Up or Down?

Elevators force a choice you cannot undo. Once the doors close, it’s either Up or Down. Designed by legends Wolfgang Kramer and Michael Kiesling, with art by Kwanchai Moriya and Jina Rueter, Up or Down? challenges players to build ascending or descending columns and score by color. It plays with 2–6 players, ages 8+.

Setup

Up or Down? uses a single deck of numbered cards in six colors. Which cards you use depends on player count and how long you want the game to run. The rulebook includes a chart with recommended ranges. For a full length four-player game, we’d use cards 1–102.

Set aside the required cards and return the rest to the box. Shuffle the deck, then deal each player a face-down hand of three cards. Players may look at their own cards.

Place six cards face up in the center of the table in a circle, sorted clockwise by number. Place one draw pile face down and a second draw pile face up near the display. Both piles are available for drawing during the game. Make sure each player has enough space in front of them for up to three columns of cards. Choose a start player.

Gameplay

On a player’s turn they will play the following steps in order:

1) Play a card into the display.
Place one card from your hand into the circular display, fitting it between two cards so the numbers stay in ascending order. If the card is lower than the lowest or higher than the highest card in the display, place it between the highest and lowest cards.

2) Take either card next to the played card.
Take one card from the display that sits directly next to the card you just placed.

3) Play the taken card into your area.
On your first turn, place the taken card in front of you to start a column. You may have up to three columns in your play area.

On later turns, add cards to existing columns. When you place the second card in a column, choose whether that column builds in ascending or descending order. Cards in ascending columns overlap upward, while cards in descending columns overlap downward. Once set, a column’s direction cannot change.

If the taken card cannot be legally placed, or if you choose not to place it, you must give up a column. Move all cards from the column face down to form a personal discard pile, then use the taken card to start a new column.

4) Draw a card.
Draw one card from either the face-up or face-down draw pile and add it to your hand. Play then passes clockwise to the next player.

End Game and Final Scoring

Continue playing until both draw piles are empty. Players then finish their hands, leaving six cards in the circular display, before moving on to scoring.

To score a column, count the color that appears most often and multiply that number by the total cards in the column. For example, four blue cards in a column of eight cards score 32 points.

Next, count the cards in your discard pile. Each one scores 1 point. Add those to your column totals to get your final score. The highest score wins.

Impressions

At the ground floor, Up or Down? may look very simple; play a card, take a card, add to your display. But the choices are not always easy. Because you must play a card every turn, giving up a column is a tough call and sometimes unavoidable. 

Another tough decision comes when you have a card with the exact color and number you want in your hand. Since you must place it into the display first, there’s a real chance it will be gone by the time your turn comes back around.

This is where I struggled most. I’d have a card in hand that would be the perfect addition to my column, only to watch someone else take it before I could. That pressure often forces tough calls. I have yet to finish a game without giving up at least one column. Some of my friends have managed it, but it takes real foresight and a little luck a few turns ahead. The pattern I’ve noticed is two columns in one direction and one in the other; I’ll be trying this in the future.

Fun for Families?

The suggested age for Up or Down? feels right. The rules are straightforward, but play can stall for some players as they weigh their options. That came up a few times in my games, which stretched turns and increased downtime.

Because the display constantly changes, planning ahead is difficult and there’s no guarantee a card will make it back to you.

Playtime also increases with higher player counts. In a five-player game with my group, we ran a little over an hour. Your family’s experience may vary, especially if someone takes extra time choosing which card to send to the display.

Ready to take Up or Down? for a ride? Pick up your copy at Capstone Games, your friendly local game store, or on Amazon. It’s also available to play online on Board Game Area.

---

The Family Gamers received a copy of Up or Down? from Capstone Games for this review.