You may have heard of card games like “Exploding Kittens”, “Doomlings”, and “Here to Slay”…they are typically fast paced and somewhat competitive. Enter “Combustible Penguin”, an upcoming Kickstarter project with similar themes. Designed by Kyle S. over at Agartha Games, “Combustible Penguin” supports 3-8 players and takes about 10-20 minutes to play. Special thanks to Kyle for sending a press copy / prototype for preview purposes. Prototypes are not typically reflective of the finished product, so what you’re about to see / read may be subject to change. I’m also required by FTC regulations to disclose that I was paid to cover this game, however any and all opinions remain my own. The only thing paid for here was my time and expertise.
Components
My prototype copy included 8 reference cards, 11 event cards, and a plethora of cards ranging from 1-10. Each of the number cards had some sort of ability on them…more on that in a bit. Surprisingly, my game box folded out and instructions were printed on the inside covers. The card stock is fantastic…I’m no expert on card material but this felt slightly laminated and more thick than usual. Some CCG’s (*cough* “Star Wars Unlimited”) would do well to upgrade their card stock and match this game’s attention to quality.
Game Setup
To set up, someone shuffles the deck and deals 4 cards to each player, discarding event cards (without activating them) as they are drawn in favor of having all penguins in their hands. Players each choose 3 penguins to place face up in their tableau, forming their individual “clan”. Whoever has the lowest sum showing goes first, with turns going clockwise.
The Goal
The idea of “Combustible Penguin” is to be the last clan / player standing. If the game goes onto the point where more than one player has clans in their tableau and the deck runs out of cards, players continue until no one has cards left. If that happens, the players count the card values in their tableau and whoever has the highest sum wins. In other words, you want to be the only clan standing with tie-breakers going to the biggest.
Gameplay
A player, on their turn, will begin by drawing a card from the deck. Events are played and resolved immediately, though a player who does so can keep drawing until they get a penguin. There are reminders on the event cards to help prevent forgetfulness, which is nice. The active player can then choose to discard a card to activate that card’s ability OR treat the card as a penguin, placing it in their tableau / clan. In the case of the former (activating an ability), abilities that target and discard enemy penguins do so without activating the discarded penguin’s ability.
Note: The keyword “Combust” can target opponent penguins. When a penguin is discarded this way, its printed effect does not activate.
If a player, at any point, has no cards in their line, they’ll suffer an extinction event. They must IMMEDIATELY play a card from their hand to their line in order to stay in the game. I emphasize IMMEDIATELY as the player experiencing the extinction event must act out of turn to do this. When a player has no cards in their line OR hand, they may no longer draw cards and are eliminated (but other events may still effect them). Play continues clockwise from the player who initiated someone else’s extinction event.
This continues until one of the aforementioned endgame conditions are met.
Thoughts
The older I get, the more I’ve come to appreciate the easier to access games. For one, my mental capacity and patience is not what it used to be and two, the thought of me having to spend hours to setup a heavy Euro game actually deters me from playing at all. There’s something to be said for the lighter, easier to play games and this kind of game can be played quickly and with pretty much anyone.
After a bit of testing I didn’t see a reason that two players couldn’t play this title. Would it be more fun with a lot more players? Absolutely! Is it impossible to play with only two players? No. The game could be modified with some kind of 3rd player AI that does random things to players OR you could simply just play 1 vs 1. A solo mode isn’t included but could possibly exist given some rule changes and play testing.
While I appreciate the condensed rule-card, the game would definitely benefit from more in-depth rules in some places or an FAQ to clear up confusion. The Elimination section, for example, could use a bit more explanation. I had to email the developer about when extinction events happen (when a players has no more cards) and who goes next following the conclusion of said event. At the time of writing there is an official website for the developer’s games so this would be an excellent place to host an FAQ.
The game itself is fast and furious. Due to the heavy use of “take that” mechanisms I highly recommend parental supervision if kids are involved. This is the kind of game that you need to play with the mindset that “you’re going to lose”. No matter how much you plan or strategize, crap can (and will) hit the fan. It’s best to accept that this is not “Chess” and to go into it with a casual mindset. On the other hand, if you’re irritated with your in-laws for whatever reason…”Combustible Penguins” might be just what the doctor ordered.
It’ll be launching over at Kickstarter around July 30, 2025, so mark your calendars! The game is available over on Tabletopia if you’d like to try the game digitally first. Check out the below How to Play video as well to get a peek as to what the art and components look like! All relevant links are below.
—
Links
Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/agarthagames/combustible-penguin
Developer Website: https://agarthagames.com/
Tabletopia: https://tabletopia.com/games/combustible-penguin
—
How to Play