Unexploded Cow

We played the game Unexploded Cow at a gaming convention a few weeks ago.

Unexploded Cow just sounds wrong, but that is the actual title of the game. Many games today have a story built into the play. The game Unexploded Cow is set in 1997 when Mad Cow Disease was headline news. The story behind the game is that infected British Cows are being sent off to France to locate unexploded bombs left over from World War II. When a bomb is located, it takes care of two problems at once; destroying a diseased cow and an unexploded bomb at the same time. Hence that act is good, earning the player money.

I have to admit that after reading the story behind the game I was a little bit disturbed, but laughing hysterically. So what does the story have to do with the play of the game? During a turn, players place diseased cows face up in their herd after paying a fee for each cow. Cows are named and some cost more than others. In addition, when they are destroyed, some bring in more money than others. To destroy a cow, players roll the dice at the end of their turn and count from right to left to find the cow to be exploded. In addition to regular cows, there are spy cows which can be placed in other players herds, cards which instruct players to exchange herds with each other and cows that can explode adjacent cows.

In spite of the raunchy theme, players develop critical thinking skills while trying to earn the most money destroying bombs and cows. The game lasts 20-30 minutes and is very entertaining. My 13 year old son loved the game so we purchased it on Amazon after the conference as it wasn't being sold there. It is a quirky game to add to your home game library.

Please visit again next week to learn about another game played at the convention.

For more great educational activities check out these blog hops.