Knock! Knock! game review

Knock! Knock!

General Information:
Manufacturer : Jolly Roger Games
Author : Bruno Faidutti / Gwenael Bousuin
Graphics : Jacob Elijah Walker
Number of players: 3-5
Age : 10+ years
Time : 15-30 mins.
Year: 2004

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Deutsche Spielerezension

Game Components:
15 Monsters - 15 Ghosts - 15 Vampires - 5 Nerds - 3 Grim Reapers - 2 Headless Horsemen - 5 Blank Cards - 1 Rulebooklet

It is Halloween and all players have to host a party. But party is not party - there are the good parties with many visitors and interesting fancy dresses and there are the boring parties - where the nerds go to. In this game each player tries to host the best party and the player who gets the most points is the party king.

There are 3 different categories of fancy dresses: Monsters, Ghosts and Vampires. Of each category there are different kinds of guests: Normal guests, Bouncers, Vamps and Rockers. Keep that in mind before you continue to read the review. All the other guest cards are special cards.

Before the game is ready to be started one player takes 4 normal guests of each category and shuffles them. Each player now draws two card and places them in front of him/her. The remaining cards have to be put back and all cards are shuffled. If there are fewer than 4 or 5 players some cards have to be removed: One Bouncer of each category if only 3 players participate. Then each player gets 4 cards. The remaining cards are the reserve-stack.

A start player has to be chosen and then each player always has one action: He/She (the active player) chooses a card from his/her hand and places it - facedown - in front of any other player and says "Knock! Knock!". That player may decide to open the door or leave it closed. If the player opens the door he/she must take that card and has to bear all the consequences (see below for further information). If the player decides not to take that card the active player himself/herself must take that card and has to bear the consequences. After this has been done the active player takes one card from the reserve stack and it is the next player's turn.

Now the cards have to be explained:

Normal guests: These are the cards with only the category symbols. Whenever a player turns around a normal guest he/she takes it and places it in front of him/her and nothing else happens.
Rocker: All Rocker cards have a note symbol. At the end of the game they double the points for all guests of the same category at the same party.
Bouncer: The Bouncer cards have of each category have a dumbbell symbol. This card protects all other cards of the same category from the consequences of Nerds and Grim Reapers.
Vamp: The Vamp cards of each category have a lips symbol. When accepted by the passive player the active player can choose one card from the passive player's display - of the same fancy dress category. If the passive player does not open the door he/she may choose one of the active player's cards. After it has been used the Vamp card has to be discarded.
Headless Horseman: The Headless Horseman has no special ability. He is "just" worth 3 points at the end of the game.
Nerd: When a nerd comes to a party all the members of the largest category - not protected by a bouncer - leave for the other player's party. The Nerd can be used by the active as well as by the passive player - if he/she does not open the door.
Grim Reaper: That card works the way as the Nerd with one exception: The guests are not going to the other player's party but are killed and have to be removed from the game.
Blank Cards: These cards may be used to create own guests.

The game ends when there are no more cards left to draw and after each player has used all his/her remaining hand-cards. Now the score has to be determined: Each player gets one point for each guest. He/She might get extra points for a Rocker or Headless Horseman at his/her party. The player who scored the most points wins the game.

(Troudi 23/02/05)

Further Information:
- Homepage of Jolly Roger Games

Troudi says 6 of 10 points:
"Knock! Knock!" is a nice game. It is a game about bluffing the other players. Corresponding to the minimum age for the game the rules are easy to understand and easy to explain. It is interesting to find out if the other players take your card or do not. Of course some kind of strategy is possible by not really trying to make the other players accept the cards you offer them. If they do not accept the cards the player himself/herself can use them. But that strategy is limited because in your hand there are not going to be positive cards only. Players can try to choose cards that - even when not accepted by the other player - do not cause so much harm at their own parties. Such strategies would have been possible if the end of the game was different: You can play your cards as tactically as you are able to - at the end of the game you have to get rid of all cards - no matter whether they are positive or negative. All in all "Knock! Knock!" is a nice family game and is really fun playing. Fun is the main intention of the game - players expecting a tactical card game should stay away from "Knock! Knock!".

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