Rudolph – Help Santa Sleigh!

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer has been part of Christmas storytelling since 1939, when Robert L. May created him for a Chicago-based department store giveaway. It later became a beloved song and a stop-motion classic my family still watches every year.

Rudolph is a pattern-building game where players build the best sleigh and reindeer team to help Santa spread cheer around the world. Devir publishes this family-friendly Christmas game, designed by Nico Cardona and Gabriel Buendía Herrerías with festive art by Benji Santiago. It plays 2–6 players, ages 8+, in 15–20 minutes.

Setup

Shuffle the Rudolph cards and deal two to each player. After they choose one and return the other to the box, shuffle the Sleigh cards and deal ten face down to each player without letting them look at the cards. Next, place one leftover Sleigh card in the center of the table. Finally, set the five Reindeer majority cards faceup to the side for end-game scoring.

Gameplay

Rudolph plays out over ten rounds, each consisting of three actions: Reveal, Select, and Place. There are no turns; all players move through each step at the same time.

Reveal. Players take the top card of their deck and place it face down in the center. Once everyone is ready, all cards are revealed at the same time.

Select. After the reveal, each player takes one card from the center. Because there are no turns, the longer a player hesitates, the fewer choices remain.

Place. Once all players have taken a card, they add it to their sleigh. The first card starts the Sleigh layout. Each new card slides underneath: either to the left as a sleigh section or to the right as a reindeer. Cards overlap slightly to show the new sleigh section or reindeer.

Cards placed to the left as Sleigh sections add scoring conditions. Reindeer, placed to the right, should form connected groups for scoring. Reindeer count as grouped when their reins connect in a continuous line moving forward. Reins connect through the middle and front edges of each card, creating a continuous line that shows when reindeer form a scoring group.

After everyone is done placing a card to Santa’s Sleigh, a new round begins and players follow the same three steps. After the tenth round, all players should have played all their Rudolph sleigh cards. Then proceed to scoring.

Final Scoring

Scoring in Rudolph breaks down into three simple steps, which helps the end of the game flow smoothly for everyone.

1. Score Reindeer Majority Cards. The player with the largest connected group of each Reindeer color earns that card and scores five points. If players tie, no one receives the card.

2. Score Sleigh Cards. Review each Sleigh card and score the Gift Points shown if you meet its condition.

3. Score Your Rudolph Card. Reveal your Rudolph card – placing at the front of your reindeer – and score if its requirements are met.

After all scores are tallied, the highest-scoring player wins. Santa chooses their sleigh to deliver gifts around the world.

Impressions

Rudolph is a fun, light, family-friendly game that brings out your holiday spirit. The charming art draws you into the theme, and watching your sleigh take shape feels rewarding.

Each round moves fast, so you must decide quickly which card to add to your sleigh. Scan the options and grab a card before someone else does. Then juggle a few priorities at once: building reindeer groups, meeting sleigh scoring conditions, and keeping your hidden Rudolph objective in mind. Planning between rounds helps, but the card you want isn’t always available. When that happens, you might pivot—place a card at the back of your sleigh for points, or start forming a new group of reindeer.

You’ll often need to adjust your strategy a few rounds in. Scoring multiple reindeer majorities adds points quickly. When larger groups of reindeer didn’t come together, we found a sleigh card that scores four points for sets of three different reindeer colors was especially helpful.

Speedy Family Fun

Rudolph claims it plays in about ten minutes, and that’s pretty close – if you exclude final scoring. The age range also feels right, but families should note the simultaneous card grab. If speed-based play works for your group, this mechanic shines. However, younger kids, grandparents, and anyone who needs more processing time may find it stressful. I often missed cards simply because I couldn’t scan the table fast enough, which was frustrating.

If your family prefers a calmer pace, consider adding a brief pause after revealing cards and before selecting, so everyone can review their sleigh in progress.

I found myself wishing the game had a built‑in way to ease the pressure of simultaneous card selection. Something like drafting, letting players choose in order without rushing. We tried rotating who picks first, but that only works evenly at two or five players, which may lead to complaints of unfairness at other counts.

Iconography adds another layer of learning. Because the game keeps text minimal for multilingual accessibility, expect to pass the rulebook around during your first few plays. New players will especially need to check the rulebook charts before picking their secret Rudolph card.

Rudolph Shines So Bright

Rudolph sets up quickly, teaches easily, and works well as a festive filler game. It’s also color-blind friendly, with each reindeer type featuring a distinct antler shape.

There will absolutely be kids that love Rudolph‘s speed grab and the competition that it brings.

The variety of Rudolph bonus cards and the speed-based drafting means you can’t rely on the same strategy from game to game. This keeps replayability high for this extremely quick game. Even with the speed element, I still enjoyed playing multiple games back to back. Rudolph is one I’ll keep in the library to bust out at the holidays each year.

Ready to help Santa build an Epic Sleigh? Grab your ear muffs and scarves and head out to your friendly local game store, or shop Devir games online, to pick up a copy of Rudolph today.

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Devir provided the Family Gamers with a promotional copy of Rudolph for this review.

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