Cows are not exactly the smartest creatures, so they need strong leadership. One hunter is usually not enough for this and he needs some sharp dogs to help. Then the cows are suddenly obedient. But one thing is to hear the commands and the other is to bring them into reality. If somebody yells on you, but big flies are buzzing around your head, you will not be able to do it all alone.
From the environment of cattle and pigs takes off new card game called Kuhno. The main role here is a fly that likes to sit on brown piles that leave cows behind. The game was created by Thierry Chapeau and Alexander Jung provided illustrations. A small box was finally released in 2016 by Zoch Verlag.
A small box with an angry cow indicates clearly that it will be the cards, that are main focus in here. There is a total of 64 pieces of them inside, come in square shape and contain five different cows altogether. They differ in their looks and numbers. The most common is the grazing cow, while the rarest is milking cow. But all have picture of a cow’s poo somewhere. At the beginning of the game, these cards (which fortunately do not stink) are shuffled and each player is given seven of them. Rest will create drawing deck, picture side down, in the middle.
Players alternate in turn and each time they select one of their cards from their hand and place it next to the center pile from one of four sides. Starting player has the unique option to choose any one of four positions, while other players must follow his pattern and gradually circle around the package with their cards. Placing cards, however, requires one more rule. The new cow must have a spot on the back on the same place, where fly is sitting on the card in the middle.
Gradually, as vacancies disappear, players will overlap cows, that have already been played. It may also happen, that the player does not have a suitable card in his hand. This is also the only time, when he can get a new card from the deck. If he can not play even afterwards, his turn ends.
Different types of cows also have different effects. An exception is pasture cow, that has no skills. Others allow a player to attack an opponent, force their turn skip, draw more cards from the deck or change rotation. Or, on the contrary, it will bring a positive effect to the active player and allow him to play another card according to the classic rules.
Only when the end of the game is near, it will get really interesting. Once a player plays his penultimate card, he must accompany it with cow sound. Although it starts as „moo“, it gradually changes whenever a cow appears in the game.
Players are guarding each other for mistakes and they can blame each other for not moo-ing. This is, where the title „Kuhno“ slogan is used. The round continues until one of the players succeeds in using his last card and making no mistake when doing it. Everyone else keeps their cards as punishment points. Then they will play more rounds – as many as there is opponents in the game. Player, who has the thinnest penalty pile becomes the winner.
Kuhno looks and acts as an action party game, but instead it is classic turn-based one. Players have time to think about their action – which card should they choose from their hand. Gradually, this selection narrows and thus increases the difficulty of playing new cows to the common circle.
As the cows are circulating around, they start to cover each other. And this is where room for mistakes is created. You do not pay attention for one and suddenly you can not be sure, which card of those four was the last one played. And such an error is also counted and follows punishment in returning card back to player hand. There are more mistakes to be made: a badly turned cow, missing spot or the most classic one, forgetting to do a sound. Whether the players are confused or forgotten, it is not surprising that it happens.
The game is really easy and it is largely a matter of coincidence. It’s just the spots on the back of the cows. If you have few cards in your hand, you do not have much choice and the wrong fly position can cause unnecessary loss of turn. That’s why players have a clear intention to hide their cows with more spots as long as possible. But at the same time, they also have to take into account special capabilities of the individual colors, because it is possible to worsen chances of other opponents.
The game is played in turns, but it still goes quite fast. One round can usually be played in about five minutes if some of the participants does not think too long about his game. Experience is certainly better in presence of more opponents, because there is more room for mistakes and match is more interesting. However, you also have to count with increase in the duration.
Design and illustrations are nice, if you do not mind the presence of the cow’s poo on the cards. It is surprising how many parents are sensitive to such a thing. Well, since Kuhno is focused on younger players, it can be main decision point.
Kuhno is a game that is heavily influenced by chance. But because it is intended primarily for audiences younger than ten years, it will not be such a problem. The game is rather fun and putting the cards around the central deck is quite original. The game is primarily about attention and sounds. Kuhno is a solid children’s card game.
| Designer | Thierry Chapeau | |
| Artist | Alexander Jung | |
| Publisher | Zoch Verlag | |
| Year Published | 2016 | |
| # of Players | 2 - 5 | |
| Playing Time | 20 | |
| Mfg Suggested Ages | 8 and up | |
| Category | Card Game | |
| Family | Admin: Better Description Needed! | |
| Primary Name | Kuhno | |
| Alternate Names | Moono |
Infos courtesy of boardgamegeek.com. More Infos.
