# Call of the Wild ## General Info - **Year Published**: 2018 - **BGG Rating**: 7.2 - **BGG Rank**: — - **Players**: 3-6 (Best with: 6) - **Duration**: 5-15 min - **Weight**: 2.00 / 5 - **Designers**: David Medley, Evan Scheidegger - **Artists**: Evan Scheidegger - **Publishers**: Play All Day Games, Rather Fun Games - **Categories**: Action / Dexterity, Animals, Bluffing, Card Game, Children's Game, Fantasy, Humor, Negotiation, Party Game, Print & Play, Real-time - **Mechanics**: Deduction, Prisoner's Dilemma, Race, Real-Time, Rock-Paper-Scissors, Simultaneous Action Selection, Trading ## Verdict Looking for a fast, noisy game full of bluffing? Call of the Wild is the right choice to get the group interacting and having fun with mythical creature sounds!Fast and noisy actionFun bluffing and betrayalIdeal for partiesSimple rules, but requires focusCan be chaotic with manyFOR GENRE FANS ## Description Get ready for a vocal frenzy with Call of the Wild! This super fast-paced and short action game is pure adrenaline, where trust and betrayal go hand in hand. Forget words, here communication happens through animal mimicry! Each player gets a deck of 10 cards and draws two. Now comes the fun part: you choose a card, play it face down, and let out one of five mythical animal sounds. Will you find a partner to mate with and secure a point, or will you fall into a trap and become someone's dinner? If two players make the same sound, they can meet and reveal their cards. If both were honest, congratulations, the creatures hit it off and each gets a point. But beware! If one of the players was bluffing, pretending to be an animal to lure prey, they can devour the other and take two points (while the devoured gets zero). The trick is you can defend yourself: choose who you trust to meet with and who you prefer to keep your distance from. If your reputation is already shot, no one will want to approach you! And if you sense a pounce coming, you can strike back! Play the animal that eats the animal that was going to eat you! The game ends when someone plays their last card. Whoever has the most points wins. It's pure fun in just a few minutes, perfect for livening up any gathering! ## How to Play Objective of the Game In Call of the Wild, players venture out into the wild to score points by Mating, Hunting, and meeting Objectives. The player who scores the most points wins the game. Preparation (Setup) Each player chooses a color and takes all 10 cards of that color. These 10 cards are shuffled and placed face down in front of the player to form their Pack. Each card represents one of five mythical Creatures. Place the Watering Hole card in the center of the play area within reach of all players. Each player draws 2 cards from their Pack. If playing with three players, each player should draw until they have 3 cards in their hand instead of just 2. If using Objectives, shuffle the Objectives Deck and deal one face down to each player. All players read their Objective to themselves before play begins. Play may begin as soon as everyone is ready. Flow of the Game There are no turns in Call of the Wild; all players act simultaneously. The game progresses through players making Calls and engaging in Meetings. Calling Players place one of their cards flat on the table face-down and make a Call. A Call is mimicking the sound of any of the five Creatures in the game. Each card has the name of its Creature at the top, the sound that Creature makes in the center, and the Call of the other four Creatures in a semicircle around the bottom of the card. If a player can't find someone to meet with, they may put that card back in their hand and make a Call with another card or even the same card again. Meeting If two players are making the same Call, they may choose to Meet. Both players must agree to meet (usually non-verbally). There can only be two Creatures in each Meeting. To Meet, players must perform the following ritual: Slide their cards face down toward each other. Release their card and place their hand on the other player’s card. Flip the exchanged cards face-up where all players can see them. Players may not flip an opponent’s card until the opponent releases it. Players may not flip their own card. If a player flips their own card, that card is discarded face-down to the Watering Hole. Drawing Whenever you have fewer than two cards in your hand, you may draw. You may not have more than two cards in your hand. When your Pack is depleted, continue to play with the cards remaining in your hand. Discarding Players may discard from their hand at any time. These cards go face-down to the Watering Hole and do not score any points. Then the player may draw as normal. Actions and How to Play Calling Players place a card face-down and make a sound. This sound can either match the Creature on the card (Mating) or