Whenever we have guests over for dinner, I always try to slip in a game afterwards. This is usually a very simplistic game, one that will hopefully appeal to their other tastes. If they like party games, I pull out Barbarossa. If they like board games, I pull out Carcassonne. But if they like card games, The Bucket King is the game of the hour.

Is the Bucket King (Rio Grande Games, 2002 – Stefan Dora) worth getting? I find that this game is an excellent way to introduce people to “euro” games, and is extremely easy to learn and teach. The theme is strange (animals knocking over buckets?) but it seems to work, and I’ve had great success with both children and adults when playing this game. Now for more explanation…

First, a description of game play….

A deck of 110 cards is shuffled and 12 of them are dealt to each player. The remainder of the cards form a draw deck for all players. There are five suits, represented by a color and animal. Each suit contains 22 cards, and has numeric values, from “1” to “8”. Each player is also given 15 cardboard bucket counters. They are to set up a pyramid of these buckets in front of them, with five buckets forming the base, and 4 on top of that, etc. After all players have sorted the cards in their hands and built their pyramids, the game begins. One player starts, and each player then follows in clockwise order.

On a player’s turn, they pick one of the suits in their hand, and play 1-3 cards of that color in front of them on the table. They then draw the top card from the deck, and pass to the next player. The next player must play 1-3 cards of the same suit that have a total value greater than the cards played by the previous player. (For example, if I play green pig cards values “6” and “5”, the next player must play 1-3 cards that have a total value of “12” or more.) If the player cannot play cards, they must lose a bucket of that color from their pyramid. If the player can play cards with greater value, play passes to the next player. If play continues all the way around the table to the starting player, the players may then add 1-3 cards and add them to their total already on the table (as long as they are of the same color). Play continues until one player must lose a bucket.

A player can lose any bucket from the pyramid, as long as it’s the same color as the played cards. However, if any buckets rest on top of the removed bucket, they also “fall” down, so it’s generally a good idea to remove buckets from the top of the pyramid if possible. If a player has no more buckets of the played color, they can remove any color bucket they wish. If a player removes a bucket that divides the pyramid into 2 pyramids, they must lose buckets until only one pyramid remains. After the player loses their bucket(s), all played cards are discarded, and the player who lost the bucket begins the next round.

The game is over when one pyramid is destroyed (2 pyramids for 5-6 players). At this point, each player counts up the amount of buckets they have remaining in their pyramids, and the player with the most is the winner. Players can play several rounds, with the player who has the most points being the winner.

Some comments about the game…
1). Components: The bucket counters are extremely high quality, being some of the best, thickest counters I have in any of my games. The colors of the buckets are fairly easy to distinguish, although it would be difficult for someone who is color-blind. The cards are less difficult, as each color has a picture of a different farm animal. The cards are good quality, with a somewhat lackluster backing but decent artwork on the faces. Both the counters and the cards fit very easily in a good-sized box (maybe too big?) that has a plastic insert that holds everything well. (The plastic insert has a big “bucket” to hold all the bucket counters – how cute…) For a simple game, it has high quality components.

2). Rules: This is one of the easiest games I have ever taught, and people pick it up quite quickly. A four page fully-colored, illustrated pamphlet explains the rules of the game. The rules are printed clearly – to the point of over explaining the rules (although that’s never a bad thing.)

3). Strategy: I really like this game because there are a lot of strategic decisions in it. However, the luck in the game is very prevalent, and the decisions don’t affect it too much. But I like these decisions because they teach newcomers to the hobby (and children) to MAKE these decisions, and the value of a decision made. For example, building the starting pyramid is a little strategic. It would be stupid to put all three buckets of one color on the bottom row, as a player could potentially lose a lot of buckets on the first turn. But at the same time, buckets of the colors a player has the most cards for should be placed lower in the pyramid, while other colors should be placed higher. There are also strategic decisions on what cards should be played each turn. Should a player play three cards, making it extremely hard for the next player to exceed their amount, but knowing that they will only draw one card to take the place of three cards they played – limiting their options later on? Players also learn to play cards that match buckets that are low on the pyramid of the player next to them, so that the player will lose more buckets. People who are good at counting cards played will like this game, as they can watch what cards people play/don’t play and plan their moves accordingly…

4). Portal Game: But I don’t find playing this game a challenge. I don’t think I would ever pull it out when with some serious gamers. The strategic decisions don’t offset the luck that much, for me to like the game. However, almost every card player that I’ve taught the game to LOVES it, and they learn about decision-making. This leads them into wanting to play more and more games, and I can then teach them more complicated – more strategic games.

5). Children: Most children’s games aren’t fun for adults, but this is one that covers the generation gap. Children pick up on the rules quite easily, and adults will find themselves hard pressed to defeat them. This game is truly a “family” game, and I plan to teach my daughter at an extremely early age.

6). Fun Factor: The theme is tacked onto the game – I mean, who cares about cows and pigs kicking over buckets? (Well, kids think it’s funny) But the game still provokes a light-hearted, enjoyable time. Almost everyone I teach it to wants to play another round immediately after the first one. A lot of yelling when a player must lose a low bucket occurs, and a lot of laughing by everyone else usually drowns it out. But the games usually come very close, so rarely does anyone leave the game thinking that they had no chance to win. It’s a fun, satisfying experience for those who play.

So I have to recommend The Bucket King highly. If you plan to entice others to joining this great hobby of ours, board games – then this is one of the best games to utilize. It works well for all ages, and is extremely short to teach, learn and play. The components are well-done, and the theme, though weak, helps a little. The decision making is what is most important about the game, as it is an excellent filler to teach beginners that not everything depends on the roll of the dice, or draw of the cards. Get this game, and teach others to love games, too!

Tom Vasel