Alles Tomate! (2007) Board Game

Alles Tomate!’ is a card game designed by Reiner Knizia and published by 999 Games in in 2007. The game combines elements of memory and open drafting, making it suitable for children as young as 6 years old. The game’s whimsical artwork by Gabriela Silveira adds to the fun and entertaining gameplay experience.

Game Components of Alles Tomate!

Topic Cards: 7 cards, each with a different background color and 7 thematically similar images.

Yard or Pirate Cards: Corresponding cards to the Topic cards, used for the memory game.

Deck of Cards: The main deck from which players draw cards to play.

How To Setup Alles Tomate!

To set up the game, lay the 7 Topic cards face up in the center of the table. Place a random Yard or Pirate card of the corresponding color by each of the face-up Topic cards. Players take a quick look at all the cards before turning the Yard or Pirate cards face down. Then, shuffle the remaining cards in the deck.

Gameplay Mechanics and Game Objective

Mechanics

Card Drafting: Players draw cards from the deck.

Memory: Players must remember the images on the face-down cards to match them with the revealed cards.

Game Objective

The starting player draws a card from the deck and reveals it.

Players shout out the name of the image on the face-down card that matches the background color of the revealed card.

The first player to correctly identify the image gets the face-down card as a victory point.

The game continues until all cards are drawn, and the player with the most victory points wins.

Player Experience

Alles Tomate is a simple yet engaging game that is particularly enjoyable for young children. It helps develop memory skills and concentration through its colorful and thematic imagery. When played by adults, it can be quite entertaining, though it may not be as challenging. The game is not suitable for color-blind players due to its color-based memory mechanism.

Pros

Affordable: Available at a reasonable price, roughly EUR 7.

Family-friendly: Suitable for children and adults to play together.

Develops Memory Skills: Helps improve memory and concentration.

Compact: Comes in a small box, easy to store.

Award-winning: Received an award from the magazine Spielen und Lernen in 2008.

Cons

Color Dependency: Not suitable for color-blind players.

Limited Challenge for Adults: May not be as engaging or challenging for older players.

Age Suitability: While rated for 6+, some children might find it harder than expected.

Personal Thoughts on Alles Tomate!

Alles Tomate is an excellent choice for parents looking to engage their young children in a fun and educational game. It is designed to support learning objectives such as Personal and Social Development, Language and Literacy, and Knowledge and Understanding of the World. The game’s simplicity and colorful theme make it appealing for family game nights, and its replay value ensures it will be a frequent pick from the game shelf. However, it may not be the best fit for players with color vision deficiency or those seeking a more complex gaming experience.

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