be a different sound (Hunting or Double-Crossing). Mating If two of the same type of Creature meet by making the Call in the center of their cards, they Mate. Both players score one point. Each player takes their opponent’s Creature back to their Den (face-up pile) to track their score. Hunting Players may choose to make a Call that does not match the Creature they are offering. This is called Hunting. To hunt someone who is trying to Mate, make the sound of the Creature 1 step clockwise from your Creature, on the right side of the card. When two Creatures meet that are adjacent on the Food Chain, one Creature Eats the other. Each Creature Eats the Creature clockwise from it on the Food Chain. The player whose Creature Eats the other scores two points and drags both cards back to their Den. The Food Chain is as follows: Megalotaurs eat Snerleps. Snerleps eat Fizzalisks. Fizzalisks eat Wiffaloons. Wiffaloons eat Skeevils. Skeevils infest Megalotaurs. Double-Crossing Players may make any of the 5 Calls. A player who suspects another player of Hunting should make the Call 2 steps clockwise on the card and Eat the player that was trying to Eat them! To Double-Cross a player you suspect is Hunting, meet them by making a Call that is two steps clockwise from the Creature you are holding. You can find this Call in the lower right corner of any card. The Hunting player will expect to Eat you but you will Eat them instead! Avoiding If, during a Meeting, two Creatures are not adjacent on the Food Chain, they Avoid each other. Both players discard their cards to the Watering Hole face-up and score no points. If the Creatures are the same type but both were Hunting, those Creatures also Avoid each other and are discarded face-up to the Watering Hole. End of Game and Scoring Ending the Game The game ends when a player meets with the last card in their hand and their Pack is empty. That player announces that the game is over (Sundown). After Sundown, no further Meetings can take place and players return all cards in their hand to their Pack face-down. If a player discarded or flipped their own last card, that player cannot end the game. Players must use their last card in a Meeting to end the game. If your last card is Avoided, the game is over. Announce it before anyone else can score more points! However, if you discarded or revealed your own last card, you may not end the game. Scoring Players score one point for each Creature in their Den. Whoever scores the most points wins! In the case of a tie, the player with the most cards from other players’ Packs wins (this will be the player who Mated the most). Optional Scoring: Mating Bonus Score 2 points for each Creature in your Den that is from another player’s Pack, and the standard 1 point for each of your own Creatures. This makes Mating worth 4 points (2 for each player) and Eating worth 3. Objectives At the end of the game, each player who fulfilled their Objective scores points equal to the number at the bottom of the card. A player with more than 2 face-down Creatures at the Watering Hole may not score an Objective. Players do not need to fulfill their Objective to win, but it helps! Tips for Winning Speed Counts: The player who uses all of their cards has an excellent chance to win the game. Two by Two: Pay attention to what cards other players use. Each Pack starts with exactly two copies of each Creature. Friendly Benefits: If a player is consistently Mating (being “honest”), keep meeting with them. But don’t give a player who frequently Hunts an opportunity to take advantage of you. Hate the Player: Using the Double-Cross is an effective revenge against a player who has lost your trust. If your opponent is trying to Mate, neither of you will score. If your opponent is Hunting, you will score 2 and they will score 0. If your opponent is also trying to Double-Cross, neither of you will score. ## FAQ ### How many players does Call of the Wild support? The game is designed for 3 to 6 players, perfect for livening up a round with friends. ### How long does a game take? It's super fast! Each game takes about 5 to 15 minutes, ideal for playing multiple rounds back-to-back. ### Do I need to know English to play? No! The game is language-independent, as communication is done through animal sounds. ### Is it a complicated game to learn? Not at all! The rules are quite straightforward, and the focus is on fun and quick interaction, with a very light complexity. ### What kind of audience is Call of the Wild recommended for? It's great for those who enjoy party games with lots of interaction, bluffing, and a touch of fun chaos. It works well with families and friends who like something different. ### What do I get if I buy the game? You'll receive a deck of cards to play with. As it's a 'print & play' game, you can prepare the components yourself.