Belle of the Ball
It is the eve of Carnivale on the magical Victorian isle of Ludobel, and you are all invited to the fantastical festivities!
In the card game Belle of the Ball, players take on the roles of party hosts, seeking the best mix of guests to make their gala the greatest by the end of the night. In order to ensure that they stay one step ahead of the other hosts, players will have to carefully watch the growing line of guests at the door, inviting those in that seem to share passions with party-goers already inside, all the while handing out their precious stash of Regrets to those who should seek refuge elsewhere. Of course, other hosts may find it advantageous to invite a rejected guest inside just to collect their accumulated Regrets for later use.
Hosts may also choose to ignore the competition for guests and instead try to earn the favor of the Belle of the Ball herself, whose charms can make or break any party.
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As a party host you are trying to put together a group of 4 people with the most in common. You will manage 3 active groups of party goers until they reach 4 members. When they reach 4 members they are scores based on the amount of interests in common plus the effects of belle cards.
2-5 players
13+
30-45 minutes
Setup consists of dealing 3 regret cards(same cards as guests just dealt face down and not used as anything other than regrets during the game) to each player then from the same deck deal 3 guest face up then creating 2 lines one of guests and a second consisting of belle cards. The 3 face up guests become the start of your 3 groups. The lines consist of 5 cards plus the top card on the draw pile which is face up.
Players will then draw from either row following this rule. If you take the first card it is free. If you take a card further down the line you place one regret card for each card you do not take. Examle: If you want card in position 4 you put regret cards next to position 1-3. When cards with regret cards are taken the player taking the card also takes the regret cards next to them.
Belle cards can be good or bad and effect your hand or other players hand. They count as one of your cards. So a group of 3 guest cards and 1 belle card is full.
Play continues until the guest line is exhausted. Round are quick and the game moves quickly other than analysis paralysis.
There are small rule cahnges for 2 or 5 player games.
There are 12 optional cards that can be added for an advanced version of the game.
I like the game but I have not played it for anything other than a filler. The members of my group said they would play it again.
If you get the chance give this one a try.