Snorta!

Snorta (Out of the Box Games, 2004 – Chris Childs and Tony Richardson) is one of those games that instantly looks childish and fairly silly. And the toy factor of the game, admittedly, is rather highly attractive to young kids. Plastic little animals, a silly theme, and loud, noisy gameplay would seemingly add up to a game that’s a lot of fun for kids.

And yet, it seems to hold more attraction for adults than kids. That’s not to say that kids don’t enjoy the game – it’s gone over well with the kids and teenagers I’ve introduced it to, but the games where I’ve shown it to adults have had even greater success! Snorta is a memory game mixed with speed and sound; and as it’s short and sweet, the opportunities to bring it out happen often. It’s been re-requested by my adult friends, something that many light games never have happen to them.

Each player takes a plastic barn and places it in front of themselves, then drawing a random plastic animal from a bag (cat, snake, pig, dog, duck, rooster, sheep, owl, mouse, cow, donkey, and frog) to put in front of the barn. The deck of ninety-seven cards is dealt evenly between each player (with leftovers discarded), until each player has their own draw deck in front of them. Players then, in turn order, make the sound that their animal commonly makes, and then hide the animal under the barn – so that only they can see it. Players put their deck in one hand, and the game begins.

On a player’s turn, they flip the top card from their hand onto the table. Play then passes to the next player clockwise. This continues, until one of the cards flipped on the table matches the top card in any player’s face-up stack on the table. When this happens, each of the two players who has the match on the table must immediately say the sound of the animal hidden in their opponent’s barn (not the one on the cards). The player who says it first wins and gives all their cards to the other player. The player who lost must take both piles of cards and add them to the bottom of the pile in their hand. Play then continues.

Whenever a player turns over the “Swap” card, they must exchange their animal for a new one from the bag, which is shown to all players before placing it under the barn. Other than that, the game continues normally until one player manages to get rid of all their cards from their hand – at which point they win the game!

Some comments on the game…

1.) Components: The game comes in a long, thin box (same size as Apples to Apples), which holds all the components quite well. A plastic insert holds the barns into place with room for the cards and the bag. There’s almost not enough room – I have to put the bag with the animals in just right so that the bag will close. The animals are cute little plastic animals that are based on John Kovalic’s illustrations, which are humorous but cleanly and neatly drawn. The cards are of good quality, laminated and should hold up well. The only problem I would have with them (slight) is that sometimes they are annoying to pick up off the table. I really enjoyed the denim cloth bag included with the game – I want more of it so that I can add it to other games. (Denim rules over cloth!)

2.) Rules: The rules come in a long (same size as the box) four-page foldout and are in full-color, with very easy to understand instructions. This, of course, is typical of OOTB games, and the game can be taught in less than a minute. The only problem I noticed was that the rules did not cover what happens when two players tie (make the sound at the same time). We just had both of them pick up their own stacks, but perhaps there is an official ruling?

3.) Sounds: The game depends on the sounds that the animals make. The rules state that any sound the animal makes is legal (dog – “bow wow”, “yip”, etc.). In Korea (as in other foreign countries) this can present an odd thing, because the sounds animals make are different in most languages. I was playing with my daughter when she made a sound for the dog, and I had no clue what she was doing (she’s fairly fluent in Korean). At first, some of the more stodgy, laid-back people in your group may feel silly or be too shy to say the sounds of their animals. But after a while, even the most reserved person is snorting like a pig or hissing like a snake.

4.) Fun Factor: And that’s what really elevates Snorta! It’s just so stinkin’ fun. Everyone is shouting, laughing, and having a good time and that makes the game worth getting, regardless of game mechanics or anything else. When I can get a group of adults to make animal noises and enjoy themselves heartily while doing so – I have a winner. The fact that kids also enjoy it is simply a bonus.

5.) Cheating: Snorta can suffer from the same problem as a similar game, Slamwich. Players who turn their cards over slowly can get a good peek at them before anyone else, giving them an unfair advantage when playing. The rules say that the card should be flipped over immediately, but I invariably have at least one person in each group who has to be prodded to flip their card over faster and get their hand out of the way.

6.) Speed: The game says that players can play at any speed that they like. Be warned, however, that when the game speeds up, the chaotic elements threaten the very fabric of the universe! It can be extremely confusing, as more than one match (because of the speed of cards being flipped) is being shouted at once. Perhaps a referee is needed if the game goes that fast?

Overall, I found Snorta to be a very fun game. Don’t buy the game to find ground-breaking mechanics or clever game play. Play the game because it’s an eight player game (not too many of those nowadays) that is just downright FUN. You’ll have people thanking you for the experience and begging to play again (perhaps too many times). Snorta is a great deal for its inexpensive price and probably should be added to anyone’s collection who has any contact with kids or exuberant, fun-loving adults.

Tom Vasel
"Real men play board games"