I love a good game with solid mechanics. And there are a lot of different types to choose from, and even some games that go out of their way to give you multiple ones together. Today we will be taking a look at a game that explores some dice placement, action selection and set collection all in one fun experience on the table. Here we will see mechanics that we already like mixed and combined into something unlike anything I have played. Let’s take a look at these and much more in the game Gem Hens!
Gem Hens is published by Grey Fox Games and Social Sloth Games and designed by Patrick Marino and Jim DiCamillo. Design by Tyler Myatt. Gem Hens plays 2-4 players in 30-60 mins.
Overview and Gameplay
Each player begins with a player board and Egg board and the chicken action dice of their color. The Yard board is placed in the center of the table and the Farmer pawn is placed on the feeding schedule. Each chicken starts on one space on the chicken coop outside the 6×6 grid on the board.
Gem Hens is played over 3 rounds. At the end of the third round player calculate the point value of the Egg features and the highest total wins. Each round consists of 3 phases:
1-Grain Throwing
2-Chicken Dice Rolling
3-Chicken Actions
1-Grain Throwing Phase:
Here the Farmer pawn moves and shows the rows and columns the should be marked. Dice are rolled for both the rows and column and one grain germ is placed in each intersection where the rows and columns met. If there are more than one dice, add another gem in that intersection.
2-Chicken Dice Rolling Phase:
Once all of the gems are added, the chicken dice rolling begins. All players roll at the same time while the timer goes. You may re-roll as much as you would like until the time runs out. Once a die is placed on the board it is locked. When time runs out all dice must be placed on the number they are last rolled at.
Once all dice re rolled, the 6’s are re-rolled and the numbers are added together for playing order. These new numbers are placed on the board.
3-Chicken Actions Phase:
In pecking order players take turns using one of their dice to carry out an action. All dice must be used in the round. Movement dice allow chickens to move in a straight line and if you get to position where you can shove you may spend an additional movement die to apply the moment to the blocking chicken.
When a chicken pawn ends on a yard space with one or more grain gems that player must take the gems and add them on their Egg board. These gems may be placed anywhere on the Egg board with only one type of grain gems on each row. Pink gems may be used anywhere as wilds but will make the rows worth less.
Higher numbers 4 & 5 allow you to scratch the ground and look for buried gems. These are placed on a row or column and will add more gems based on their intersections with other dice. 6’s are allowed to be used as any face acting as a wild.
Once all players have used all the chicken dice the round ends. At the end of three rounds the game ends. Players score points based on completed rows on the Egg feature. Players lose points for each unused gem based on the type. The more rare ones are more negative points. Pink imperfections are negative points in completed rows and positive points if they weren’t used.
The game also comes with advanced rules that allow you to add Power Clucks that will give each player a unique ability. Every round a new one is picked by players. You can also play with fighting to try and steal gems from other players as well.
Impressions
Gem Hens is a pretty game on the table, the gems literally make this game shine. It is a solid game choice for those looking for a game for the whole family-my son and I enjoyed it as much at two players as we did at larger four player counts. I found the game easy to teach and understand and would imagine that kids as young as grade school age would get this and be able to do well with it. That being said, the game has some definite “take-that” type of moves as players can dump gem grains on each other that they may not want. This has proven to be a frustrating for younger players.
The game has a high level of chance as the gems are picked out of the bag before they are placed. There are variable amounts of the gems in the bag but the chance of what gets picked and when is still there. For players who do not like chance in their games be warned-you can’t plan for that aspect of this game. I think it helps keep the game a little more open for kids and adults to play together as it isn’t a mid-max type of setup.
Overall I would recommend this one for families looking for a good game to bring to the table with colorful and fun components that will keep both kids and adults alike entertained. The quick game time and ease of getting it on the table really make this one stand out as a great addition to any family collection!
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