Hex Hex, A Party Game Of Backstabbing Spellcasting

Hex Hex XL is was released in 2010 by Smirk and Dagger Games.  It is a larger and more expansive version of Hex Hex.  Hex Hex is a fast paced game of, as the box says, curse and counter-curse.  Essentially, each player is a spellcaster.  Each player draws five cards, though certain cards may cause them to draw more.  Each card is a spell, which will be used to deflect hexes and send them at the other players.  Being hit by a hex will decrease your “voice” which can be viewed as your standing among all the spellcasters.  Successfully hexing an opponent will result in a gain of voice.  At the end of the game, whoever has the most voice wins.

The fun really starts happening when five or six people get together.  This causes the crazier cards to make an appearance more often, as well as making the very quick games take longer to play.  The game only comes with voice trackers for six people, but despite this, you can still easily play with more players.  This can be even more fun, as it can lead to more hexes flying around at once, which can have hilariously destructive results.

This game is all about backstabbing your friends, such as ganging up on whoever is low on cards.  The good thing about it is that it’s perfect even for people who don’t typically play board games since it’s so easy to learn.  Really all you have to do is read what the cards say and you will easily get the hang of it.  Cards say exactly what they do, and if they are to be played at a special time, they say so right on the card.  I’ve played this with a lot of different people, people who are nothing alike and don’t have any common interests and I’ve never met anyone who hasn’t enjoyed playing a game of Hex Hex.

Another great thing about this game is that you can make up your own rules.  When someone wins, they are allowed to create a new rule for the game.  This can range from everyone not being able to say a certain word, to calling people by nicknames, to playing a game of ninja to decide who the first caster is.

Hex Hex XL is an expansion version of Hex Hex, and if you decide to get the game, I recommend this version because it comes with the original as well as a lot of the best cards from the Hex Hex Next expansion.  It also comes with two expansions for the game.  The first is Hex Hex Vexed, which forces a player to obey some kind of weird rule in the next round if they are hexed.  The other is Hexen Stixen, which adds a new element of play.  Whenever a player plays a grab card, everyone has to try and grab the sicks in the middle.  Of course there are less sticks than there are players, so someone will be left out and usually have something bad happen to them.  Be careful though, I’ve seen grabs get violent, blood has been shed.

I highly recommend checking out Hex Hex.  It has a broad range of appeal and is a quick, easy to learn party game.  I’d say that it can even outshine apples to apples.  You certainly won’t regret getting this game and hexing your friends.

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