Krobs (2018)

Krobs is a quick card game that has a scientific theme: germs we encounter on a daily basis. It is a contract game for the Institute of Microbiology of the University of Lausanne, Switzerland.

The game is meant to increase the awareness of the general public that some germs can be found in unexpected places, that some activities are pretty harmless, while others carry various degrees of risk.

For those who are interested, the scientific content of the game can be found on a dedicated website –www.krobs.ch– or at the back of each card where a RQ code leads you to the appropriate page.

It is however a game first, where you try to complete 3 columns of cards in front of you, each adding up to 15. You try to achieve this before your opponents, and sometimes also try to slow them down with microbes cards if they are careless.

On their turn players may play up to 2 cards before drawing only 1. Those cards can be Activity cards that bring you closer to your goal (3 columns of 15 points) or Microbes cards that attack the opponents who have "risky cards" showing on top of their own columns. Sometimes a turn consists of only refreshing one's hand.

If a player is attacked, they have to reveal a disease card of the corresponding color and see how severe the attack was. Sometimes you're lucky, sometimes you're sick for a while, and every so often you may even die on the spot...

The first player to completes their columns secures the victory, a mix of good timing and lucky draw.