Somnia Game Review

My first play of Somnia, Kazuma Suzuki’s confounding li’l trick-taker, ranks among the worst trick-taking experiences of my life. It was horrendous, a trudge through the marshes to get to the end. The scoring was so oblique as to render meaningful gameplay impossible:

If any player meets or exceeds 86 points, they lose a life, unless they are the only player who scored any points, in which case the other three players each lose a life. If there’s a four-way tie, everyone loses a life. If everybody scores some points and the top two players tied, they each lose a life. On the other hand, if the bottom two players tied, then the player in second place loses a life. If the top two players are tied and the bottom two players are tied, then they all lose a life. If none of the above listed outcomes are the case, then the players in second and third each lose a life.

I can’t speak for you, but I personally cannot track all of those hypotheticals, follow all those contingencies, during a fast-moving trick-taking game. Especially not one where the point values of cards vary, and even…

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