Lobby Snacks is a trick-taking game that, with its old school theater vibe, immediately smacks you in the face with nostalgia. You absolutely cannot play this game without “Let’s all go to the lobby” ringing in your head. This new card game was designed by Paul Salomon and Taylor Reiner and is coming to Kickstarter by 25th Century Games.
Tricky and Delicious
Players who are familiar with trick-taking card games will feel at home with Lobby Snacks even though this game breaks some of the pre-conceptions of the genre. There are three suits in this game (candy, popcorn, and drink) that are numbered -5 through 13. Yes, that’s a negative number. Each card also has a number of dollar signs on them that is very important for players to pay attention to.
In the center of the table is a number of prize cards that represent the number of tricks that will be played during a round. The prize card serves two purposes. The prize card will dictate the current trump suit and also contains a number of dollar signs that will add to your “score pile” if you win the card.
The lead player plays any suit they like and all other players can choose to follow with the same suit or ANY suit they would like. As a fan of trick-taking games, this definitely feels wrong, but you’re not cheating. You can play any card you’d like which gives you a lot of control in whether you win or lose a trick.
Managing Your Money
The player who plays the highest card value in the lead suit, or the highest card of the trump suit, will win the trick. Players will have two piles next to them during the game. A “spent pile” is filled with the cards that you used to win a trick. Your “score pile” is where you put those shiny prize cards and your opponents cards that were played during the tricks that you won. Play continues around the table until all prize cards have been claimed for the round.
Lobby Snacks is about moderation, just like knowing when to stop eating that XXL popcorn that you just paid $34 for at the theater. At the end of each of the three rounds of the game, players evaluate the number of money icons in their “spent pile.” Now, here’s the twist!
The player who spent the most money in the round will be labeled the “big spender.” This player doesn’t get to score any of the wonderful cards they gained in their “score pile.” They get a big X on the score pad while everyone else earns the number of points equal to the money icons in their “score pile.”
Big Spender
You don’t want to be the person at the table who blew all their money on snacks! The strategies in Lobby Snacks are really fun. Players are using their negative cards to intentionally lose tricks, sticking other players with negative money. Winning too many tricks can ruin a good score pile. Since all players can see the upcoming prize cards in the round, planning in this game is super important.
If you end up being the big spender in a round, don’t worry, you’ll do better next time (hopefully). At the start of the new round, players will get a reward card for every X they have on the score sheet. This special card is more powerful than any trump suit and the first reward card played in a round will win the trick. Winning a trick with a reward card is really helpful since this card only has a single dollar sign on it.
This catchup mechanic in the game works really well. Everyone at the table will know that you can win any trick you want going into the round.
Final Thoughts
The trick-taking genre of games has been crowded in recent years. Lobby Snacks does just enough to feel fresh and it has an incredible art direction that helps it stand out. How you manage winning tricks and which prizes you are going after matters a lot. I like the fact that players can look around the table to see who has spent the most money as the round proceeds.
I think Lobby Snacks is going to be a hit for players looking for a new card game that has enough strategy to keep things interesting. The little change of allowing players to play any card and not having to follow the lead suit gives so much flexibility to each player.
Winning a trick is not always the best decision. Things can get even more wild when two players tie for spending the most money, both earning the big spender status. Even when you play terribly, the game gives you a little grace with the reward card in future rounds. This is a game you should absolutely check out as the Kickstarter campaign launches in the month of April.
Check out the Kickstarter campaign for Lobby Snacks from 25th Century Games today.
A prototype of the game was provided for this coverage. Components and rules covered in this preview are not finalized. Read more about our preview policies at One Board Family.
