USD ($)
EUR (€)
There are games that drip with theme, games that attempt it, and then games that use it as a thinly veiled excuse to screw your mates over. Crossing is firmly in the last camp. A game that at one time was hard to get hold of, Crossing sees you literally pointing the finger.
When you do point a finger, though you will leave your own treasures woefully unprotected...
Crossing
The box for Crossing comes with a whacking great mushroom displayed on the front. Mushrooms have literally nothing to do with this game outside decoration. In the box, you'll find six player mats, mushroom tiles, a velvet bag and a load of gems.
Each player takes a mat and places them white bordered side up. You then place out one less mushroom tile than there are players. Onto these mushroom tiles are placed gems according to placement rules - if there is no gem on a tile you place two, if there is already gems present place one. Gems are drawn randomly from the bag.
Double Crossing
To win Crossing you need to collect gems. A transparent gem will score you two point whereas singles of blue, red and yellow gems score one point each or five points for each set. Players will signal they are ready and after a count of three will point at a tile or player mat with gems on. In the first round this will only be the mushroom tiles, but later in the game, you are able to point at gems on a player mat too.
You can only move the gems to your player mat if you are the only person to point at a tile or mat containing gems. If anybody else does this, none of you collect. Remember there is one less mushroom tile than players, so at least one person is missing out!
Once you have gems on your mat you have a choice, risk snatching more and leaving your stash vulnerable or covering it with your hand. This protects your stash from pointing fingers but also means you will spend the next turn 'banking' your gems.
Banking means you flip you player mat over to the side showing some whimsical fantasy transportation method (like a snail) and sit the next turn out. Your gems are moved off to the side and are now safe for scoring at the end of the game.
Crossy Road
So Crossing is very simple. And that's the beauty of it. Within one turn everyone gets it. They start looking at their friends and family in a different light. Will Grandma showing her flagrant disregard for subtly and caution and refuse to bank the whole game, daring people to point at her stash? Uncle Bob always plays safe so he's likely to bank each turn. And you desperately need some yellows to complete some sets but everyone else knows that, so do you double bluff and go for more reds and blues?
Crossing is a game that makes you evil. Not just feel evil, it literal darkens your soul as you play it. There was the time when I told my fellow players that if we all pointed to different mushrooms we'd all get what we wanted. But what I really wanted was my brother's unbanked stash, and while he pointed the way we'd agreed I snuck in and stole his hard-earned gems. There is the time I pushed my luck too far trying to grab more gems from a mushroom but was saved because everyone else pointed at my player mat.
The simple gameplay leads to the right kind of agonising decisions. When you need more gems but you also know if you don't bank you could end up with nothing. Obviously, this is one of those games that is more fun and more chaotic with more players. Three players works and can be enjoyable but there can be a team up mentality where one player is picked on more, or to always help your buddy. Of course, this can happen at any player count but is particularly noticeable at three.
The game box is a little large for the components but not the worst I have seen. The value here for the fun and gameplay you will get is spot on. A cheap, fun, quick game of deception is an easy recommendation from me.
Nick can also be found at Board, Deck & Dice
