I've played Gubs with my kids, as a family, and with adult friends and no one went away disappointed.

Gubs is a quick, light card game that's a little take-that, rewards cards played at the right time, with a twist of strategy and card interaction...oh, and a bit of luck in which cards come into your hand.

In Gubs, you're trying to have the most "Gub" cards (little creatures that are usually found under mushrooms) in play in front of you at the end of the game. During the game Gubs are placed in play--and exit almost as quickly--as players play cards to try and protect their Gubs from different attacks and disasters while playing those same tricks and traps on their opponents' Gubs.

The take-that element of the game is particularly family friendly, because of the quick movement of the Gubs in and out of the game. No matter what is played against you, you are usually back in the contention to win the game within another round or two. Kids quickly find out that it's not the end of the world when their Gubs are hit by a flood or stolen by a "ring."

Timing is a big part of winning in Gubs. The game ends instantly when the 3rd of three special letters cards (spelling out GUB)is drawn from the deck, so at first it seems like you should hold onto all your Gubs, then place them out in front of you at the last minute so that they can avoid any hazard cards. That works fine...until the traveling salesman in played and you have to pass all your cards but one to your opponent, or lightning is played and you must discard your entire hand instantly! There are a lot of twist and turns like this as you play that makes the end of each game uncertain until the very end.

Gubs gets more interesting the more you play. Underneath the obvious card play choices, there some fun combos you can experiment with once you understand all the cards that are available and what they can do. For instance, the first time you play, you'd never think of playing a hazard on yourself, but after playing a few times, you might play a hazard on your own Gubs to shield then from worse cards that can be played on them.

The other plus with Gubs is that Cole Medeiros (MrJade), the designer, is a very active poster and quickly responds to any questions you have about game play.

Everyone I've played Gubs with has wanted to try it again. It's nothing deep or serious, but it's quick fun with some unique elements that make it different than other family card games you may have played.

Hey Ninjabob. I agree with your post. As soon as I first played it I realized how good it would be for a family. I think the kids need to be about 8 or 9 because there's some reading required, but other than that there should be no problem.

Part of what makes the game so appealing is the theme and the cool artwork that accompanies it. Its part of what makes the game light and fun and is certainly a good conversation piece as well.