Despite needing to head over to the Cheapass Games site for the rules (in highly printable PDF format), Renfield is a devilishly tricksy but fun group game. You get a very high quality deck with this purchase, and if you get a 99 cent deck case here also, you can print the rules, fold them, and put deck and rules nicely together in the case. So what's the game like? As noted, the Cheapass site has all the game's rules available for free, but like most really great games, the play's much more than the rules lead you to believe. The official description correctly implies that Renfield is like Hearts and Poker had a love child in a graveyard. It's not difficult to learn the rules, but Renfield's up there with Bridge for strategy. Maybe it's a little tougher. I find Renfield's theme amusing enough that I'm grinning while my head is furiously working out how to win in the long run. The depth and card art put this at a teen-and-up minimum age. A Renfield night could replace a Poker night, but be sure everyone's ok with extra thinking. Bugs and body parts are also part of the game's theme. Think of them as leggy dots and broken statue bits instead if you'd like. Yeah. Renfield's a creepy strategic betting trick taking blast of a card game. As much as I enjoy the game, I docked a point off my review for not having rules included.
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