Safari Pals
Encyclopedia
Safari Pals is a range of card games that have similarities to both Top Trumps
and traditional Playing Cards. Like traditional playing cards or Quartets (card game)
, the cards are arranged into sets of 4. Like Top Trump packs, each card describes a particular entity with numerical data. Safari Pals games are wildlife related so in this case each card describes a different animal and the sets are normally based a characteristic of the four animals in the set, such as Water-wings or Furry.
Two pack types have been published to date, a 52 card variant called Classic, and a 32 card variant called Junior. There are also Wildcard extension packs which add an additional 5 cards to a pack. The odd number of cards this creates, means a game can be played which is similar to Old Maid
where the losing player is left with the odd card at the end of the game.
Trump type games can be played where players challenge each other using the data on their cards. Two variations are played, the first is a standard game as played with Top Trumps
or Ace Trumps
. A second variety is similar to Knock-out Whist
except that the rounds are won by the highest scoring card in the category selected by the first player in the round. For example a round starts with the first player laying down their chosen card and selecting a data item for the round (say weight). The other players each play a card from their hand and the winner of the round is the player who played the card with the highest value of that data item (the highest weight).
Set Building Games - Go Fish
or Happy Families
type games can be played but using the set names or individual animal card names. The player whose turn it is might ask 'Bill, have you got any Furry animals'. If Bill holds any cards from the Furry group in his hand he hands one over. If he doesn't he says 'Looto', an African word for 'I've seen nothing'.
Rummy games - A variant of Rummy
is played where the sets of matching cards with form melds are based on animal behavior or characteristics. For example a Meld may be constructed using cards of animals which are all carnivores or all live in fresh water.
Top Trumps
Top Trumps is a card game. Each card contains a list of numerical data, and the aim of the game is to compare these values in order to try to trump and win an opponent's card...
and traditional Playing Cards. Like traditional playing cards or Quartets (card game)
Quartets (card game)
Quartets is a card game, similar to Go Fish, which was the start of Top Trumps. They were originally created by Austrian card game company Piatnik during the 1960s., but later began being released by Dubreq, Ace, Waddingtons and other companies...
, the cards are arranged into sets of 4. Like Top Trump packs, each card describes a particular entity with numerical data. Safari Pals games are wildlife related so in this case each card describes a different animal and the sets are normally based a characteristic of the four animals in the set, such as Water-wings or Furry.
Two pack types have been published to date, a 52 card variant called Classic, and a 32 card variant called Junior. There are also Wildcard extension packs which add an additional 5 cards to a pack. The odd number of cards this creates, means a game can be played which is similar to Old Maid
Old Maid
Old maid is a Victorian card game for two to eight players probably deriving from an ancient gambling game in which the loser pays for the drinks. It is known in Germany as Schwarzer Peter, in Sweden as Svarte Petter and in Finland as Musta Pekka and in France as le pouilleux or vieux garçon...
where the losing player is left with the odd card at the end of the game.
Game play
The numerical data on each card and the fact that they are arranged into sets of 4 means lots of different games can be played with these packs.Trump type games can be played where players challenge each other using the data on their cards. Two variations are played, the first is a standard game as played with Top Trumps
Top Trumps
Top Trumps is a card game. Each card contains a list of numerical data, and the aim of the game is to compare these values in order to try to trump and win an opponent's card...
or Ace Trumps
Ace Trumps
Ace Trumps is an early version of the popular card game Top Trumps, released from 1976-1984, by German company Altenburg-Stralsunder. Before releasing Ace Trumps, Ace also released many Quartet games. These packs had 32 cards in each as opposed to Winning Moves' Top Trumps which usually had 30...
. A second variety is similar to Knock-out Whist
Knock-out Whist
Knock-out Whist is a member of the Whist family known by a variety of names including Trumps in Britain, Reduction Whist, Diminishing Whist and Rat. It is often simply called Whist by players who are unfamiliar with the game properly called Whist...
except that the rounds are won by the highest scoring card in the category selected by the first player in the round. For example a round starts with the first player laying down their chosen card and selecting a data item for the round (say weight). The other players each play a card from their hand and the winner of the round is the player who played the card with the highest value of that data item (the highest weight).
Set Building Games - Go Fish
Go Fish
- Basic game :Using a standard 52-card deck, five cards are dealt to each player, or seven if there are four or fewer. The remaining card pack is shared between the players, usually sprawled out in a non-orderly pile referenced as the "ocean" or "pool"....
or Happy Families
Happy Families
Happy Families is a traditional card game played in the UK, usually with a specially made set of picture cards, featuring illustrations of fictional families of four, most often based on occupation types. The object of the game is to collect complete families. The player whose turn it is asks...
type games can be played but using the set names or individual animal card names. The player whose turn it is might ask 'Bill, have you got any Furry animals'. If Bill holds any cards from the Furry group in his hand he hands one over. If he doesn't he says 'Looto', an African word for 'I've seen nothing'.
Rummy games - A variant of Rummy
Rummy
Rummy is a group of card games notable for gameplay based on the matching of similar playing cards. The Mexican game of Conquian is considered by David Parlett to be ancestral to all rummy games, which itself is derived from a Chinese game called Khanhoo and, going even further back,...
is played where the sets of matching cards with form melds are based on animal behavior or characteristics. For example a Meld may be constructed using cards of animals which are all carnivores or all live in fresh water.