Aua!

Ouch! comes in a tin box ;-)

In this colorful card game for 2 to 5 players aged 5 and up, it's all about collecting as many colorful cactus flowers as possible without getting pricked by their spines. A game lasts about ten minutes, and the rules can be explained in just a few minutes.

Game Setup

The 44 cactus cards are shuffled and stacked in the middle of the table. Six cards are laid out face down in a row. The more flowers shown on the back of a card, the more enticing the reward, but also the greater the danger.

Gameplay

The youngest player starts. Choose one of the six cards in the middle and decide from which side you want to reveal it – from the left, right, top, or bottom. If the chosen side shows a cactus: Ouch! You've been pricked and must discard the card. If it shows no spines, you take the card into your supply. Then, the row is refilled to six cards.

Desert Animals

Hidden among the cactus cards are desert animals with special abilities. The hissing viper ensures that the next player who gets pricked doesn't have to discard their card but must give it to you. The Fennec, the desert fox, allows you a second turn in a row, but you lose it if you get pricked during that turn.

Red Flowers

Red flowers are particularly risky: if you get pricked by such a card, you also have to give up another card from your supply. But the risk is worth it, as at the end of the game, the player with the most red flowers receives 5 bonus points.

Game End and Scoring

The game ends as soon as a player has collected eight cards or the draw pile is depleted. Each flower is worth one point. Additionally, there are 5 bonus points for the most red flowers and 4 extra points for each set of four differently colored flowers. The player with the most points wins.

For younger children, the game can be simplified by omitting desert animals or the penalty rules for red flowers.