Pigeonpocalypse is a game for 2-4 (or 5 or 6–see details in the components section below) players, ages 12 and up, and takes about 20 minutes to play. It’s currently seeking funding on Kickstarter, with a pledge level of about $25 (€22) for a copy of the basic edition of the game.
New to Kickstarter? Check out our crowdfunding primer, and visit our Kickstarter curated page for more projects we love.
Note: My review is based on a prototype copy, so it is subject to change and may not reflect final component quality.
The game is very simple, and only contains two decks of cards: a City Deck and a Park Deck.
The cards in the prototype I looked at were nicely done. They were already printed on poker-sized plastic-coated cards.
The artwork on the cards is simple, but nicely done. The pictures are bright and colorful, and even younger kids will enjoy the Ninja-like squirrels and rabbits that make up the Park deck.
The only really questionable NSFW card is “Exhibitionist Tom”, which shows a man with an open trench coat. There’s nothing even PG-rated about the art–we see the man from the back–but there’s clearly a woman standing in front of him, so he’s committing assault. Again, it’s the theme and implication of the card that is a problem, not the art per se. And, it’s also worth mentioning that when I played with my 13-year-old son and 16-year-old daughter, neither of them payed the slightest attention to the card, its art, or its theme. It was simply a 4-point card to them.
The other cards in the NSFW version aren’t a problem. There’s Mice Gang, which is simply an attack card worth 5, and then Unstoppable Scout and Distraction, both of which are detailed below.
You can download a copy of the rulebook from the Pigeonpocalypse website.
The goal of the game is to collect the most Visitor cards through multiple rounds of play.
To setup the game, shuffle both decks independently. Then, deal a number of City cards face up to the table equal to the number of players. The cards should be oriented, if possible, to not face any particular player, since anyone can play on any card.
Then, deal four cards from the Park deck to each players. These make up the player’s starting hands and should be kept secret.
Players decide on a first player amongst themselves. Then, that player takes one card from their hand and places it face down next to any of the visitors (the face up City cards) they wish. The next player does the same, and so on around the table. At any point, a player can choose to pass on playing a card, but if they do so they are out of the remainder of the round.
Play continues until everyone has passed. At that point, all of the cards that were played are revealed simultaneously.
First, the effects of the Tornado Strike are resolved. See below for more details on this and the other special cards.
Next, for each visitor, players compare the point values on the cards each player laid down. Whichever player has the highest total value of minions at the visitor claims them, meaning they take that visitor and place it, face-up, in front of them. All of the other cards played on that visitor are discarded. The next visitor is evaluated the same way, and so on around the table.
Once all of the visitors have been evaluated and possibly won by players and all other cards have been discarded, the Draw Phase begins. First, new City cards are drawn to bring the total count of visitors again equals the number of players. Note that if no one played a minion on a visitor, or if two or more players tied on a visitor, then that visitor will still be on the table from last time. These are not discarded, but instead make up part of the pool of visitors for the next round.
Then, all players are dealt two new cards from the Park deck, and the next round begins with the player to the left of the previous round’s starting player.
Play continues until someone has 15 points worth of visitors at the end of the round, at which point the game is over.
In addition to the various animal warriors, the Park deck contains a set of special cards.
The game ends when one player has 15 points worth of visitors. If two or more players pass 15 points in a round, the winner is the person with the highest total. If there’s a tie for that, then the winner is the one who has the most visitor cards. If they’re still tied, then the game ends in a draw.
Pigeonpocalypse is a silly, light game that makes a nice intro to your game night. It doesn’t require much thought, but is still fun to play. Games are quick–our games rarely lasted more than 15-20 minutes–so you can get several games in as people arrive.
Despite the theme of the “Exhibitionist Tom” card, I’d probably recommend getting the Complete Edition, simply because it allows for play with up to 6 people.
For more information or to make a pledge, visit the Pigeonpocalypse Kickstarter page!
Click here to see all our tabletop game reviews.
Disclosure: GeekDad received a copy of this game for review purposes.
This post was last modified on June 12, 2019 10:57 pm
Join me as I attempt to whittle down my ever-growing stacks of books!
This week, one of the most influential actors and musicians on the planet turned 69:…
'The Girl Who Couldn't Lie' brings a 'Liar Liar' vibe to the corridors of a…
One LEGO set to rule them all...
This week it was announced that Nintendo has partnered with children's entertainment platform GoNoodle.
Coll, a boy with limb differences, is the stalwart hero of 'I am Wolf,' a…
This website uses cookies.