HEX HEX XL

Game by Smirk & Dagger Games
Published by Smirk & Dagger Games
Price paid: $35 (New)
Number of Players: 3-6 (best with 4)
Time: 15 - 75 minutes (Depends on how long YOU want it)


This fast-paced, quick thinking card game is a blast! I got my copy of the XL edition new from Amazon a week or so ago. The game box is solid and pretty, covered with alchemy symbols. The game overall has a sort of "understated-quality" type look and feel. The box comes with a plastic tray that has little compartments for each deck of cards, as well as places for the other pieces. Unfortunately, after I sleeved the cards they no longer fit in the tray. So my tray is in the trash, replaced with plastic baggies.

There are a TON of components for being such a simple game. The tokens and cardboard pieces punched out of their sheets so easily they almost fell out. No tearing or screwed-up edges at all. Smirk & Dagger did a fantastic job of thinking "Okay, if we make this rule, how can we make it easy for the players to keep track of?"

See, a typical game has each player holding five of the "HEX HEX" cards. Then the player to the left of the dealer calls out "HEX HEX: <someone's name>" and it is SO on. You slide a hex hex token at the named player, and they play a card that throws it at someone else. The new target then tries to deflect it, and so on. Some cards can deflect it and enhance it, or multiply it, or destroy it. We have had 4 and even 6 different hex tokens flying around at once. All the tokens move simultaneously, so there have been times when we had to hold still while we tried to figure out who was hosed. The goal of the game is to be the person who deflects a hex onto another player and it explodes on them. If you threw it at them, you gain points and they lose points.

Our play rounds sound something like this:

"Oh screw you."
"Nope, screw YOU"
"Crap, deflect across!"
"Turn aside right"
"NO COME ON!!! *Sigh* Draw fire"
Turn aside right"
"Gah! I'm out of cards. How much do I lose?"

Interesting (and reminiscent of college drinking games), the winner of a round of play gets to make up a rule for the rest of the game. We particularly liked "if your voice (points) is 0 or less, you may not speak until it is positive again". You will notice that there are some other cards up there. Most of the cards are "HEX HEX" cards, but there are about 25 "VEXED" cards, and maybe 15 "HEXEN STIX" cards. This is because the XL edition combines the original HEX HEX and it's first expansion. We have not used the "VEXED" expansion (it's designed for quick, 4-hand games), but we have played with the HEXEN STIX variant, and that is our favorite. You see the black and tan sticks? Well, you take as many of those as there are players minus 1. You place these in a circle in the middle of the table (make sure you have at least one of each color), and then you play as normal. There are some special "grab" cards that when played everyone has to try to snatch a stick from the center of the table. One person gets no stick. Then you draw a "HEXEN STIX" card and do what it says. It'll have 3 things, one for tan sticks, one for black sticks, and one for no sticks. Most of the tan sticks are really good, most of the black sticks are fairly good, and most of the no sticks are REALLY bad. It adds a fun element to the game when you're diving across the table to snatch a stick.

Art-wise, the game is pretty in its own way. Remember that "understated-quality" thing I was talking about?

Yeah. I like the gold-on-black look of the cards, the neat alchemy symbols, even the backs are nice looking. I wouldn't call it beautiful by any means, but it's a pretty good looking game... Like that girl in the back of the classroom who wears her hair down but when you actually look at it it's like a layered $200 haircut. Oh, and she's hot.

FUN: 5. This game is a blast. It's fun winning or losing.

THEME: 3. Yeah, okay, the theme is kinda fun, but honestly it could be about bombs
                   and still be the same game.

QUALITY: 4. Sturdy cards, strong box, quality tokens.

ART: 4. I hovered over a 3, but it really does fit with the game, and it does look nice.

INTERACTIVITY: 5. The definition of interactive.

COMPLEXITY: 2. This is not a super-deep thinking game. Read the cards in your hand,
                               know what they do, play.

LUCK: 4. It's a card game. There's a lot of luck.

I recommend HEX HEX XL to anyone who wants a game they can play with their friends. Everyone, gamer or no, who has played my copy loves it.