Troll Trouble Preview

Christmastime. No longer strictly a Christian holiday, but yet a staple in American (and global) holiday traditions. The holiday designed to give gifts to loved ones, and send messages of love and hope to the world. This is exactly what they WANT you to think! We all know that Christmas is about getting the coolest gifts and indulging that raging temptation to peek at your gifts. But what’s this? A sentinel sent by ol’ Claus himself? Couldn’t be. Why would he care if you took just one tiny gander under this wrapping paper and… AGHHHHH!! The Troll got me!

Troll Trouble is a set collection, take that, card game for two to five players age four and up. In it, players will be attempting to sneak out of bed, down the hallway, and near the tree in order to grab a gift to inspect. Other players, however, may be Trolls laying in wait to sabotage your plans and gobble you right up by SLAPPING your hands away from the gifts. That’s right, this is a slapping game. As in, physical force and violence. Just in time for the holidays.

DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are preview copy components, and I do not know for sure if the final components will be any different from these shown. You are invited to download the rulebook, back the game through the Kickstarter campaign launching in December 2021, or through any retailers stocking it after fulfillment. -T

To setup, each player is dealt five cards from the shuffled deck. This will be the starting hands. The remaining cards are placed as a deck on the table. Depending on the number of players, a certain number of cards will be spaced face-down around the draw deck to act as gifts (this works out to two times the number of players plus one – 2x(p)+1). The youngest player will start the game, and slapping hijinks are about to ensue.

On a player’s turn they must first draw a card from the deck in the middle of the table. Then, they may choose to work on laying down a set of cards featuring either the boy or girl (or nonbinary persons framed by a blue or pink border). Whichever color border is chosen, the player must continue that line, first placing the Bedroom card, then the Hallway card, and finally the Tree card. These may be placed one at a time, in fragments, or all at once. Once the complete three-card set is displayed in front of a player, all other players are set on high alert.

If a player who has all three cards in front of them, and only when they do, reaches for a gift card on the table, any player who possesses a Troll card (terrifyingly shown below) may physically SLAP the player reaching for the gift. However, should the slap miss or otherwise never connect, the reaching player earns the gift and is one-third closer to winning – it takes three gifts to win the game. There are other rules in the rulebook for a player who goes all in on becoming the Troll and devouring the other players, but I will let you encounter and enjoy that experience on your own.

Once a player earns their third gift card, the game is over and they jump in ecstasy with mere welted skin and eventual bruises.

Components. This is, in this prototype form, a deck of glossy cards in a tuck box. I do not know what the final version will look like, but I imagine some updates or improvements will be made. However, what I received is a good quality prototype with sturdy cards that will be able to take hundreds of plays. The art style is almost Dr. Seuss-esque with the children, but somewhat scary Troll art. Now, I know this mentions that it is appropriate for children ages four and up, but I can see certain children of that age being frightened of that Troll art. I play this with my five-year-old and he is fine with it, so maybe I am just being a little too overprotective.

That said, as I do play this with my young son, I must admit that we have played this game a whole heck of a lot of times already in our short time with it. There’s something just instinctively fun about being able to slap one another because “its in the rules!” Trying to apply some sleight-of-hand and misdirection while grabbing the gifts is a fun little side game that we play at the table. Of course, he’s five and needs to win SOMETIMES or else I will lose a gaming buddy for a while. So I may concentrate on my hand of cards a bit too much and it allows him that second or third gift card. Every time we play this he’s got a big goofy smile on his face afterward and ALWAYS asks to play again. My hands may or may not be raw as I type this as he is a fierce competitor.

I have a couple things I wish were different in the game. First, when playing with two players I feel that each player continues through the game with lots of Troll cards in their hands at any one time. Maybe if there was a rule keeping several of the Trolls out of the deck during setup, it would negate this feeling of never really having much of a chance without absolute subterfuge. Another thing I wish was different is that when you commit to laying down pink/blue cards, you have to continue along that path. I wish there was a way to simply wipe your tableau and start with the other child if you aren’t getting the cards you need to complete your set. These are minor, but for our myriad plays, I have found these two little wish list items.

If you are in the market for a silly and quick card game that allows physical violence and the possibility of inhabiting a child-munching nightmare Troll, then Troll Trouble might just be for you. It can be played very quickly, or more laid back, and doesn’t really take up a lot of table space. Go ahead, add it to your game night list of Christmas-themed games to play with ol’ Gramma Millicent and watch her annihilate your hands with her super-slaps. Back it on Kickstarter in December, 2021!