Sequence (Jaxx, 1982) is one of those rare games that can be fun for, say, a grandchild to play with a grandparent, or for two adults, or even for two kids. It’s very simple to learn, has a classic, attractive look, and appeals to all ages. It is easily one of the best “entire family” games on the market, and has been a solid seller since it was introduced.
The playing board consists of a 10 x 10 grid, where each space is represented by one of 96 playing cards (each corner space is a “free” space). There are two decks of cards, and with the exception of the jacks, two representations of each card are on the board (52 x 2 = 104; 104 – 8 = 96). The jacks are not depicted on the board, and are considered wild cards. See the pic below; notice that the two of clubs occupies a spot in the second and in the fourth row.
Image courtesy of boardgamegeek.com user EndersGame; http://www.boardgamegeek.com/user/EndersGame
Players start with hands of five cards. The goal of the game is to place five of your chips in a row, and a player gets to play a chip simply by laying down one of the playing cards and setting their colored chip on one of the two corresponding spaces on the board. After a chip is played, a new card is drawn, and so on.
Jacks are wild, but not all jacks are equal. The two-eyed jacks allow a player to place a chip anywhere on the board, but one-eyed jacks allow a player to remove any card from the board. This of course means that any one spot on the board can be covered by the two regular cards of that type, or else the four two-eyed jacks in the deck, while the one-eyed jacks guarantee that no played chip is really safe.
Image courtesy of boardgamegeek.com user EndersGame: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/user/EndersGame
The simplicity of the game and ease of instruction, along with its classic look have made Sequence a very popular game. There is a large group of people who have no interest in board games but will go out of their way to play a playing card game – and this is one board game that appeals to those people. There are variations, as well, such as the deluxe game (pictured below), a travel version, and more.
Something about the design and play of Sequence makes it really reminiscent of old-time card games (Tripoley and Rummy Royale both come to mind) – where the luck of the draw is a major element, but playing the right card at the right time is critical to success. But that is probably what makes it so popular among the older generations, and that is why I would also suggest it as an excellent game for parents or grandparents – in addition to being a great basic game the whole family can enjoy.
Games by Johnny! 