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Maskmen

Very notionally themed around Mexican Wrestling (hence the facemasks), Maskmen is a card game from Oink Games that uses what's come to be known as a 'ladder climbing' mechanic. You win a round by being the first to get rid of your hand of cards (15 cards apiece with 2-4 players; 12 with five players; 10 with six players) but what cards you are legally able to play depends on the relative rankings of the wrestlers as determined by the cards played previously in the 'season'.



Maskmen is designed by Jun Sasaki and Taiki Shinzawai. It's actually easier to play than it is to explain, but if a player plays a card representing the red masked wrestler then unless the next player passes they have to play two cards showing another wrestler. This establishes that that wrestler is stronger than the first. If the next player is able to lay down three cards showing another wrestler, then they will be deemed stronger than the two-card wrestler. After three cards have been played, you start a new round but the relative rankings that are already in place remain in force for the season. In this and any subsequent rounds, you can play cards for a wrestler whose strength has not previously been played or you can play them for a wrestler who is known to be stronger than the previously played wrestler.



With three or more players, the game is played over four seasons and, in each season, the first player to play all their cards wins 2 points, the second player out gets 1 point and the player in last place earns a -1 point penalty. If you're playing with just two players then there's no pre-set number of seasons; instead the game is won by the first player to win three seasons.


Maskmen makes for an interesting filler-length game which feels quite unlike any other. As with other Oink titles, it's distributed in the UK by Hachette Boardgames.






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