Smuggles N’ Snuggles is a game I Kickstarted on its last day at the urging of one of my friends who, by her own admission, doesn’t like tabletop games. But she loves this one. She is acquainted with Jonathan Ahnert, the game’s creator, and was able to play the game before it hit Kickstarter. The components of the game itself are simple and the gameplay straight forward. I backed it and, on time and as promised, I received my copy last month! Well done for a first time project.
The premise of the game is that two players take on the role of two different bear-themed crime families, City Bears and Country Bears. Bears have names like Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, Al Clawpone, Fuzzy, etc. Each bear has a value, 1 through 8. The decks are numerically identical, though each deck has different names for their bears. The bears move over a 5×3 grid. The ultimate goal is to cover your opponent’s back row with your bears first.
Bears move one space in all legal directions around them, like a King in chess. The strategy of the game comes from Smuggling and Snuggling. Smaller value bears can be smuggled over larger value bears. As an example, a 2 bear can move over a 3 or higher bear. The bear can move over allied bears to another space. This way otherwise low value bears can be vaulted across the grid to score. The second mechanic that opens up play is Snuggling. A bear can ‘snuggle’ another bear at its value or lower. The bear underneath cannot move until the bear on top of it moves. This means in some games there may be a stack of bears. You also cannot move the same bear twice in a turn.
The rules fit nicely on one sheet that folds into the box. The box itself is the size of a standard deck of playing cards. This is a game that definitely passed the “bar” test, meaning its a game that I can take to bars to play. Play is also fairly quick at around 10 minutes. It’s an easy game to explain as well, so several games can be played over the same amount of time it would take to read the rules for a more complex game.
After playing a few games I’m not sure there is any advantage to going first or second. Being unable to move the same bear twice means being careful, especially in the later game, about keeping your 8 Bear in play and far enough away from your opponent’s 8 that they can’t snuggle you. Keeping my 8 fairly central meant I could quickly smuggle higher level cards, even my 7, up into more advantageous positions or to create longer runs. The cards that most often dropped in my opponent’s back row were the 1-4 cards.
For those interested in getting a copy of the game, the creator is in the process of getting a store page up. In the meantime, if you want to get a copy email smugglesnsnuggles@gmail.com and Jonathan will get you a copy. Copies are $20, but if you say Ross from Nerd Union sent you the game will be $15! Not bad for reading a review.
**Disclaimer**
The creator of Smuggles’n’Snuggles is offering a discount to Nerd Union readers. The creator is in no way affiliated with Nerd Union, not does Nerd Union gain any financial compensation for this article. If you have any questions, feel free to email the editor at kshipp@nerdunion.us
Ross Blythe is a Chicago based gamer interested in all things tabletop. He enjoys reading history as well as fiction, and so has a soft spot for historical wargames like Pike & Shotte. For the campaigns he runs as a DM he often looks to history for inspiration, for the lessons of the past to challenge the players at his table.
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