ONDA is a climbing card game that will appeal to those looking for a quick game with twists and lots of interaction, perfect for groups who enjoy a strategic challenge with a touch of luck.
- Quick to learn
- Intense interaction
- Tide-turning twists
- Discard strategy
- Versatile wild cards
- Can have draw luck
- Better with more players
About the game
What you do in a play session
At the start of each round, the tide is coming in, meaning higher-value cards are the stars of the show. Each player starts with a handful of cards and chooses two to place face down in front of them – these are their wild cards and still count as part of their hand. The lead player opens the trick with a formation: it can be a single card, 2 to 4 cards of the same value, or a sequence of 2 to 4 cards. Subsequent players have several options: play an even better formation (always following the tide's flow), pass their turn and be out of that trick, or, the most strategic move, turn the tide! To do this, you take one of your face-down cards back into your hand, flip the tide card (now low numbers are best, or vice versa), and then play a superior combination. Oh, and there are bombs! There are six types of bombs in ONDA, and the current bomb is always visible. A bomb, like a two-card sequence of the same suit, supersedes the current formation, and players must beat it. But beware: only one bomb can be played per trick, and only one player can turn the tide.
When all but one player have passed, the played cards are cleared, and the top bomb card goes to the bottom of that deck. Whoever played last leads a new formation. The round ends as soon as a player has no cards in hand (ignoring face-down cards on the table), and everyone else loses points based on their unplayed cards. After four rounds, whoever has the most points is the big winner of the sea!
Gallery
Box and component photos
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Best player count
BGG community vote
Soundtrack
Ambience suggested by Melodice
Where to Buy
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Price history — last 6 months (lowest new offer)
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Mechanics, categories, families and credits
Mechanics
Categories
Families
Community
Data from BoardGameGeek
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers before you buy
How many players does ONDA support and what is the average game duration?
What is the complexity level of the game?
Who is ONDA most suitable for?
Do the face-down cards count as part of my hand?
Can I play more than one bomb in a trick or turn the tide multiple times?
Is the game language dependent?
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