'How much for the Camel?' by Shawn Metcalf - 05/11/00
Lorna Dicken is doing a sleep-over at Kendall's house. This means that there will be a stream of children moving up and down the stairs for several hours. It seems only fair therefore, that Dicken and Carol should be invited over for a meal. Sandi has prepared something suitably low-fat, forcing Dicken and Kendall to smother potatoes with butter and consume enormous quantities of blue cheese. What's the use of drinking red wine if it hasn't any globules to break down? Dicken has made a trip to Esdivium games, delivering 'Kings and Castles' and 'Backpacks and Blisters'. Spiller's birthday is coming up, so it's time to buy him the sort of games we might like him to buy for us. Dicken has found a game called 'Castle' and yet another offering by Reiner Knitzier - does the man not sleep? More about these on another occasion.
Meanwhile, Dicken is very pleased to show his new game, 'How much for the Camel?' What pleases him most is that he bought it over the Internet for just $5 after reading about it in 'Counter'. It must be said however, that he hasn't got much in the way of components for his $5. Twenty-eight cards and an A4 sheet of rules, packaged in an envelope - which also contains a piece of cardboard to firm things up a bit. You have to provide your own money and 'Spit' tokens. Dicken has brought along $400,000 in $10,000 and $50,000 notes and we each receive $100,000 It's supposed to be just $100 but Dicken likes to play for big stakes. The Spit token is a Halma pawn (ex-'1500 Gold' stock), and we each get one. Dicken has already grappled with the rules and demonstrates his understanding by explaining them in a random order - a technique useful when dealing with old hands who need to be kept at a disadvantage. His knowledge of Bactrians plus Arabian and Saharan dromedaries manages to impress Sandi.
Sandi and Carol have always humoured their husbands' little hobby. They sportingly join in when asked and kindly go about their business when not. If cloth maps need sewing, they lend a hand on the machines, if boxes need shrink-wrapping they drive them to the Unit. Next week they are doing a sales pitch at the kids' school - who could wish for more in a wife.
"The future. Camels. Space bucks. You" . That's the description on the front of the envelope. Apparently all the other animals have died and all you can buy are camels. There are three types and they come in groups of one to four. The cards are then numbered 1 to 9, the higher the number, the more camels. Your camels are worth more if you have the largest herd (most cards of a type), a train (sequence of three or more) or a 'Big Three' (three cards of the same number). All in all it's difficult to know how much cards are worth - but that's what makes for a good bidding game. It doesn't take us that long to realise that this game can't be played without $1,000 notes. And we start again.
Dicken is feeling his way a bit. He is only collecting Arabian dromedaries. As everyone can see everyone else's cards (something to put right later) he is easily thwarted in his purchasing efforts. Bidding is just one round, so the last bidder has a big advantage. The only way to counter this is by 'Spitting' . You play your spit token and get an extra bid after the last bid. You can only do this once. Once all the spit tokens are played, you're left calculating how much money players have got left (we played with money visible - probably wrong again). The player purchasing the last card, bids first in the next round. For some reason this player enjoys the title of Space Merchant - all good fun, if easily forgotten. Sandi and Carol seem to have it right. They spend their money and run out first and second. Kendall and Dicken have tens of thousands of dollars left each. This is worth nothing; it's the camels what counts. Another hand is called for, this time with the camel cards kept hidden. The money isn't - why do we make such mistakes?
Why don't more people play games like this? You have a nice meal, drink some wine, learn some rules (or not) and away you go. Conversation becomes focused on niceties such as spitting, little frustrations are allowed to fester and at the end someone is grudgingly attested to having beaten everyone else. How civilised.
Kendall has opened a third bottle of wine, but through the inebriation there is a growing sense of the value of things. Bidding low and then spitting proves a subtle tactic, the Oasis (wild) card is eagerly bid for, players start to sell back their cards (a very neat rule, giving players chance to re-coup money and re-position themselves in the bidding round). This is a good game and we're enjoying it. Kendall wins, so a third (fourth) game is started. Kendall wins again - so we stop.
For interests sake, this last hand has been the best so far. Kendall finished with just five cards: the three 9 cards, the 7 Bactrians and the Oasis. But this gives a total of 32 points - a good score on the night. Dicken blames Sandi for not out-bidding on the Oasis. Kendall blames Dicken for selling back his 7 Bactrians.
Apparently you can play this game with nine players! Can't be bad for $5. Go on, treat yourself.
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