Duck & Cover
- Board's Eye View
- Jun 24
- 2 min read
When did rubber ducks transition from mere plain yellow bathtoys to being multi-themed collectibles? No matter. In this easy-to-play card game designed by Oussama Khelifati, publisher Captain Games have given artist Adrien Journel free rein to illustrate the rubber ducks on the cards in a whole bunch of costumes and guises. The different rubber duck designs don't in any way impact on the gameplay but they certainly add to this game's charm and appeal.
Duck & Cover isn't just the title, it's pretty much a description of the entire game. Each of the 2-7 players has their own deck of 12 cards. The cards all show a rubber duck but the operative details are the card's number (1-12) and its scoring value (1-5 splash points). Players each set out their cards randomly in a 4 x 3 grid.
Each turn a card is flipped from a central deck that calls a number 1-12 'bingo'-style. Players then move the corresponding number duck card to cover any adjacent duck. When the card is moved again, it takes with it all the cards it covers. Alternatively, a card with a number that's called can just be ducked over to an empty spot in your grid; perhaps because you've ended up with a stack that has no other cards adjacent to it or because you want to position a stack to give you more options on a subsequent turn.
Obviously as you cover your ducks you eliminate some numbers. When a number is called and you don't have it in your grid, you just call out 'quack'. If all the players say 'quack' to a number, that card is set aside. The round ends when a certain number of cards have been set aside in this way (how many depends on the player count) or when a player is down to a single stack. At the end of a round, players total the splash point value of all the cards still showing in their tableau, but if a player ends the round by creating a single stack then they take in negative points the splash points showing on the card at the top of their stack. Play for three rounds and, of course, this is a game where the winner will be the player with the fewest points.
Most players will instinctively try to cover the adjacent cards with the highest splash point values but if you think you're in with a shout at being the player who ends the game with a single stack, you might be tempted to push your luck and maintain your 12 card with its 5 spash value in the hope of netting a -5 score...
Tho' it's a simple party game that plays in around 15 minutes, Duck & Cover is a lot of fun at all player counts. It may look like a children's game, and indeed children can play and enjoy Duck & Cover, but you don't have to play it as a family game. If your experience is like ours at Board's Eye View you'll find you're playing Duck & Cover as a warm-up game with seasoned gamers and as a gateway game with non-gamers.
