L.L.A.M.A.

About this board game

L.L.A.M.A. is a card game for 2–6 players that takes about 20 minutes, challenging you to discard your hand while keeping penalty points as low as possible.

Each round begins with six cards in hand. The deck contains cards numbered 1 through 6 and llama cards, with eight copies of each. On your turn, you may play a card, draw a card, or quit the round and freeze the cards remaining in your hand.

Playing is straightforward, but choosing when to stop is not. You must match the number on top of the discard pile or play the next number in sequence. A 6 can be followed by another 6 or a llama, while a llama can be followed by another llama or a 1.

• Play a legal card to reduce your hand.
• Draw when you want another chance to continue.
• Quit to avoid drawing, while accepting penalties for cards left behind.

The round ends when a player empties their hand or everyone has quit. Each different number card still in your hand scores white tokens equal to its value, while one or more llama cards earn a black token worth 10 points. Ten white tokens can be exchanged for one black token.

Emptying your hand lets you return one previously collected token to the supply, making a successful run especially valuable. The game ends after a round in which at least one player reaches 40 or more points; the player with the fewest points wins.

Released in 2019, L.L.A.M.A. combines simple card-play rules with sharp decisions about risk, timing, and when to walk away. Its title comes from the German phrase meaning “discard all minus points,” which captures the goal perfectly.