Card Catcher Review

boardgamequest.com:

As most regular BGQ readers know, I’m a big fan of those ticket-dispensing arcade games. From skeeball, to the addicting coin pusher, to that one where you throw balls at a clown’s head, I can waste hours collecting tickets for a bunch of crap I don’t want and will probably never use. While not really a ticket-despensing game, I have spent more time than I care to admit playing the claw grabber games. Move the claw, grab a stuffed animal, and hope the machine gods smile on you.

Why is any of this nonsense relevant? The mind of Brad Talton, Jr. (Millennium Blades, Pixel Tactics) and Level 99 Games have released their newest family/party game: Card Catcher. It seeks to grab the spirit of the claw grabber game and bring it to our tabletops.

Playing Card Catcher is very easy. The cards are tossed in a messy pile on the table and the start player grabs the coin. On a player’s turn, they take the coin and holds it in one hand, while placing their elbow (from the same arm) in their other hand. It’s kind of hard to explain, so just look at the picture on the right here. Got it? Good, all that’s left is to move your hand around (like the claw machine game) and pick your spot to drop the coin. If it lands on a card, you get to claim that one.

The first player to take 6 cards ends the game, and the player with the most points wins.

I feel like Card Catcher is a game that you will know right away if it’s for you or not. It’s silly fun, and not really a game you can take too seriously. Much like playing Rhino Hero, it’s a family game with some definite cross-over appeal. My kids adore it, but I’ve also played it with my parents, non-gamer friends, and even a few players with my regular gaming group. Everyone has had a good time with it and it was quite surprising how hard it can be to hit a card you are aiming for.

One thing I liked was that there are some diverse scoring cards in the game. Some are just worth straight-up points, while others are set collection cards, or grant