In this quick and clever drafting game, players take turns choosing cards from the center and grouping them by color in their play space. At the end of the game, each player scores the color with the most cards and subtracts the score of the color with the fewest cards, aiming for a large gap to earn the most points.
GAP accommodates 2-6 players, ages 8+, with a playing time as short as ten minutes.
After removing colors based on player count, shuffle the cards and deal a hand to each player. Size of hand varies by player count.
Deal four cards face up in the center of the table and place the remaining cards in a draw deck next to this row of cards.
The first player must play one card from their hand face up into their play space. The number of this card determines what happens next:
- If one or more cards in the center match this number, the player must take them all and sort them into their play space by color.
- If no cards match this number, but there are cards numerically adjacent to the card played, the player takes the card immediately higher and the one immediately lower. This means that two cards are taken from the center at most. Sort these by color into their play space.
- If there are no matching or adjacent cards in the middle, the player must add their played card to the center to contribute to the draft row.
If, at the end of a turn, there are fewer than four cards to choose from, refill the row.
Turns continue in this manner until everyone has played all cards from their hands, thus ending the round.
To Score the Round
Players count the number of cards (not value) of the color with the most cards. (This is the positive score.)
Players then count the number of cards (not value) of a different color with the fewest cards. (This is the negative score.)
If there are ties for either grouping (most or fewest) add them together.
Subtract the negative score from the positive score, providing an overall round score.
It is possible for the overall round score to be negative.
If no one has reached the end game score, players shuffle, deal, and begin the next round.
Before starting to play, players should determine length of game: 15 points (short), 30 points (medium), or 70 points (long). The player who reaches the goal first wins.
We play many card games in our house. Right now, these games hit the table with the most frequency due to their quick set up and (usually) shorter play time. There has been no shortage of clever family-weight card games over the past couple of years, and for us, GAP is another welcome addition to this category of games.
What We Liked
GAP is very easy to learn, with a rule set that is very basic and teachable.
The concept of working the card piles to create a nice gap, make ties between the groups, and maximize the overall round score is a fun puzzle. Sometimes it’s advantageous to try to simply get rid of a card, rather than take cards into your groups.
There is a bit of luck with not knowing which cards will refill the draft row, and it’s fun when another player discards something you can use in your color groups.
We always played a short game, which consisted of (generally) 3-4 rounds. This was the perfect length of game for the three of us.
The age recommendation of 8+ is appropriate. While the game is simple, trying to strategically play to the card groups requires a bit of thinking.
What We Didn’t Like
The metallic foil design on the cards is eye-catching, but our lighting presented some issues with glare. My husband and daughter were particularly annoyed by this.
This was a fun, light card game that presented a nice little puzzle more enjoyed by the adult players than the kiddo. (Who was not interested in this game whatsoever after several plays.) It’s not going to be a favorite here, but it is a solid game that I am very comfortable recommending to other families who gravitate toward card games.
GAP would be a fun addition to the shelf for gamers who enjoy good card games to play with a variety of players, at a variety of experience levels.
Arcane Wonders provided The Family Gamers a promotional copy of GAP for this review.
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Age Range: 8+
Number of Players: 2-6
Playtime: 10 minutes