Scram! Card Game Overview

We have been in a camping mood lately. We found a tent on sale, and we decided to buy it to do some camping this year. Of course, we will need to test it out in the back yard first. If you’ve ever bought a tent, you know the importance of learning to assemble it ahead of time. Em, and Ev are really excited about their backyard staycation. But it randomly snowed the other day so the time isn’t quite right. Soon we will be able to have some nice days with temperatures in the high 70s. 

With this excitement we have been playing more nature-themed board games. We have a good handful, but continue to add new titles like Scram!, the recently released card game from Bezier Games. We initially didn’t realize Scram! was a game about camping and critters! 

The game is played with 4 or 6 players, divided up into even teams. Players sit so there are opponents on each side of them. The goal is to discard critter cards in your campsite laid out in front of you as well as your teammate’s campsite. Whenever you think your campsite is tidier than your opponent’s, then it’s time to scram and see who wins.

You can get up and playing quickly because setup is just one deck. When playing with 4 players, some cards will be removed from the game. When playing with 6 players, all cards are used. Deal three cards face down to two face up to each player. Cards are dealt out to each player with 3 cards being placed in front of each player face down. These 5 cards form your campsites. 

The cards both facing up and down represent critters that have invaded your team’s campsite. Each card has a value representing the amount of damage that critter does. The combined value of all cards in your team’s campsites is your team’s score, the lower you can get this, the better.

The object of Scram! is to have a lower score than the other team. You want to get rid of high numbered cards or get rid of any cards, if possible. Turns are performed in a clockwise order, and on your turn you will perform 1 of 3 different actions. You can draw the top card from the deck. You can draw the top card from the discard pile. Or you can declare Scram. 

When drawing from the deck, you will secretly look at the card, and then decide how you want to play it. You can use it for its listed action, placing it back in the discard pile. You can use it to replace one of your cards in your campsite, potentially getting rid of a high card, or even an unknown face down card. Or you can decide to discard it and do nothing. When drawing the card from the discard pile, you may only use it to replace a card from your campsite, and not to use it for its ability. 

Cards numbered 1-4 have no ability, but their low value makes them attractive. Cards with numbers 5-13 have actions that might be worth performing, as you might not want them for their value in your campsite. What’s interesting, making the game a little more strategic, is the ability to wipe cards from your campground as well as your partners’. When replacing cards from your campsite, you can discard any number of cards with similar values in your team campsites. The result is that you’ll have less five cards in your campsite.  

Since some cards start face down, you will want to use card abilities to learn their values. This may allow you to flip them over or let you look at them. You can use this knowledge to coordinate an opportunity discard multiple of the same value. A little memory is required though because you’ll be penalized if you inadvertently select a card with a different value. 

Whenever you have 2 or fewer cards in front of you, you can choose to declare scram to end the round. As an alternative, the round ends when the deck runs out of cards. Values on cards from your campsite and all your partner’s campsites are added together, as well as with the campsites from your opponents. If your team declared scram and has a lower score, the score will be 0 for the round. If the team who declared scram has a higher value, they will add 10 to their value. The team that did not declare scram scores their combined value of cards. After 4 total rounds, the team with the lowest amount of points wins the game. You can keep score using pencil and paper or you can use their app.

It’s a very fun and interesting game where each card can be good depending on how you use it. Scram is a team-based game that utilize a similar gameplay to Cabo and Bezier Games’ Silver series games. The theme also fits perfect with both Em and Ev wanting to break out our tent and do some camping. And since it’s a compact box, we might even pack it to play when we camp! You can order copy from Bezier Games, but also check with your local game stores. If you decide to order from Amazon, be sure to throw in some S’Mores-themed items while you’re at it!

What activities do you plan when you’re camping?