Camel Up Review
Camel Up Review
Camels riding camels. The pyramids spit out the cubes . Completely unnecessary palm trees ... this game has it all.
As you enter the world of camel racing in the second game of the board game Camel Up, put on your betting hat. Stick to this review because not all of these camels look perfectly fine ... Check out our Camel Up Board Game Review below.
A brief overview of Camel Up
Camel Up is a crazy competition where participants bet on camels competing on a desert track. The goal of the game, which is divided into several Legs, is to end up with the most money at the end of the race. It's a fast, rather stupid game, dictated by a cube coming from a plastic pyramid ... obviously.
The second edition introduced two crazy camels to the mix. These guys are running back and will definitely add a whole new level of camel to the process.
There is very little skill to win. Instead, the question is how far you can push your happiness.
Unpacking Camel Up
Fans of sophisticated and almost pointless devices will not be disappointed with Camel Up. In the field you will find:
- 1 game board
- 20 Betting Tickets
- 5 tickets for the pyramids
- 80 Egyptian pounds
- 40 closing cards
- 8 tiles for spectators
- 8 Partner Cards
- 5 racing camels
- 5 Racing dice
- 2 Crazy camels
- 1 gray cube
- 1 Start the Player Marker
- 1 pyramid of cubes
I noticed the artwork first. I am a big fan of the colors used here. They are not too bright or similar to drawings. Instead, they used a dull but intimate color scale that evokes a gloomy evening sailing down the Nile. It was quite a surprise considering the rather goofy nature of the game, but it contributes well to the darkness.
When it opens, you’ll find the policy sitting on top. It’s also nicely crafted and light in words - always a big bonus for me.
Surprisingly, most cards and betting tickets are made of thick cardboard and not cardboard or paper. Given the emotional slide this game can become, it’s probably safe if someone tries to tear up their betting card in despair. Similarly, I was happy to see that the coins are made of plastic and not cardboard.
The camels are of good quality. They’re designed to stack them on top of each other (you know, as nature predicted), so it’s important that they’re well made so they won’t be hurt by moving.
When you fold the board, you’ll be instantly (perhaps literally) struck by a pop-up 3D palm sticking out of it. It doesn’t affect the game itself, but it’s a funny and great example of the cheesy nature of this game. The rest of the board is also nicely designed with lots of bright colors and again not too drawn.
Finally and most importantly, we come to the Pyramid. This strong plastic device is completely unnecessary, but one of the most memorable parts of Camel Up. Instead of shaking the dice in a random pot or (God forbid) in your hands, Camel Up allows you to do this with the help of an entire tomb to one of the Egyptian pharaohs!
Again, this is a nice addition to the theme and greatly affects the look and feel of the game. Especially good if you play with children as it is a lot of fun to use.
How to play Camel Up
When setting up by throwing five-color racing cubes, determine where each camel starts on the racetrack. For example, if a red racing cube shows a triple, then a red camel starts at space 3 of the racetrack.
If any racing cube camels spin the same number, then stack them!
The second edition also features two Crazy Camels, black and white. They are racing back - as if running, running in the wrong direction! - and are placed on the track in the same way (only facing in the opposite direction).
All the dice are then placed in a pyramid in the middle of the game board.
Race
The race is divided into legs. At the end of each stage, all bets placed during this period are settled. The end of the leg happens when five of the six dice are taken from the pyramid.
The match is started by the youngest player. Each turn, players have four possible actions:
1) Take the bet slip
Take the bet slip for the camel you think will lead at the end of the match. Note that these are stacked so that players who choose betting tickets for each camel receive potentially higher prizes.
2) Place a tile for the spectators
You can place your spectator tiles on (almost) any space on the racetrack. It affects how a camel works if it lands in that space. You can cheer him on or cheer him on.
If the first one, this camel moves one space forward. If the latter, it moves one space back. Each time a camel lands on it, you also get one Egyptian pound (the game’s currency).
3) Take the ticket for the pyramid
You can move camels here. Shake the pyramid and reveal one matrix. Move the appropriate camel for the number of spaces shown.
At the end of the Leg you will receive one Egyptian pound for each pyramid ticket.
