Prey Another Day (Saturday Review)

The forest is dark and eerie. A cold wind whistles through the branches and makes them creak and groan. The rustling of the leaves goes some way to hiding the noise of your prowling through the undergrowth. You have your prey in sight, but suddenly, at the same time as you break cover, other hunters reveal themselves. There is a moment of confusion which our shared victim uses to their advantage to escape to safety. It looks like we are all going hungry today and we all have to accept that we will have to Prey Another Day by Matthew Dunstan and Brett J. Gilbert from Pegasus Spiele.

The neon palette that was chosen for the Pegasus Spiele edition of this wonderfully quick bluffing game goes against the idea that each card represents a predatory animal that is trying to blend in and not be seen. Instead, the bright, vibrant colours of the wonderful illustrations really draw you in. That is, of course, a great way to attract potential buyers as it shares space on a busy shelf alongside other games. The colours also attract comments from people who see you play Prey Another Day, some of whom aren’t convinced it’s the best choice for this game. Personally, I quite like the bright colours that feel like they were drawn with someone’s collection of highlighter pens. At the end of the day though, the colours, the illustrations and the animals depicted on the giant cards are neither here nor there. That’s not what the game is about.

Hunt and Prey

The only thing you really need to focus on are the numbers on the cards. Everyone has the same cards, numbered 1 to 5. Everyone chooses one of their cards and places it face-down in front of them. When everyone has done so, you go through the numbers and call them out one at a time, starting with 1 and going all the way to 5. As a number is called out, players who have played a card with that number reveal it. If multiple players reveal their card for the same number or if nobody reveals a card at all, nothing happens and you continue with the next number.

If exactly one player reveals their card of the called-out number, they get to hunt. They choose a lower number and if anyone has played that number, they reveal their card and are out of the round. They have been eaten and are dead. Then the next number gets called out and so it goes on.

After either 3 rounds or when only one player is left, food markers are handed out. If there is only one player alive, they get 2. If multiple people are still alive, they add the number of their played cards together and the player or players with the highest value get 2 food markers, the rest 1 food marker. You continue playing until someone gets to 5 markers. If multiple players get 5 or more markers at the same time, you carry on playing until someone has the most markers of everyone.

Bluff Another Day

Of course, what is thematically happening is that the bear, the card with the number 1, is the strongest animal and can kill all of the others. The mouse, the number 5, is the weakest, but if it gets away, it may help you win in the long run.

What actually happens though is all above the table. The rules are really simple. So you need to focus on what you think other people will play. A lower number card is more powerful, but is also likely that more people will play it, which means nobody gets to hunt. Playing the highest-numbered card means you may get eaten, but you are also likely to win at the end. It is also less likely that others will be as mad as you and play a mouse.

Of course, that’s the problem. It’s a game of trying to work out what everyone else is going to play. It’s a matter of “I know that you know that I know that you know.” If you can successfully bluff, you can easily get all the bears to hunt all at the same time and then easily win with your mouse. However, the other people around the table will quickly catch on and you won’t get away with the same bluff a second time – or maybe you will.

Prey Another Day is the sort of game that you need to play with a group of people who like bluffing and a bit of table talk. It won’t work if you’re playing with highly competitive players who base their decisions purely on what card has the best odds of winning. If someone tries to math out the problem, the game will become very boring very quickly.

Quick and Fun

Prey Another Day is set up really quickly, takes minutes to explain and a whole game is over in less than half an hour. Even if you get killed early on, you are sitting out the game for two hunts at the most. It’s the perfect game to play while you wait for others to turn up for game night or to wind down afterwards – or maybe even in between other games. If you have the right people, it’s a lot of fun. The table talk is what makes this game for me. The strategy and tactics are certainly part of the game, but it’s much more about risking to win with a mouse or otherwise bluff your life away. It’s a game I’ll always happily play.

Useful Links

• Prey Another Day: https://pegasus.de/en/16425/prey-another-day-english-edition-edition-spielwiese
• Rulebook: https://pegasus.de/media/pdf/10/07/ed/4250231737596_en_web.pdf
• Pegasus Spiele: https://pegasus.de/en/
• BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/234260/prey-another-day

Transparency Facts

I feel that this review reflects my own, independent and honest opinion, but the facts below allow you to decide whether you think that I was influenced in any way.

• I bought and paid for the game myself.
• At the time of writing, neither the designers, nor the publisher, nor anyone linked to the game supported me financially or by payment in kind.

Audio Version

Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/)

Sound Effects: bbc.co.uk – © copyright 2024 BBC

Music: Cherry Heath by Blue Dot Sessions

Playlist

These are the songs I listened to while I was writing this review: