---
title: "ESSAY: Indie Game Essays – The Art of Filling Space, Games 08"
description: "Game designer Ahn Min-woo unpacks three cutthroat card games perfect for summer downtime. Why cards remain board gaming's most versatile component—and how they combine with pieces to unlock wild psychological play."
published: 2019-07-31T00:00:00+00:00
author: "ONDA 편집팀"
category: "Insights"
image: "https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65a9fd0cb0aeafc8102acbdf_62e7676fc95a77f7d81c21c6_5e94293eb499e56797df3003_img_0258-e1565342882253.jpeg"
canonical: https://global.onda.me/en/blog?slug=essay-dogribgeim-esei---gongganeul-caeuneun-yesul-geim-08
locale: en
---
# ESSAY: Indie Game Essays – The Art of Filling Space, Games 08

### **08. Three to Four Players: Cards**

**Writer: Ahn Min-woo, CEO, Argergames**

**Editor: Somora, Manager, ONDA**

**Photo: Yuhwagalang & Studio Sio**

![](https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65a9fd0cb0aeafc8102acc0e_62e7676fc95a77928b1c21cd_5e94293796104657db7f2f06_screenshot-2.png)

![](https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65a9fd0cb0aeafc8102acc0b_62e7676fc95a773afe1c21cb_5e942937961046e3857f2f05_screenshot-1-1.png)

Hello, I'm Ahn Min-woo, CEO of Argergames. These days I'm staying in Gumi for new work, and I'm enjoying how much quieter it is than Seoul. Up until a couple of months ago, being in Gumi made me restless to travel somewhere. But in this sweltering weather, all I want is to relax aimlessly—lounging around with cool fruit and board games.

So for this installment, I've picked some card games that'll help you beat the heat with tighter, more cutthroat gameplay. These are even sharper than last time's lineup. Let's dive into today's recommendations.

### **What Makes Card Games Special**

This month's theme is games built around cards you hold in your hand. Cards are **the most fundamental component in board gaming**, for a simple reason: they can carry a ton of information. Just look at a deck of playing cards—suits, colors, numbers, and special effects all in one. You can add vibrant art, text, icons, and vary size and quantity with minimal constraints.

What's more, the three card games I'm featuring today show **how playing cards combine with other components to unlock fun and variety**. Of course, some card games can get incredibly complex, but today's picks are light, clever, and gorgeous. I've chosen games that'll make you laugh out loud, with artwork and components so pretty you'll want to display them. Depending on how you wield your hand and interact with the game's pieces, the flow of play can shift dramatically. Welcome to the fierce world of high-stakes psychological card battles.

---

### **_1. Tiki Topple_**

**01 Game Introduction**

First up: **Tiki Topple**. This is an **extremely light, laugh-out-loud card game of psychological warfare**—perfect as a starter or appetizer. And I have a story about Tiki Topple. One day, three or four guys took a taxi all the way from Gangnam just to play this one game. I was floored.

A man called my café out of the blue and asked if we had Tiki Topple. I said yes. He said, "I'm in Gangnam right now. I'm taking a cab over." Then he hung up. The moment he arrived, he asked how much. I said 2,000 won. He looked shocked. I thought, "Why? That's a standard board game café rate." Turns out, he and his friends loved the game so much they wanted to buy it for an upcoming trip. I was thinking, "Wait, Tiki Topple is *that* good?" After that, I refined how I explain it, and now it's a go-to opener for groups of three or four looking for psychological card play. As for those guys? We only had one copy, so I couldn't sell it—but they played Tiki Topple and a bunch of other games before heading home. Sound good? You should be excited by now.

**02 How to Play Tiki Topple**

The rules are simple enough for elementary school kids. But "simple rules" doesn't mean "easy to win." If you want to savor the game's depth and execute real strategy, you'll need psychological tactics, card counting, and a poker face—minimum.

To set up, place the totem pieces in the center of the table. Each totem has a symbol on the back. **The key rule: stack totems with the same symbol in a single column**. The order within a symbol doesn't matter, but don't mix symbols—this affects game balance, so stick to it.

Each player picks a colored deck of cards and places their matching player marker at the start of the score track. Every deck has: two 1s, one 2, one 3, one Tiki Topple card, and two Tiki Toast cards—seven total. In a two-player game, you use all seven. With 3–4 players, remove one 1 card, leaving six per player. Then each player draws one secret mission card from the central deck, showing which totem you need to end up in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place. **Keep your mission card hidden**—if opponents figure it out, they'll sabotage you.

On your turn, **play one card**. Every card affects the central totem line:

**1. Number cards: Pick a totem and move it up the line by the number on the card.**

**2. Tiki Topple card: Pick a totem and drop it to the very bottom of the line.**

**3. Tiki Toast card: You can't pick—immediately eliminate the totem at the very bottom.**

Play passes clockwise. **Tiki Toast cards** shrink the totem pool one by one. **The game ends when only three totems remain, or when everyone has played all their cards.** Reveal your mission cards and score based on how well you matched the final totem rankings.

Scoring is straightforward: if your mission card's 1st-place symbol matches the actual top totem, you get 9 points. **Partial credit applies**: if your 2nd-place symbol is in the top two, you get 5 points; if your 3rd-place symbol is in the top three, you get 2 points.

Move your marker along the score track accordingly. Reset for a new round, with the next player becoming the new start player. **First to 35 points wins**, or the highest scorer after a number of rounds equal to the player count.

**03 Strategy**

Obviously, **keep your mission card firmly in mind and think ahead**. If your key totem—especially your 1st-place target—sits near the bottom, it's at high risk of elimination. But you can't obviously protect it, either. "The nail that sticks out gets hammered"—if you telegraph your mission, opponents will Tiki Topple or Tiki Toast your totem into oblivion.

Since everyone holds their entire hand from the start, you can't blame "bad draw luck" when you lose. **Plan your game carefully**. Late in the round, calculate your card usage so you don't fall into a self-inflicted trap—like having only a Tiki Toast left when you desperately need to protect your own totem. **Prepare Plan A and Plan B**, and deploy your poker face.

**04 Visuals**

Tiki Topple's rapid tempo and shifting tides make it a breezy experience. The visuals match: **casual, vibrant, and fun**—you really feel like you're playing with totems. I own an early edition, and the totems are noticeably heftier than the newer Korean version—whether that's better manufacturing or cost-cutting, I'm not sure. I prefer the weightier feel.

![](https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65a9fd0cb0aeafc8102acc32_62e76770c95a7783dc1c21d5_5e94293765892b198018a43d_190627_onda-014-1.jpeg)

![](https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65a9fd0cb0aeafc8102acc2f_62e76770c95a77602f1c21d0_5e94293736c30b70c4e8bc58_190627_onda-017-1.jpeg)

A light, laugh-out-loud psychological card game perfect as an opener: Tiki Topple

---

### **_2. Botswana_**

**01 Game Introduction**

Botswana's rules are actually *simpler* than Tiki Topple's, but the psychological tension runs deeper—which is why I've placed it second. Put another way: **explanation quality matters a lot** for this game. You need to highlight what makes it fun *during* the rules walkthrough, or players might not click with it. At my café, it sat pretty on the shelf for ages because of its packaging. Once the Korean edition came out, I gave it a proper demo—and the response was great. Interestingly, I thought younger players would love it, but while everyone enjoys their first game, interest fades quickly with kids. Adults, on the other hand, really dig into the psychological nuance and keep coming back.

**02 How to Play Botswana**

As I mentioned, the rules are simpler than Tiki Topple's. Start by setting out the adorable animal meeples in the center. There are five species—rhino, elephant, lion, leopard, and zebra—five of each. The deck has cards for each species, numbered 0 through 5 (six cards per species, 30 total). Shuffle them and deal evenly to all players. Any leftover cards stay face-down and out of play.

On your turn, **play one animal card face-up to the center**. Then **take any animal meeple and place it in front of you**—it doesn't have to match the card you just played. The next player does the same: play a card, take a meeple. If your card matches a species already played, stack it on top, **but don't cover the numbers** on the earlier cards. When all six cards of any one species have been played, the game ends.

Scoring is the clever bit: take each species you collected. Multiply the **number of meeples you have** by the **number on the top (most recent) card** of that species in the center. Do this for every species in front of you, sum your totals, and the highest score wins.

![](https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65a9fd0cb0aeafc8102acc25_62e76770c95a77f0cb1c21cf_5e94293765892b03cd18a43c_190627_onda-013.jpeg)

![](https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65a9fd0cb0aeafc8102acc35_62e76770c95a7754a41c21d7_5e94293706600f5dd7dc78e4_190627_onda-022.jpeg)

Botswana, with its strikingly detailed animal meeples

**03 Strategy**

Not much to the rules, right? Without sharp psychological play, Botswana can feel flat—so reactions vary. To win, you need to **track when each species will run out of cards**. Player actions can end the game fast or drag it to the final card. **Your hand is your leverage**, so managing timing and information is crucial. That's where bluffing and posturing become the fun.

