How To Play An Embarrassment of Pandas
An Embarrassment of Pandas Game Rules (PDF Instructions)
2 - 5
Players
12+
Ages
30 MIN
Play Time
$26
Price
An Embarrassment of Pandas is an entertaining card game where players attempt to be the highest bidder on particular groups of animals in a specific order. Action cards make this game very unpredictable yet very re-playable. You'll try your hardest to have the best bid all while your plan gets foiled by the player next to you.
This card game is easy to learn how to play and is best played by two to five players. You'll learn all the correct names for different groups of animals and have a blast playing this lighthearted yet partially strategic game. Purchase your copy of An Embarrassment of Pandas today.
Board Game Capital's Review:
(2018-08-06)
Why on earth is this game called An Embarrassment of Pandas? Well, just like a group of wolves are called a pack and a group of birds are called a flock, you guessed it - a group of pandas are called an embarrassment. We don't usually start off a review on a sour note but the only thing this game has to do with pandas is the art work on the back of 80% of the cards. The rest has to do with using bamboo (the money card) mixed with action cards to win the highest bid on other groups of animals.
Now that we've vented on the slightly misleading theme (how embarrassing), once we gave up on what this has to do with pandas, we loved it! We really, truly loved it! This simple card game is packed with strategy, good luck and very bad luck. A quick read through the little tiny rule book and you'll be off and playing in minutes.
Each player must play at least one card on the three animal cards each round (again, some of the animal cards aren't even animals...). This will either give you points or take them away. The order you play your cards determines what happens and others can foil your plan to be the highest bidder. Essentially, you take your best shot and what you think is your best strategy and watch it get destroyed or improved. Even the worst possible bid might win. The suspense of what is going to happen next was our favorite part.
Back to the theme. The art work is cute and the cards look nice. The illustrations are nice and the clarity and purpose of each card is easily understood. The previous version of this game was called "highest bidder" in which players used money to win different paintings. This makes sense but the cards were not nearly as colorful and fun as this one is. Perhaps a different title like "Zoo Builder" or "Animal Collections" or "Animal Control" would be more clear with "money" instead of bamboo.
Keeping score is suggested in the game rules as turning your cards a certain way to keep track. We just used a piece of paper which was way easier to remember. There is an optional score card that isn't included in the game that would be super nice to have and looks nicely made. For the price of the base game and the optional score card, paper or the card flipping technique works fine.
One more thing we really liked is the simple point and money system. The highest point card and money card is 5. You're not bogged down by hundreds or thousands of units. Granted things can get doubled and cut in half but the math is fairly easy.
In summary, An Embarrassment of Pandas is a fun, suspenseful and strategic card game with some random good and bad luck. It plays relatively quick with a fun surprise on the last round. This card game could be played by just about any type of game player out there and they'd have a good time playing it.
This game should come with the following components. These are based off of the original game and don't include components from any expansion packs or different editions. Depeding how when your game was released, it might contain slightly different items than those listed below.This card game is easy to learn how to play and is best played by two to five players. You'll learn all the correct names for different groups of animals and have a blast playing this lighthearted yet partially strategic game. Purchase your copy of An Embarrassment of Pandas today.
Board Game Capital's Review:
(2018-08-06)
Why on earth is this game called An Embarrassment of Pandas? Well, just like a group of wolves are called a pack and a group of birds are called a flock, you guessed it - a group of pandas are called an embarrassment. We don't usually start off a review on a sour note but the only thing this game has to do with pandas is the art work on the back of 80% of the cards. The rest has to do with using bamboo (the money card) mixed with action cards to win the highest bid on other groups of animals.Now that we've vented on the slightly misleading theme (how embarrassing), once we gave up on what this has to do with pandas, we loved it! We really, truly loved it! This simple card game is packed with strategy, good luck and very bad luck. A quick read through the little tiny rule book and you'll be off and playing in minutes.
Each player must play at least one card on the three animal cards each round (again, some of the animal cards aren't even animals...). This will either give you points or take them away. The order you play your cards determines what happens and others can foil your plan to be the highest bidder. Essentially, you take your best shot and what you think is your best strategy and watch it get destroyed or improved. Even the worst possible bid might win. The suspense of what is going to happen next was our favorite part.Back to the theme. The art work is cute and the cards look nice. The illustrations are nice and the clarity and purpose of each card is easily understood. The previous version of this game was called "highest bidder" in which players used money to win different paintings. This makes sense but the cards were not nearly as colorful and fun as this one is. Perhaps a different title like "Zoo Builder" or "Animal Collections" or "Animal Control" would be more clear with "money" instead of bamboo.
Keeping score is suggested in the game rules as turning your cards a certain way to keep track. We just used a piece of paper which was way easier to remember. There is an optional score card that isn't included in the game that would be super nice to have and looks nicely made. For the price of the base game and the optional score card, paper or the card flipping technique works fine.One more thing we really liked is the simple point and money system. The highest point card and money card is 5. You're not bogged down by hundreds or thousands of units. Granted things can get doubled and cut in half but the math is fairly easy.
In summary, An Embarrassment of Pandas is a fun, suspenseful and strategic card game with some random good and bad luck. It plays relatively quick with a fun surprise on the last round. This card game could be played by just about any type of game player out there and they'd have a good time playing it.
- Inside The Game Box Are 99 Cards
- Official An Embarrassment Of Pandas Game Rules And Instructions
If you have the most points at the end of the game you'll win.
Please keep in mind that the official An Embarrassment of Pandas PDF rules listed below could be different depending on the game version you have. These instructions are some of the exact directions that came in the original packaging and will teach you how to play. Download them to view now or print them for later use. No need to worry if you've lost your copy or if you need a quick refresher course.
Share with us your comments, funny stories, tips, advice, strategies, creative ways to play, questions about playing, problems with the directions or anything you want about An Embarrassment of Pandas. All submissions will be reviewed within 24 hours.
No comments have been submitted. Add yours today!
No comments have been submitted. Add yours today!
Here are some other games you might like to play at your next get together. Learning how to play new games can feel daunting at first but once you get the hang of it, it can be really fun to try out new games. You can also use our search feature at the top of the page to search for a specific criteria that might interest you. Who knows - you might just find your next favorite game.
Booty Dice
Skyjo
Blink
3Up 3Down
Booty Dice
Skyjo
Blink
3Up 3Down
