High Society

First impression: great small box game, the rules for which turn on the very tight axis of what at first appears a minor rule: the player with the least money at the end LOSES. This means that if you play conservatively and use your 1/2/3/4 money cards in early rounds, your lowest bid in future rounds will be 6 increasing to 14(!). You don't get change! So that axis is even tighter, making it likely that you'll lose to the least-money rule. This creates a LOT of tension in what should be a simple bidding game... The production values are terrific for a small box game, with great card quality, great colors, great art, great packaging... everything is easy to understand from the get-go except how to win. The only very minor issue with this production is that the box fit is so tight that it will take you an extra 20 or 30 seconds to get the box open until you've played it a few times.

Very fun game and easy to learn. Great for your friends who are not into deeper tabletop games. Best with 4 or 5 players. Small box, so easy to take on the road.

If you are looking for light games to play before or after heavy games, this is a good choice. You have money cards, you are trying to bid on fancy upper class things, you must have the most upper class things by the end of the game, but the player with the least amount of money is automatically out. Simple. Also once you play a money card for bidding you cannot take it back to make change, it stays until you lose the auction. Also there is bad cards where everyone is bidding how much they are willing to pay to not have it and whoever caves takes the bad card but doesn't cave and everyone else pays but doesn't take the bad card. Fun simple stuff. Only bad thing is you do not want to play it all the time, it does have a meta that I can see become overly obvious that will ruin the game and make it feel like it plays the same everytime, maybe once every four sessions or something.

Such a fun betting game and the art is gorgeous.

"High Society" is a captivating card game that brilliantly captures the essence of competitive bidding and luxurious living. Set in the glamorous world of high society, players must strategically bid on extravagant items while managing their finances. The game's mechanics are simple yet engaging, making it accessible to players of all levels. With its beautiful artwork and elegant design, "High Society" creates an immersive experience that keeps players coming back for more. Whether you're a seasoned strategist or a casual gamer, "High Society" is sure to provide hours of entertainment and excitement. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a sophisticated and enjoyable card game experience. Really enjoy is bigger group play. Fun for most ages. Just buy it.

A truly amazing game in such a little box. I only wish i discovered this one earlier! A simple auction game where everyone starts with the same hand of money cards to by "luxury" cards for points. Two twists make this one fun - 1) there are also negative cards that players don't want so you have to reverse bid on them to not take them (very clever mechanic here!) and 2) the player with the least amount of money cards at the end of the game is automatically out of the running (meaning, you can't just spend all your money on the best cards). Wildly fun and literally every person who has played has had a great time. Just buy it and thank me later! Best!

Plays best at 4 in my opinion, but worked good with 5 or 3. Some people struggled with understanding the concept of not winning if you are the poorest. One group I played with was extremely conservative and the prices were tiny. The other group people were going broke halfway through the game. Really interesting how the dynamics change group to group. All in all it was super fun and I love that you can play several rounds back to back!

Easily one of the best looking games I have. The art is top notch. The game is simple to explain and it usually takes at least a game for anyone to learn it. Plays quickly and the dynamic of trying to bet and win cards is balanced perfectly with the limited money cards you have. Plays best with 3 or more but 2 can still work. The challenge is teaching people not to bid all their money so they have nothing left at the end otherwise they are out at the final scoring in the end. One of Kinzia’s best games. Great for a quick game.

It’s a good game to play between two long board game sessions. I liked how the game is designed and the game play is pretty smooth too.

ルールも複雑でなく簡単な競りゲームとしてとても面白かったです

High Society is an easy game to introduce having a simple bidding mechanic but with unique twists. Large cards with different values are revealed representing aspects of 'high society' such as 'au de parfum' and 'joie de vivre'. Players bid for these points with identical sets of money cards of various values, and can continue to add to their bid until all but one have dropped out. The winning bidder pays their money to the bank and takes the card but all others can return their money to their hands. The twists are that players cannot swap the money bid, only adding to the cards laid down. So deciding which values to lay down and when is a tactical part of the game. Also there are penalty cards like 'faux pas'. These are bid for but go to the first player to withdraw from the auction. All other players pay the money bid and the 'winning' bidder gets to retain their bid. Finally another major twist is that the player with the lowest amount of money left at the end of the game is eliminated; even if they have the most points they are not considered a member of high society as they are not wealthy enough! So points and money have to be balanced. There are powerful bonus cards that can double a player's score. Four of the bonus/penalty cards have dark borders and when the fourth of these is revealed the game ends immediately, giving the game a random duration. Fantastic artwork and card quality add to a great production from Osprey Games. This is an older Reiner Knizia game which has stood the test of time. He's arguably the master of using auction mechanics in games. One caveat is that auction games are difficult to judge on first play as players won't fully understand the value of what they are bidding for. For example, in our first game one player spent way too much money and another player ended up with a negative score. There was one clear winner out of four players but expect subsequent games to be much tighter. Some people might find the idea of auction games to be a bit dry but High Society has enough theme, choices and tension to remain very interesting.

Really easy to explain, can get really tense and as it finish as soon as a 4th green card appears, you never know when is going to end. The twist of the poorest player gets immediately disqualified even if it has the more points id brilliant too. Plays fast and as it's extremely easy to set up you can play a few rounds in a row

Great knizia auction game with nice art and clever mechanics