Beyond bluffing, **opponents' meeple collections directly affect their scores**. Those meeples are the seeds of their strategy—watch and interfere. The number on the top card matters as much as the count of meeples, so disrupting opponents is essential. Like Tiki Topple, you hold all your cards from the start, so planning matters—but Botswana adds a twist: **it's a shared deck**, not individual decks. That means you can deduce opponents' hands: "They're playing *that* card? What must they be holding?" A well-timed final card can crater an opponent's carefully hoarded points, so **read their strategy**.

Oh, and since there are 30 cards, a four-player game leaves two out. I actually like that **element of uncertainty**—so at my café, I recommend removing one card per player in a three-player game, leaving three unknown cards. Adds spice.

**04 Visuals**

Botswana used to be hard to find, but the Korean edition—released as *Wild Safari*—has been out for a while. That said, I prefer the original title. Botswana is a country in southern Africa, and the visuals instantly evoke the **vast African savanna**, don't they? Best of all, instead of generic wooden tokens, you get **realistic animal meeples**. Line them up and they're **adorably detailed**. I used to worry someone would pocket them, but luckily, knock on wood, we haven't lost any yet.

![](https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65a9fd0cb0aeafc8102acc38_62e76770c95a77fe501c21d3_5e942939961046295b7f2f08_190627_onda-023.jpeg)

![](https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65a9fd0cb0aeafc8102acc21_62e76770c95a772bac1c21d1_5e9429393338328d52438bc0_img_0251.jpeg)

Simpler than Tiki Topple, but with richer psychological tension baked in.

---

### **_3. B.o.N (Boast or Nothing)_**

**01 Game Introduction**

The final game is **B.o.N**, developed in collaboration with an artist. It's the hardest of today's three, but also the deepest—worth playing again and again. B.o.N belongs to the **trick-taking** genre, and learning one trick-taker is an investment. **Trick-taking is a classic, storied genre** full of fantastic games. Even within the genre, each title has unique flavor—you never get bored, and once you understand the basics, learning new trick-takers is easy. Plus, trick-taking sharpens the core card game skills: counting, timing, bluffing. That foundation helps you learn *other* card genres faster. And B.o.N exemplifies what I love most: **minimal components, maximum depth**. Lots to juggle, intense number battles. Ready to dig into **B.o.N**?

**02 How to Play B.o.N**

In B.o.N, we're competitors in the World Championship Boasting Battle, beer in hand. Components: rank tokens, numbered cards (1–11) in three colors, four pass cards, player markers and sheets, and a score track. Randomly stack three rank tokens (red, blue, yellow) in the center. Token colors match the boast card colors: red = ability, blue = experience, yellow = money. The higher the number, the more outrageous the boast depicted.

Each player picks a marker and player sheet, placing the marker on the score track's starting space. Deck composition depends on player count: three players use cards 1–7 per color plus two pass cards; four players use 1–9 plus three pass cards; five players use the full 1–11 range plus all four pass cards. Shuffle the deck and deal **seven cards per player**, leaving two cards face-down as a wildcard. Each player draws one secret mission card showing which animal they need to finish 1st, 2nd, or 3rd. **Keep your mission hidden.**

Play starts with "whoever drank most recently" and proceeds clockwise. On your turn, **play one card**. The first card's color is the **prime color**—all subsequent players must follow suit if they can. If you want to set the prime color, you need to win a trick and become the new lead player. If you can't follow suit, you may play any card. (Pass cards are the weakest and can be played regardless of prime color.) Once everyone has played a card, the trick ends. The player with the strongest card **takes the trick**, flips it face-down in front of them, and becomes the new lead.

Determining the strongest card is trickier than usual. Look at the rank token stack: **top token is the strongest color**. Within the current trick, the highest number of that color wins. Other colors lose regardless of number—color trumps number. Pass cards are colorless and numberless, so they're always weakest. **Crucially: when someone wins a trick, the winning color's rank token drops to the bottom of the stack.** That boast theme has worn out the crowd's patience. The winner leads the next trick. Track how many tricks you've won—there are seven per round.

When all cards are played, the round ends and scoring happens. Here's B.o.N's unique twist: **you only score if you take the exact number of tricks for your player count**—three-player = 3 tricks, four-player = 2 tricks, five-player = 1 trick. More or fewer? Zero points. **One big exception: if you take *no* tricks at all, you look so cool you get 2 points.** This scoring quirk creates a fascinating dynamic. At first, everyone avoids tricks. Then, once you start taking them, you scramble to hit your exact target. **Strategic pivoting** is key.

