- Publisher: 25th Century Games
- Players: 2-6
- Time: 20 minutes
- Ages: 7+
Gasha was written by Jason Levin, and illustrated by Christine Alcouffe and Miguel Coimbra. Published through 25th Century Games, Gasha is a card game designed for two to six players aged seven or older, and plays in around 20 minutes. Gasha is based on the gashapons or Japanese toy dispensers. Players will work to collect cards to match Gashas and earn points.
What’s In the Box?
- 75 Gasha Cards
- 35 Set Reward Cards
- 16 Bonus Tokens
- Setup
Setup
To setup and play Gasha, first shuffle all of the Gasha Cards together, and then deal each player four cards. Stack the remaining Gasha Cards into four even decks, placed face down in a central area in reach of all players. There will be an odd number of Gasha Cards, and so the decks won’t stack evenly.
Next shuffle all of the Set Reward Cards together and place them face down next to the four even decks of Gasha Cards. If you were are playing with five or six players, include the cards marked with a five or a six. Then, flip over four Set Reward Cards and place them under the stacks of Gasha Cards.
Finally, shuffle all of the Bonus Tokens. The number of tokens used will depend on the number of players at the table. For two players, use five tokens. For three players, use six. Eight tokens are used for four players, ten for five players and twelve tokens for six players. The tokens are placed face down, below the set Reward Cards.
Gameplay
Once setup for Gasha is completed, choose a starting player using your favorite method. Each player on their turn may perform one of two actions. They may either draw two Gasha Cards or they may trade in Gasha Cards for a Set Reward Card. If a player chooses to draw two Gasha Cards, they can draw both cards from the same gasha deck, or from two separate decks. Ensure that the player looks at the first card before drawing a second. Once chosen, the new Gasha Cards are added to the players hand. There is no limit to the number of Gasha Cards a player can have in their hand at one time. If a player chooses to trade in Gasha Cards, they will need to confirm they have all the Gasha Cards that match the icons on one of the Set Reward Cards. If a match is possible, the player discards the matching cards, picks up the Set Reward Card and places it in front of them. A new Set Reward Card is drawn from the reward deck and placed with the other three.
Bonus Tokens can be earned if a player has two Set Reward Cards that display half of a ticket. If both halves are of the same color, a player gains a Gasha Card from one of the four decks in addition to the Bonus Token. Once a Bonus Token is earned, it is placed on the pair of Set Reward Cards that earned the token. Gasha Cards may not be reused to earn additional tokens. Bonus Tokens may grant a player an additional turn, may be worth two wild Gasha Cards for future sets, or earn the player bonus points at the end of the game.
Once either of the actions is taken and Bonus Tokens or Gasha Cards are acquired, the next player begins their turn. The end of the game is triggered if the last Bonus Token is taken, the Set Reward pile is empty, or if it is not possible to make four Gasha Card decks. Once the end of the game is triggered, all other players take one more turn to ensure an equal number of turns were taken by each player.
Then scoring begins.
Objective
In Gasha, players are working to match Gasha Cards to the images on the Set Reward Cards. Players will earn points based on the number of stars shown on the Set Reward Cards they have collected and the Bonus Tokens they own that award points. In addition, they will receive one point for each Gasha Card left in their hand.
The player with the highest score wins. In the event of a tie, the player with more bonus tokens wins out. If there is still a tie, you’ll have to share your trophy with someone else!
Final Thoughts
Gasha is a great pick-up game that doesn’t require a ton of space to play. It is easy enough to set up on a coffee or end table if you don’t have a dedicated gaming space in which to play. Gasha was quick to set up and play, and its small box makes it a winning candidate for travel gaming. The concept of both the Gasha Cards and the Reward Set Cards feel similar to other games we have played recently, such a Top Waffle. However, the theme of Gasha provides a unique feel to the game.
I would recommend picking Gasha up if you are looking for a great game to start or end a game night with
