Guillotine is by far one of my favorite card games. Although it can be played with up to 5 people I prefer playing it with 2. Guillotine is my go to game when I have some time to kill (pun intended) and want a quick and easy two person game to play.
The first time I played Guillotine was with my sister at a AFK Elixirs & Eatery (don’t bother looking the place up it this location has since closed.) I had so much fun playing that I bought my own copy and because it’s so awesome have since bought the game for others as a gift. Guillotine is very easy to learn and once you get the hang of it, you can squeeze in a game or two in 15-30 minutes. The humorous French Revolution theme art alone makes the game worth having.
Description:
Each player is a guillotine operator and the objective is to collect the most heads (points) executing nobles over a period of three days (rounds.) Some nobles are worth up to 5 points and others worth negative points can count against you. Each round you line up 12 nobles and each operator takes a turn playing an action card, taking the next noble in line then drawing a card. The action cards, in most cases, change the order of the line which helps to either snag a noble worth more points or put your opponent(s) at a disadvantage when their turn comes around. Some actions end the day (round) early or act as a point modifier adding or subtracting points from a player’s totals score.
Pros:
- Quick to learn
- Great filler game when you have a few minutes to spare
- Fantastic two person game
- Family friendly (if you can get past the slightly morbid theme)
- Nice artwork
Cons:
- Fold up cardboard executioner with guillotine insert unnecessary and makes for odd packaging when putting the cards away
- 12 cards lined up in a row can take up a lot of space (consider breaking line of nobles into multiple rows)
- Some may not consider it family friendly with cards such as “Piss boy” or more macabre cards like “Fountain of blood”
Overall I really enjoy playing Guillotine and imagine it something I’ll continue to enjoy many years from now. I’ve owned the game a couple years and have yet to get tired of it. That said, if Wizards of the Coast ever decides to come out with an expansion to this game I’ll be the first to head off (see what I did there?) to the store and pick up a copy.