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Zar box art
1981 Ranked #16,958

Zar

First there was UNO. Well, first there was Crazy Eights, but never mind. Then came Zar which added even more viciousness. The "draw two" card in Zar is a colored Wasp. The trick is, if you play a Wasp in response to being zapped by a wasp, then the opponent to your left must draw...

Card Game

Players

2-8

Play time

Not listed

Age

6+

Complexity

1.8/5

Rating

6.68

Harder to teach Highly interactive Deep strategy

Group fit

At a glance

ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.

Teachability 2.4/5

Harder to teach

Replay value 4.0/5

High replayability

Interaction 3.7/5

Highly interactive

Player scaling 4.4/5

Scales well

Strategic depth 4.7/5

Deep strategy

Player control 2.8/5

Luck-sensitive

Table feel

Zar has a high level of direct confrontation and strategic depth in confrontation. Players need to frequently pay attention to and react to each other's strategies. However, the game does not emphasize cooperation as much.

Replay value

Zar has a high replayability score due to its strong variability in the gameboard, expansions available, strategic depth, scalability, and moderate easiness to learn. The game offers different experiences each time it is played, with multiple paths to victory and variable setups. The presence of expansions adds new content and gameplay elements, enhancing the replay value. The game allows players to improve their strategy over time, discovering new tactics and strategies. It adapts well to different player counts without compromising its appeal or balance. While it may take some time to learn, it offers a rewarding and engaging experience.

Luck profile

Zar has a moderate level of randomness impact, with random elements having a notable but not exclusive impact on the game outcome. However, players have substantial ability to mitigate randomness through strategic decisions and planning. The game has a balanced mix of luck and strategy, with the outcome primarily determined by player strategy and decisions, but with luck still playing a significant role.

Overview

First there was UNO. Well, first there was Crazy Eights, but never mind.

Read the full game description

First there was UNO. Well, first there was Crazy Eights, but never mind. Then came Zar which added even more viciousness. The "draw two" card in Zar is a colored Wasp. The trick is, if you play a Wasp in response to being zapped by a wasp, then the opponent to your left must draw 2 cards equal to the numbers of wasp cards in the stack, unless your opponent plays a wasp which would make the next player draw even more cards unless HE also played a wasp, etc. It's not uncommon for players to quickly draw huge handfuls of cards. There is a nice balancing mechanism however. If you can match an identical card that someone just played you can "match" the player by quickly discarding the card. The player who played the original card must draw one card and play passes to the next player from the person who laid the Match. So the more cards you have in your hand, the more matches you can make to get rid of them. Zar has a faster pace than UNO and constantly keeps you on toes to match your opponent's cards. This increases player interaction, excitement, and much more chaos. If even Zar becomes too tame for you check out The Totally Insane Card Game.

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Credits and catalog connections

Credits

Designers

1
Lynn Dalton

Publishers

2
(Self-Published) Daltoons Productions

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