June’s Culture Trip learning German games has taught me so much about the country and it’s residents.
Our European friends are known for their beer, pretzels and lederhosen. But, further research revealed German families love to play games. Pubs provide boardgames and households have ongoing competitions.
My friends and I tackled a couple spieles (games). Here’s what we learned.
Schokoladenessen
This party game is easy and yummy. The name translates to “chocolate eating.”
You’ll need the following:
- A scarf.
- A pair of gloves.
- A wool hat.
- One die.
- A knife and fork.
- A chocolate bar; preferably German chocolate. If your local markets don’t have any, here is a link to delish German chocolate online. This is the one I bought — Schogetten German Assorted Chocolates.
- 2-6 players.
Players sit in a circle at a table. In the center of the table is a die, hat, scarf, gloves and chocolate bar on a plate with utensils.
Each player takes a turn rolling the die trying to roll a six.
When a player rolls a six, they quickly put on the hat, scarf, and gloves. They unwrap the candy bar to eat with the knife and fork while other players are rolling the die trying to get a six.
When an opponent rolls a six, they take the hat, scarf, and gloves from the other player, put it on, and proceed to eat the same candy bar with utensils.
This continues until the chocolate bar is completely eaten. Whichever player finishes the candy is the winner.
It’s fast paced and very funny watching players try to use a knife and fork while wearing gloves. I rate the game a 9/10.
Adel Verpflichtet (Hoity Toity)
Klaus Teuber, a German game designer, created the board game in 1990. It was released in English a year later. The latter version is also named “By Hook or Crook.” It won Germany’s Game of the Year.
You’ll need the following:
- The board game. I ordered mine online. Here’s the Amazon link to “By Hook or Crook“.
- Here is the eBay link to “Hoity Toity“. They are both the same game.
- Bluffing skills.
- Playing time over 45 minutes.
- 2-6 players, ages 12 and up.
Players represent members of a prestigious antique club. The objective is for one player to acquire the most expensive collection of art either by purchasing or stealing.
The rules are extensive and take awhile to understand. Here’s the condensed version. There is an auction house and a castle. Each turn, players choose to leave the antique club and go to either the auction house or castle.
If they go to the auction house they can bid on an item, or send a thief. The thief can steal all the the money players use for bidding. But, if another player has also sent a thief, then neither is able to steal the money and the auction proceeds.
If players go to the castle they can display their obtained items which allows them to move around the game board towards the end goal of arriving back at the antique club. Or, they can send a thief to steal an item in the castle, thus not having to pay for it. Lastly, they can send a detective to arrest other players’ thieves, if present.
Suffice to say, it’s convoluted. The better you know your opponents, the more players can tell is they’re bluffing. I rate the game a 7/10.
Doppelkopf
This is a popular card game in Germany, with tournaments played around the country and the German Doppelkopf Association overseeing the competition. The first newspaper reference to the game dates back to 1873.
You’ll need the following:
- A deck of Doppelkopf cards. I purchased mine online. Here’s the link: Doppelkopf cards.
- Skill.
- Four players.
The deck consist of 48 cards, with all cards below nine removed.
Each of the four players is dealt 12 cards. As with Hoity Toity, the rules are comprised of pages explaining queens of clubs (yes, there’s multiple) as Die Alten — the old women; Obers of acorns; players declaring hochzeit — wedding; Lustsolo free solo, the bid of Re or Contra and so, so much more.
A friend of mine from Germany mentioned people in his country play Doppelkopf for months before grasping the complexities of the rules. Because of this, I’ll leave the game for those more daring and I have no rating.
With any of these games I recommend serving German snacks while playing. This rounds out the experience. Bratwurst, potato salad, sauerkraut, pretzels, and cheese on pumpernickel bread, are just a few ideas.
Related Posts:
Culture Trip: Twelve Countries, Twelve Traditions.
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