Pick 'n' Packers
- Board's Eye View
- May 1
- 2 min read
In Pick 'n' Packers from Oink Games, pairs of players take turns as co-pilots of a delivery drone while the other players bet on how successfully or otherwise the pilots will manage to control their drone. It's a game that's notionally for 3-7 players but we've enjoyed it most with at least four players so that there are always at least two people competing over their bets and with players having to work with a different co-pilot on each of their runs.
Tho' the game is themed around drones, you won't find any electronic remotes in Oink's characteristically tiny tightly packed box. That's because Pick 'n' Packers is first and foremost a dexterity game but one where pairs of players are having to work together. Once drones are loaded up with the presents that have to be delivered the pilots cannot touch the presents and they can only touch the drone itself with one finger. That means they must both push gently on opposite sides of the drone to lift it and move it to the next numbered landing pad, all the while keeping it level so that its cargo doesn't fall off. Trust us, it's not as easy as it sounds, tho' in our plays at Board's Eye View we found players usually got better at it the more they played. That said, when you change co-pilot you must expect to have to adjust to the physical pressure exerted by different players.
The idea is that everyone gets two goes as a pilot, so game length is very dependent on the number of players (around 5 minutes per player). The betting element means all of the players are engaged even if it's not their turn to pilot. Pick 'n' Packers is a simple enough game but it generates much hilarity. It's a game that children can play on equal terms with adults, and even quite dyspraxic youngsters will probably be at an advantage to their grandparents when it comes to maintaining steady hands.
Pick 'n' Packers is designed by Kaoru Arishima and the wooden and card components are of the high standard we've come to expect from Oink Games. What's more, we've had less difficulty than usual in fitting them all back into the compact box. So that's another win :-) Along with other Oink titles, Pick 'n' Packers is distributed in the UK by HachetteBoardgamesUK.