Continue playing rounds until someone reaches 5 points total and wins. The victor has earned free beer from the other players, having dominated the boasting battle.

![](https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65a9fd0cb0aeafc8102acc50_62e76770c95a77b8b71c21d4_5e94293973fd9d6165898499_img_0256.jpeg)

B.o.N: Minimal components, maximum strategic depth

**03 Strategy**

Trick-taking's defining trait: the lead player sets the color, and everyone else must follow suit if they can. Once everyone has played one card, that's a **trick**. Whoever played the strongest card **takes** it and becomes the new lead—hence, **trick-taking**.

What makes B.o.N different? **Card color rank changes based on player actions, and there's a specific target trick count for scoring.** You have to track which colors have been played *and* anticipate rank shifts. Should you avoid tricks entirely to grab 2 points, or carefully hit your target number? If you pivot mid-game, timing is everything.

If you're new to card games, this nuance might not land immediately. B.o.N's logic rests only on cards and rank tokens, yet the game runs deep because **psychological warfare is intense**. All players need a solid grasp of the game for that tension to shine. You must read the whole game—from initial deal to final trick—and make split-second calls. This **compelling game design** means three players get tight, strategic play, while 4–5 players turn it into a raucous party game.

**04 Visuals**

**B.o.N** was designed by Korean game designer Jeong Yeon-min, with artwork by Korean artist Mr. Misang. The concept—World Championship Boasting Battle—means both mechanics and art are witty and playful. This **harmonious blend** makes the game feel cute and invites you to boast and joke around as you play. The aesthetic matches the vibe perfectly: quirky, hip, and especially notable for the characters' impressive mustaches.

Most card games can't afford unique art for every card due to cost—they reuse one illustration with color or pattern variations. B.o.N gives every card its own art. Red = ability boasts, yellow = money boasts, blue = experience boasts, each with a tiny story. Watch how the boasts escalate as numbers climb—pass cards even show someone who drank too much beer and had to hit the bathroom. High-quality card stock, gold-foiled wooden components—**top-tier production**. The front of the box features nothing but the artist's work—no typography, no images, not even a publisher logo. All info is on the back, so the front showcases pure art. **Beautiful enough to display anywhere**.

![](https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65a9fd0cb0aeafc8102acc3b_62e76770c95a778aa71c21d2_5e94293965892b369118a43e_181210_sio_bg-3160_small.jpeg)

The "World Championship Boasting Battle" concept makes both game logic and artwork witty and playful.

---

**Fine.**

From **Tiki Topple** to **Botswana** to **B.o.N**—there you have it: my curriculum of 3–4 player card games that resonated most over five years and thousands of guests. Card games feel more familiar than other genres, so they're easy to pick up—but they lack the depth for marathon sessions. Best enjoyed as palate cleansers between longer games. For detailed rules, check each publisher's official rulebook or community sites (BoardGameGeek, etc.). Next time, I'll recommend games for larger groups—beyond three or four players. See you then.

![190627_ONDA-012.jpg](https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65a9fd0cb0aeafc8102acc4b_62e76770c95a7782041c21d6_5e942939333832248a438bc1_190627_onda-012.jpeg)

Thank you to the wonderful photographer who shot these

[@siostudio](http://www.instagram.com/siostudio)  
[http://studiosio.co.kr/](http://studiosio.co.kr/)

**\[Series Index\]**

[2019.01 Introduction](https://onda.me/magazine/25/post/1975)  
[2019.02 Two Players: Abstract Strategy](https://onda.me/magazine/26/post/2100)  
[2019.03 Two Players: Psychological Warfare](https://onda.me/magazine/27/post/2205)  
[2019.04 Two Players: Cards](https://onda.me/magazine/28/post/2260)  
[2019.05 Special: Big Games](https://onda.me/magazine/29/post/2293)  
[2019.06 Three to Four Players: Placement](https://onda.me/magazine/30/post/2367)  
[2019.07 Three to Four Players: Deduction](https://onda.me/magazine/31/post/2413)  
**2019.08 Three to Four Players: Cards**  
2019.09 Multiple Players: Bluffing  
2019.10 Multiple Players: Negotiation  
2019.11 Multiple Players: Mafia  
2019.12 Reflections

![bon.jpg](https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65a9fcffe5026815bf760650_62e766b9ab6135417325b14f_5e8a8a4b4fbaea73a7254a1e_bon.jpeg)

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