4) Bet on a joint winner / loser
You can also choose at any time to bet on the overall winner or loser of the race. You can do this as many times as you want, using your end cards. But remember: while you can bet on as many camels to win, you can’t raise a card when you bet.
Note that at the end of the game, the player who bets first on the winning camel will get the most in return!
Crazy camels
Crazy Camels has been added to the game in the second edition of Camel Up. They throw another element of madness into the process. These work like other camels, only go around the racetrack counterclockwise and cause all kinds of confusion:
- Ordinary camels can land on top of Crazy Camels and consequently find themselves back if there is a racing craze for the crazy camels they are on.
- Crazy camels can win the race, making all players' bets void (cannot be bet on).
The end of the leg
When you take five dice from the pyramid, the leg ends and the bets are settled.
Players who bet tickets for the leading camel will receive the amount of Egyptian pounds shown on the ticket. If you choose a camel elsewhere, you always receive one Egyptian pound.
For all other bets, you must pay one Egyptian pound to the bank.
All the dice are then returned to the Pyramid and a new leg begins.
End of the race
As soon as the camel crosses the finish line (regular or crazy!), The race ends. Now the scoring takes place at the end of the game, with bets settled on the overall winner and loser.
Remember that the cards are stacked in the order of who bet first. Make an effort through the card and award 8 Egyptian pounds to the player who bet first on the winning camel, then 5, 3, 2 and 1 for everyone else in the appropriate order.
Then do the same for the entire loser.
Once all bets are settled, players count their Egyptian pounds. Whoever has the most money wins!
Your first Camel Up game
If you want to make things a lot easier, try Camel Up without crazy camels. The original - very popular - edition started this way and may make it easier to run with a newcomer.
Note that if you are moving a camel that is part of a stack, only the camel whose matrix has been rolled and the one that is moving over . Everything under it in a bundle stays in that space. Similarly, the camera sitting at the top of the stack is considered to be ahead of those below it.
Lastly, when sorting the camels at the end of the leg, remember to ignore the crazy camels. They are disqualified from the race!
Advantages disadvantages
Advantages:
- Lots of action and emotion
- The betting system works very well
- Super easy to rent, perfect for families
- Up to eight players
Weaknesses:
- All about happiness - without the right strategy
Camel Up is a game that is sure to speed up the heart. It works so well because there are so many twists and turns. A camel that lagged miles in one moment could fill the advantage the next. Honestly, I sometimes jumped off the table as the dice fell from the Pyramid and sent my camel into the lead on the back of another camel.
Similarly, I rarely felt emptied as when Humphrey (as I called him) gradually dragged a crazy camel back behind the room - and he bet my 5 Egyptian pounds with it.
But Camel Up isn’t so good just because of the bet. The system is designed to work really well. In particular, the extra return you get for early bets means that the stakes are high from the word itself - the cautious are not rewarded here. In addition, when they split on their feet, the excitement comes thick and fast, but always with a versatile match (and your bet on the winner / loser).
Camel Up is impressive as it can be easily picked up by the entire audience, including families and casual gamers. Play one foot and everyone should feel pretty confident about what’s going on.
What’s more, it’s handy that up to eight players can play this game. There are few options that can be upsetting when so many people come along. And as a family member of six , I know how important that can be.
The only downside to this game is that it’s really all about luck . So if you’re looking for a more tactful, thoughtful gaming experience, this probably won’t be the game for you. Either way, Camel Up is worth the investment if you want something less demanding on the mind because it’s a ton of fun anyway.
TL; DR
Camel Up is a crazy competition in which participants bet on camels competing on a desert track. This is dictated by the fast, rather stupid game of dice coming from a plastic pyramid ... obviously.
It’s a pretty direct betting game, but the added elements like camels are carried together and the addition of Crazy Camels means real miracles can happen. Without realizing it, you will soon find yourself very emotionally connected to these noble one-humped creatures.
Conclusion: a verdict?
I really enjoy Camel Up. Due to its simplicity and energy, it is ideal for injecting a little excitement into an evening or children's party.
Even the charm of a humorous sense of humor leaves a lasting impression. An unusual pyramid, a sumptuous palm tree, the fact that camels ride other camels ... while playing you just can’t help but smile.
We hope you enjoyed our Camel Up review and would love to hear from you.
Have you tried Camel Up yet? What you meant Bet with the comment below!
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