Wouter & Ymke 
Fika is a card game that simulates the experience of running a street café. The concept is derived from the Swedish tradition of ‘fika,’ which refers to taking a break and having coffee or tea with pastries. In Fika, two players compete by efficiently arranging cards in their cafés and tactically manipulating their opponent’s cards.
👥 2 players, ages 10+
🕰 Playing time: 20 minutes
📝 Designers: Pieter Van Gompel
🎨 Artwork: Beth Sobel
🏢 Publisher: Gam’inBIZ (Dutch version)
https://gaminbiz.nl/
Fika is played in a series of 2 to 3 rounds. In each round, players place cards in their cafés. Players earn coins at the end of each round based on the cards in their cafés. The player who accumulates the most coins at the end of a round wins that round and the first to secure victory in two rounds is declared the overall winner of the game.
☕ At the beginning of each round, players determine the primary and secondary suit colors. These colors will serve to break ties during the card-playing phase. Tokens are stacked to remind players of the color selections, with the primary color on top.
🍰 During the card-playing phase, players simultaneously select and reveal one card from their hand. If a player’s card has a higher number than the opponent’s, they place their card first in any empty slot in their café. Each card has an effect that may be resolved immediately upon placement. If the numbers on the cards are the same, the order in which the cards are placed is determined by the stack of suit color tokens. This process is repeated until each player has five cards in their café.
🔢 After the cafés are full, players review the objectives on each card, tallying the coins earned from meeting these objectives across all cards. The player with the most coins wins the round and receives a tip card. The ultimate goal is to be the first player to win two rounds.
📇 The café cards are numbered from 1 to 6 and have unique effects and objectives. For instance, the card with number 1 allows a player to swap one card from the general supply with one card in either café after placement. The objective of this card is to earn five coins if there are at least two cards with the same number adjacent to each other in the player’s café at the end of the round.
Another example is the card with the number 6, which allows swapping up to 2 cards in either café after placement. This card aims to earn nine coins if at least four cards of the same suit are in the player’s café at the end of the round. Additionally, there is a special feature where, during scoring, if a six is opposite a 1, the six must be counted as a number between 2 and 5.
Fika is a 2-player game that will delight anyone who appreciates tense and interactive gameplay. Designed by Pieter Van Gompel, the game comes with appealing and soothing artwork by Beth Sobel, which perfectly complements the theme.
⏱️ The game is marked by its straightforward rules and quick pace, with a typical session lasting around 20 minutes. The calming theme belies a tactical, thinky game where you must carefully consider each move. While starting with a good hand of cards is beneficial, the real key to success lies in adapting to the shifting dynamics of the game.
🔢 The game features numbered cards (1 to 6) with unique effects and objectives, contributing to a diverse and replayable experience. Throughout the game, you’re not only considering the action your card can perform but also strategizing to fulfill as many scoring conditions as possible.
🃏 Consider card number 2. After placing this card, you can exchange one card from your café with one from your opponent’s, creating unexpected turns and keeping both players on their toes. This high level of interaction, due to the ability to meddle with your opponent’s cards, adds an engaging element to the game. Moreover, the game becomes more intriguing with the special feature of the number 6 cards: during scoring, if a 6 is opposite a 1 in your opponent’s café, it counts as a number between 2 and 5. This unique rule can influence the scoring of other objectives and lends an exciting twist to the game.
💰 Placement is crucial in Fika. Positioning a group well can lead to significant coin earnings, making effects that allow you to place or move a group can be essential. The coins earned from completing a card’s objective can be doubled or even tripled, depending on the group’s orientation, allowing them to play a significant role in scoring.
📦 Compact and portable, Fika is a well-crafted game that packs a lot of tactical decision-making into a small box. It encourages plenty of player interaction, making every game an exciting challenge.
📝 Please note that we received a review copy of Fika from the publisher, Gam’inBIZ.
