Chicken from Funbot: review, testing and criticism

As a chicken farmer, I try to build a harmonious chicken farm with different breeds of chickens in the game chicken. The card-based game by Giampaolo Razzino is published by Funbot. It can be played by one to four players and is recommended for ages ten and up.

Instructions and materials

Henen card game comes in a mini game box. I find the instructions to be well written and understandable. Typical images contribute to better understanding. The playing cards are made of very strong cardboard and are not easy to bend. With small details, the wooden rooster figures can be clearly identified as such.

How do I play chicken?

In Hennen I start with four cards in my hand and a rooster figure in front of me. A revealed quest card gives me the opportunity to generate additional points.

What do I do as well?

On my turn, I draw two cards from the draw pile or from another player's discard pile. I can then put a chicken in my chicken yard. Over the course of the game, I create my chicken farm using twelve chicken cards in a 3×4 or 4×3 grid. After playing six cards, I place a rooster character on my chicken deck, which is not the largest breed deck I have at the end of the game. Finally, I throw the chicken card out of my hand onto my discard pile.

How do I place chicken cards?

I can only play with the chickens next to my chicken yard. I also have to follow two rules for investing. If the chicken is the same breed as the chicken I want to tag, I can tag it regardless of its number. If you run a different breed of chicken, an adjacent hen may only be placed if the number shown is higher or lower. If I cannot or do not want to play the Chicken card, I must place the card face down with the back facing up. The chicken coop shown on it gives minus points at the end of the game.

End of the match and registration

The game of chickens ends once the last player has played his twelfth card. Victory points are awarded to the largest group of hens if they are not larger or the same size as the rooster's group. Everyone gets points for the breed of hen with the character of a rooster. Medals that appear on cards also generate points. Task cards are scored and I get a minus point for each chicken coop I have in my grid. Whoever has the most points wins the game.

How do I feel about playing with chickens?

At first glance, this game seemed like a very simple card placement game. Play a bit of cards and raise chicken breeds. However, with each card placed in the grid, more and more tricks are added.

I enjoyed the game with any number of players.

If there are more players, the choice of cards I can take is greater. However, there is also a greater possibility that the cards will be snatched from under your nose. With planning well in advance and with a bit of tactical skill, Hennen is a fun and slightly sophisticated family game for me, and is fun for players both older and younger.