In the card game Gloschli you become an exterminator. Because the point is to get rid of vermin as quickly as possible and as much as possible – and to push them to other players.
The city of Bern is known for many things: its beautiful old town, the seat of the Swiss government, the discovery of the special theory of relativity by Albert Einstein, the Bernese Oberland and much more…
Definitely to be added to this list is the iconic card game Gloschli, which originated here! Some sources even claim that Gloschli used to be played by Alpine people with real insects. Because that’s what it’s all about: getting rid of bugs and accumulating as few points as possible.
I got to know Gloschli with friends living in Switzerland, who are all (children as well as parents) downright addicted to this game. For me it was an unexpected discovery and the enthusiasm quickly spilled over.
What is the game about anyway?
What makes its appeal?
And for whom is the purchase worthwhile?
The answer to these questions and more, you can read here in my full review.
The higher the score, the faster you should get rid of a card.
Lots of points are a bad thing in Gloschli, though, because in each round the goal for everyone is to be the first to have 5 points or less. So the goal is to get rid of the cards with high points and replace them with cards with low points.
It is played until the score of a person exceeds 100. The winner is the one who has the fewest points.
At the beginning of each round, each player is dealt 4 cards face down. The remaining pile is placed in the middle and one card is turned face up next to it. Now everyone may discreetly look at 2 of their 4 cards and memorize them.
Process of a Round
The player whose turn it is must decide: From which pile do I draw?
If you draw and immediately discard a card from the deck that has a card action, you may (but are not required to) use it. However, you cannot perform a card action on a card that is discarded from your own cards.
In this way, one tries to reduce the number of one’s own points. The first person to suspect that he has 5 or less shouts “Gloschli” loudly. All the others get another turn, then it’s over and the cards are turned over and evaluated.
Some of the cards have an action symbol. You can perform these actions by drawing a card from the deck and discarding it directly. There are a total of 8 actions, or 4 pairs of actions. An action pair has the same symbols only once black on white, once white on black. The actions on a white background are performed with your own cards, those on a black background with the cards of one or more other players.
For example, the symbol “circle with a dot in it” on a white background means the action “eye”, on black “spy”. When performing the action “eye”, you may look at one of your own cards, with “spy” at the card of another.
There are also the actions “Super Eye” and “Super Spy”, “Deception” and “Confusion”, as well as “Blind Swap” and “Swap”. For a full description, see the game manual.
In addition, there are the already mentioned 6 special cards. These are divided into 4 heroes and 2 combos.
The heroes are called “Chötzli”, “Glubschi”, “Pferd” and “Isbär” and all have a value of 0 points. They also have certain superpowers. For example, “Glubschi”, when drawn, can also be played as an action and allows you to look at all your own cards.
The combo cards are more dangerous, because they only unfold their good effect if you also have a 2, 3 and 4 in your cards. Otherwise they count a hefty 15 points! However, if you have the combo, not only does your total score magically drop to 0, but you also give your fellow players a handicap for the following round. Depending on the card, this means 1 card more for all others (“Plus 1”) or all others are not allowed to look at any of their cards at the beginning (“Blind”).
The 2 combo cards can be a curse or a blessing...
The basic idea or the game concept of Gloschli combines several features of other games in an original way. It has in common with Memory that you have to remember which card is where, both your own cards and those of the other players. Of course, the fact that you have to get rid of cards, play actions and shout out a certain word just before the end is strongly reminiscent of the classic game UNO. The cards with different animals on them, worth different amounts of points, again made me think of the game Mammuz.
For all the similarities with other games Gloschli still has its own unique feel. The card game has me pretty quickly under its spell. First of all, it takes a few rounds until you have memorized all the actions and special cards, but the time passes like in a flash and quickly you are in a real Gloschli flow.
The idea of the game is quite simply brilliant for me and also ensures maximum fun. The game manual is available online and is easy to understand and well explained. You can also find game variants like “Züri Style” or how to play Gloschli in pairs on the Gloschli website.
The game's packaging comes across as rather plain.
Regardless of the price, I would recommend Gloschli almost unreservedly to anyone, because it’s just great fun and through the variants is also provided for variety. Especially people who love card games in the style of UNO or Phase 10 will enjoy it. Like all pure card games Gloschli is due to its compactness also great as a travel game for the road.
Here you can order the Berner game directly from the publisher.
“A downright addictive iconic card game from Switzerland that combines aspects of UNO and Memory in an original way.“
Whether it’s Gloschli or another game – have fun at your next game night!
Do you love discovering new games? Do you like to tinker, go on excursions, or try out new activities like escape games or climbing parks? All these are good reasons to stay a little longer on Abenteuer Freundschaft and browse through our wide pool of ideas.
On our website you can discover a variety of leisure tips for friends, for couples and families with children. And if you want to support us and stay up to date in the future, follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest!
*This post contains so-called affiliate links (referral links). This means that if you order a product through such a link, we may receive a small commission. The price of the product will not change at all for you! This way you can support our work while shopping 😉
Similar Posts
Advertisement
Similar Posts
Looking for a really good, simple dice game? These 10 are among the best, entertaining games.
From acting skills to dexterity and courage to creativity, these varied tasks call for all kinds of talents.
Everyone knows it: Truth or Dare, the game where you have to reveal secrets, perform embarrassing tasks and everyone has a blast – at least as long as it's not their turn...
Have you always wanted to open a detective file and solve an old case? In this cold case game you have to slip into the skin of Harry Bosch and Luther alone or together and shine.
How well do you really know your friends? In this friends' question game, you'll discover new sides to even your best friends and learn some secrets!
Get into conversation with people you hardly know quickly. And learn amazing things in the process. It's surprisingly easy with get-to-know-you bingo.
We have detected that you are using extensions to block ads. Please support us by disabling these ads blocker.