Navigator Lana

Mapping the Mechanics: In Surplus of Sloths, each player collects sloths (or cards) to their hand of the same type of runs (like 4, 5, and 6 greens). The game begins with players receiving 3 cards, and choosing 2 to keep. The 3rd one is revealed and goes to Surplus Net (that’s the bottom row). Each round, a player drafts a card from The River (top two rows), until all players have taken one sloth. The remaining sloth falls down to the Surplus Net. Refill the River Row until the deck runs out. You’re attempting to collect runs of cards, but there’s a catch! Look at the first sloth in the Surplus Net. Each player reveals their highest run of that color, and the player with the highest run discards it and collects the surplus, because only the Surplus of Sloths will score! Continue for each sloth. Sloths from the net score points equal to the sum of the card numbers. Additionally during scoring, one X card lets you multiply by 2, two X cards by 3, and three X cards by 4. The player with the most points wins!

Lana’s Logbook: Surplus of Sloths was easy to learn and a delightful game. I love weighing the decisions of which sloth to rescue… I just want to make them all happy sloths! The clever twist here is finding the balance of collecting high cards, but that leaves lower cards to score. Do I want to collect high number cards to guarantee the win of the run? If I do, that leaves low numbers to score in the end. Collecting those Wild X cards is certainly easy… but they can add a hefty amount of bonus points at the end if in the Surplus Net. For an added twist, add the baby sloths into the deck. I love that this game isn’t as simple as “Collecting high cards, you win!” The balance each player has to find between which sloths to collect, which high cards to keep, and which ones fall to the surplus creates a delightfully thinky game, yet it is easy to learn and easy to teach. Everyone loved it!

To rescue your own Surplus of Sloths, head over to BackerKit!

Prototype copy is pictured above, and many thanks to Weird Giraffe Games for the opportunity to try this game.