or maybe I’ll start collecting another color.

What Works

The game is fast. Because that decision space is limited games, even on BGA, being played asynchronously go by very quickly. That means it is a solid filler style of game.

The game also offers multiple scoring of cards which is interesting. Because you can create a long run, say two through six, it is possible to score that, lose the five and the six from the end and then next turn score two through four.

Pushing your luck is also interesting in the game. A normal run of cards, say you score a run of three cards, is probably going to be either seven or five points for you. So do you push to try and complete that 3 by 3 grid of cards? Seven points from that is a fair number of points.

Who is Verso For?

I think it’s a good at a brewery filler sort of game. It is so simple that it’s easy to play wherever and it won’t take up mush room to play. And it’s one that is easy to shuffle up and play it again. For a number of people, though, I think that Verso is going to be too light and have too few decisions in what you do in the game.

Final Thoughts and Grade on Verso

I think that this game is fine. Like I said, it in some ways plays itself at times. And because it isn’t a couple of cards that you have options to, that element of the game is just a bit too simple. The decision space is really around, do I push for a complete grid and do I flip this card even though I can play it because it might be better if it’s this, but I might lose it if it’s that. And generally, it’s probably just better to keep it as it is in that case.

Mainly, I think that Verso, while being a little filler is going to be one that doesn’t have the shelf life of other fillers. When I think and compare it to Ninjan or Scratch & Catch, two other small card games I’ve learned recently that are fillers, both of those have more interesting game play to them. Yes, I am saying that rock, paper, scissors is more interesting. But it’s more this games game play never feels like it changes. Nor does it give you stand-up moments of “I can’t believe you did that.” or “That worked perfectly.”

My Grade: C
Gamer Grade: D-
Casual Grade: B
Luck (out of 10): 7
Strategy (out of 10: 3

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How To Play Quarto

The game is pretty simple, you are trying to get four in a row based off of one of four different things. You can get your four in a row by height, color, shape, or top. By top, some tops have a divot cut out of them, others don’t. That isn’t too complex for what you are doing.

Where the twist comes in is that I pick the piece you place on the board. And you pick the piece that I place on the board. So I need to look through all my piece options while placing to make sure I can still keep you from winning, and vice-a-versa. The player who puts down the piece for four in a row wins.

What Doesn’t Work?

If I had a complaint about the game, it is that the decision space of the puzzle can be a bit limited. You make a decision or two really. Place a piece, give a piece. Now, that is an interesting decision on where you place or what piece you give. And that’s the point, it’s supposed to be a strategy game of picking what won’t let your opponent win and make them give you a piece to let you win.

What Does Work?

I like the giving of the piece to your opponent. That feels different. I am familiar with the game connect four, and that is simple. Quarto feels like more depth is happening but all the while keeping the simple systems in place.

I also like that the game is fast. This might sound like a negative, but when I play an abstract game, I want something that gives me good decisions and a short time frame. If I want to play something longer, I want there to be a lot of theme. And Quarto definitely doesn’t have theme, so make sure the game plays fast.

Who Is This For?

The abstract gamer in your life (or that might be you), will likely like this game. There are fun but simple decisions to make in the game. I actually think that Quarto is probably a good game to introduce to middle school kids or upper elementary. It’ll help them think through things in a different way, but also is simple enough to learn. It almost feels a bit like a light Chess, if Chess were Connect 4.

Final Thoughts on Quarto

I don’t like Quarto that well. I think it is a fun abstract game, but I don’t find the decision space interesting enough. And I don’t think that there is enough variety in play. BoardGameCo did a video talking about that a while ago where even though Chess isn’t variable, it feels different with different players. Quarto doesn’t give me that feeling. The games that I’ve played, they feel the same.

And that’s the knock that I can’t get over. The decision space is just limited too much for it. I can sit down and puzzle out every piece and how it could be used to create a row once there are enough pieces on the board. And I’m sure a very good Quarto player could start laying a trap early. But I don’t think it’s interesting enough to get that good.

That said, I don’t think it’s a bad game, I can see what it is doing. I can just say that Quarto isn’t a game for me. I think that a lot of abstract gamers would love it, but I want theme. Even if it is basically an abstract game, give me some sort of theme on it.

My Grade: C
Gamer Grade: C
Casual Grade: B

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