Squirrel Away – Bluff Your Nuts Off!

A scurry of squirrels just pulled off the heist of the century and made off with a mountain of acorns. Now it’s time to divide the loot. Each round, you’ll grab acorns in a fast, messy scramble, using a little sleight of hand to make it harder for everyone else to spot your real stash. Then you’ll decide whether to tell the truth or bluff about how many you took. If others at the table guess wrong, you’ll scamper away with even more loot.

Floodgate Games publishes Squirrel Away, a fast-paced set-collection bluffing game from designer Clarence Simpson, with art by David DePasquale. It plays 3–6 players in about 20 minutes for ages 10+.

Setup

Place all the acorns in the center of the table to create the Loot Pile. Shuffle the Acorn cards and deal five to each player. Then give each player a Nut Stash screen and three Scoundrel tokens. Put any extra cards and tokens back in the box.

The last player to eat a nut, or the nuttiest player at the table, takes the first turn.

Gameplay

In Squirrel Away, players stash away complete sets of acorns to score points by the end of the game. On each turn, players grab acorns, make a claim, and face judgment from the rest of the table.

Play and Acorn Card and Grab

On your turn, choose an Acorn card from your hand and place it face down in front of you. The card shows the colors and number of acorns you’ll claim to grab. Then, using only one hand, quickly scoop acorns from the Loot Pile. You can grab exactly what the card shows, take less, or even take more. While grabbing acorns, you can move them around, pick them up, and drop them to disguise what you actually took.

Make Your Claim

Next, without looking at the acorns you grabbed, hold your closed fist above the table and announce what’s on your Acorn card. Announce whatever you want. For Wilds, you can say “2 Wilds” or “3 Wilds.” You can tell the truth or bluff.

Judgement

Starting with the player to your left, the other players decide if they believe your announcement. If they believe you, they simply say, “You’re good,” and the next player decides. However, if a player thinks your facedown card or the acorns in your fist do not match what you claimed, they discard a Scoundrel token, point to either the card or your fist, and call, “You Scoundrel!” That callout immediately ends the Judgment step and moves the game to the reveal.

The Reveal

If you are being called out, reveal either the facedown acorn card or what’s in your hand, whichever the calling-out player pointed to. Then determine if its a Match.

Match. If the Acorn card or the acorns in your fist match what you announced, keep all the acorns from your fist and take one extra acorn from the Loot Pile. If you complete a set of all four acorn colors, squirrel them away behind your Nut Stash screen. Leave any extra acorns on the shelf in full view.

No Match. If the revealed card or acorns do not match what you announced, keep one acorn and return the rest to the Loot Pile. Then the calling-out player takes one acorn of their choice from the Loot Pile. If they complete a full set of four acorn colors, they can squirrel those acorns away behind their Nut Stash screen.

As soon as the revealed card or fist hits the table, the next player can immediately start grabbing acorns for their turn.

There’s very little downtime in Squirrel Away. As soon as the card or fist has been revealed, the next player can immediately begin grabbing acorns for their turn.

Discard and Continue play

At the end of your turn, discard the face-up Acorn card. Then pass play to the next player. 

End Game

Squirrel Away ends once players use all their Acorn cards or run out of Scoundrel tokens. Then each player scores one point for every complete set of four acorn colors in their Nut Stash. The squirrel with the most points wins!

Impressions

Squirrel Away is totally geared toward family friendly play. While the box says 10+, it could easily skew younger. It plays quickly too, with very few steps. Grab acorns, say what you took, see if folks call you out or not, and stash them away.

The strategy in Squirrel Away comes down to speed, crafty grabs, and good bluffing. Since the next player can start grabbing acorns while another player wraps up their reveal, there’s almost always a distraction happening somewhere around the table. That frantic pace makes it easier to sneak extra acorns into your stash without drawing attention.

Of course, once others start watching closely, the bluffing game really begins. Picking up and dropping acorns, shifting them around in your hand, or hesitating for just a second can throw players off your trail and cloud their judgment.

Fun For Families

Squirrel Away will hit different for people, and it really depends if bluffing games are your family’s jam. We struggled a bit in a mixed age group with a 12 year old, me and my parents in their mid 70s. One player fast grabbed a huge handful and it was quiet obvious they we bluffing, while my Dad was slower and used more sleight of hand making it harder to guess.

It got slightly annoying when my son put his head down at table level to try and get a closer look at what was being snatched up. While not technically against the rules, it got old after a while.

One game we had a player would always tell the truth too, so they were easy to suss out.

If your family enjoys bluffing games with tactile components, Squirrel Away can be a lot of fun. Grabbing, dropping, and shifting these chunky acorns adds a much more hands-on feel than simply holding a hand of cards and guessing who’s bluffing. The game thrives on chaotic, interactive play, and families that enjoy that style will likely come back to it often.

The random hand of Acorn cards each game keeps gameplay from getting stale, and before long, a kid at the table will pull off a huge bluff and fool everyone. That usually sparks plenty of laughs and a few “you sneaky little squirrel!” comments around the table.

Worth the Acorns?

Squirrel Away offers lighthearted fun for the right family. Games move quickly and never overstay their welcome. Kids could easily pull this one out on their own with friends, especially in that upper elementary through middle school range. Just make sure you’ve got at least the minimum of three players.

The chunky acorns also add a lot to the experience. They have a nice table presence and feel satisfying to scoop up.

Ready to test your sleight of paw and outwit your fellow squirrels? Grab a copy of Squirrel Away from Floodgate Games, at your friendly local game store, or on Amazon.

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The Family Gamers received Squirrel Away from Floodgate Games for this review.

This post contains affiliate links, which do not change your price, but help support The Family Gamers.

FAQ

Is Squirrel Away good for families?
Yes. Squirrel Away works well for families who enjoy playful bluffing, table interaction, and quick rounds filled with laughter.

How long does Squirrel Away take to play?
Most games take about 20 minutes, making it an easy fit for family game night or between heavier games.

Is Squirrel Away hard to learn?
No. Players grab some acorns, make a claim, and see if the table believes them. The rules stay simple, even though the bluffing can get tricky.

How many players do you need to play Squirrel Away?
You need at least three players, but can play with up to six.

What ages work best for Squirrel Away?
The box recommends ages 10+, but younger kids who enjoy bluffing and social games may also do well with it.