Unexploded Cow

Steven and I discovered a wonderful new game called Unexploded Cow.

It’s a little like Killer Bunnies, but faster and simpler.

Europe. Summer. 1997. You and your friends have discovered two problems with a common solution: mad cows in England and unexploded bombs in France.

You’ve decided to bring these two powderkegs together just to see what happens. And you wouldn’t say “no” to a little money on the side.

So round up your herd, march them through France, and set them loose behind the Cordon Rouge. If you’re lucky you’ll come home rich before Greenpeace figures out what you’re up to.

Either way, there’s something magical about blowing up cows.

Unexploded Cow is a card game in which players invest in mad cows, and then reap rewards as they rid the French countryside of leftover bombs.

Steal a cow, explode a cow, put a spy cow in someone else’s herd — player with the most money after the Sudden Death round wins.

It’s good stuff, and I recommend it.

After playing it, Steven and I came up with some ideas for cards to enhance gameplay. (IE: make it more complicated).

New Events

* Out to Pasture: Choose any cow in play. You pay the cow’s cost in order to discard it.

* Turn Spies: All spies in any one herd become yours.

* Mad Cow: Roll as if for a bomb — all cows of the resulting cow type (General, Mechanic, Tough, etc) die immediately without exploding. Discard all of these cows in play.

* Psychic Attack: Roll as if for a bomb — All cows of that type explode. Share loot clockwise.

* Blackmail: Turn any cow in play into a spy for you.

* Taxes: Everyone must ante 500.

* Cattle Auction: Choose one cow in play. That cow is now up for auction and may be purchased by the highest bidder and is placed in their hand

* Leather Goods: Shuffle any number of cows from your hand back into the deck.

* BBQ Invitation: Each player makes a bomb roll. The resulting cow’s herd must pay its price to keep it, otherwise it is discarded.

New Cows

* Unexplodable Cow (this would be a negative or “red” cow that you’d play into someone else’s herd in order to possibly invalidate a bomb roll)

* Bomb Disposal Cow. Play face-down into the herd. The first bomb doesn’t actually explode the cow, it just turns face-up. Second bomb explodes the cow.

* Show Cow. Very expensive price but very low value. (this would be a situationally useful cow, such as making someone pay to give them a cow)

* Wolf in Bull’s Clothing. At the beginning of the turn of the herd it is in, it eats the cow to its right. It will change herds as needed, continuing to eat cows until there are no cows left or it explodes or is otherwise discarded from play. This would be a red cow.

* Sniper Cow. Instead of exploding this cow, the player may choose to have it explode any cow in play that is not in this player’s herd. In either case, this cow is discarded.

* Cow-tipult. Move any cow from your herd into someone else’s herd.

New City Cards

* Negative City: You exploded this city by mistake. Pay 500 in repairs.

* Propoganda City: All other players must put one city card back in the city deck

* Hovel: This city is worth negative points

* Vegan-ville: This city is worth zero points, and the winner must pay the price to keep each cow in their herd. (a great way to get rid of negative cows)

New Card Type: Modifier

* Distraction: Play on the face-up city card. That city now does not notice the first explosion that should have won its affections. Instead of getting the city card, discard this modifier

* Grant: Play on the face-up city card. Double the effect of winning this card.

* “Cow-Verter” — turn any red cow into a normal cow, or vice versa.

* Magnet: Place on any cow. This cow MUST steal the next bomb roll that lands in this herd

* Suburb: Place on the face-up city. This adds +5 to the value of cities taken by the player who wins this city.

* Lock Horns: Place across two adjacent cows. Whatever happens to one cow now happens to both cows.

Related posts:

[Perry] Card Hunter
Outlining
Self-Milking Cows