[Review by contributor Silent H.]
Hello! Welcome to the world of Killer Bunnies. The goal of this quirky strategy/card game is to keep many as bunnies alive as possible. However, the opponents are competing to do the same thing, which can cause insanely vengeful, crazy, and horrible but hilariously messy situations. While players battle and keep their bunnies alive, they are also racing to collect as many carrots as they can. When all the carrots are collected, the game is over and the magic carrot is revealed. The player with the magic carrot is the winner…as long as he has a bunny still alive, that is.
Game Setup:
The game includes two decks of bunny cards (blue and yellow), three small card decks (carrot, cabbage, and water), six dice, and a large carrot deck. The game begins by rolling the dice to see who goes first. Each player is than dealt seven cards and a set of their first two cards. The first card is the top run card, which will be the player’s first play at the start of their turn. The second card is the bottom run card and is placed underneath the top run cards as seen below. In other words, you play a card two turns in advance. If the player has bunnies in their hand, they should place those cards first. A few other good cards to play first are carrots, weapons, or “feed the bunny” cards. After your top run card is played, you slide your bottom run up and play another bottom run card.
Cards:
Run Cards - These cards have immediate effect on the opponent’s bunnies in play. They include a player’s weapon card, “feed the bunny” card, and the bunnies that are used during the game. Weapon cards are rated by levels 1-12. If a weapon card is played, then the player must roll the black d12 to save the bunny. If the players rolls the level of the weapon or higher, the card is then discarded; if the player rolls lower than the level of the weapon, the bunny dies and both cards are discarded.
Now, there are weapons that kill more than one bunny and travel around the bunny circle, so beware! Note that some of the cards have a pink rectangle on the bottom left hand corner; if a card has this, the player may not play the card unless they have at least one bunny in front of them in the bunny circle.
Special/Very Special - These cards can be saved or played during a player’s turn. These cards usually help protect bunnies from harm, hunger, or death. The only difference between the special and very special cards is that two very special cards cannot be played at the same time during a bunny battle.
“Play Immediately” Cards - If a player receives a “play immediately” card during their turn, the player must play the card right away. If the player starts the game with this card, the card must be discarded right away and the player draws another card.
Kaballa Dolla - These cards are called “bunny money” during the game. If a Kaballa Dolla is drawn, the player must place the card face up and draw another card. The Kaballa Dollas cannot be kept in a player’s hand. These cards are used to purchase items from Kaballa’s market, such as water and cabbage cards.
Cabbage/Water Small Cards - These cards are used during the game when a “feed the bunny” card appears during the game. These cards can be purchased through Kaballa’s market anytime throughout a player’s turn.
Carrot Cards (Small) - These cards are set aside during the game and used at the end when it is time it reveal the magic carrot.
Carrot cards (Large) - These cards are collected throughout the card game. They are collected when a “choose the carrot” card is played during the game.
Let’s Play!
As mentioned above, each player begins the game with 7 cards, laying down the top run card and the bottom run card in front of them. Once everyone has placed their cards, a die is rolled to see who goes first, and the players than take their turn in a clockwise direction. During a turn, the player with follow these four steps.
- Flip: The top run card is flipped over and is either played, saved, or discarded depending on the card that is revealed.
- Slide: The bottom run card is now pushed to the top run card’s position
- Draw: A card is drawn from the draw pile to replace the bottom run card.
- Replace: The bottom run card is replaced by a card in the player’s hand.
At the end of a few rounds, the table or playing area may look like this:
The game will continue on as each player tries to collect carrots and kill opponent bunnies using the weapon and “feed the bunny” cards. The game is over after all of the large carrot cards have been collected or purchased. Each player must have at least one bunny in play, or the player cannot win the game. To determine the winner, a small carrot card is chosen, and the player with the chosen carrot card wins the game.
Killer Bunnies and the Quest of the Carrot is the first of many Bunny Carrot games. This bunny game has 12 expansions, which should be added in order. The starting sets are yellow and blue, then the expansions - in order - are red, violet, orange, green, twilight white, stainless steel, perfectly pink, wacky khaki, and ominous onyx. These expansions add new rules, new stores for new resources, and increase the level of intensity of the game. Killer Bunnies is recommended for ages 13 and up and suggests 2-8 players to play. This bunny game is compatible with Killer Bunnies and the Conquest of the Magic Carrot, which adds to the bunny fun.
This is just a game of wacky fun. It can be a bit confusing for first time players and may take a few run-throughs to grasp the rules and the way the game is played. As the game the expands, the amount of cards can be a little overwhelming, but once the game starts and gains a steady flow, it is a lot of fun. Every player plays a little differently, but each strategy makes the game interesting.
It’s the kind of game that when you mention it to your friends, they give you a sideways look like you are a bit off, then they continue to look at you like that while you are showing them the ropes. About a half hour into it though, they are screaming “NO WAY! You did not just kill my Lumbering Bunny with a Radioactive Cheese Ball!”
While it can be played with only 2 people, the real fun sets in at 4. The game can get very overwhelming with the expansions, leading to decks that tower over the table like skyscrapers, but the additional rules and cards they bring keep the game fresh and entertaining. If you would rather get a “best of,” for the game, they sell Killer Bunnies Remix, which is a collection of cards from all the expansions. Anyway you go, this game is highly addictive and a great buy.
For more info check out http://killerbunnies.com
