We’ve all witnessed the success of a certain cat themed card game in 2015. Being the dog person that I am, I kept waiting for a proper game about the superior furry species. Looks like the wait is finally over thanks to a certain studio from Korea and their Kickstarter debut called The Bark Side.
How it All Came to Be
The story behind The Bark Side is rather unusual. It began as a card game based on a japanese TV Show called “Docchi no Shimatsu Show” (meaning “Who to Get Rid of – the Show”). The goal of the game was to show an official apology letter to your boss, while handing him other more important apology letters beforehand to lessen the blow.
The original game was showcased on a japanese convention and got an international publisher interested. The theme had to be changed though, as it was a bit too inaccessible for international audiences. That’s when the publishers made the right decision: they kept the mechanics, but switched the theme… to dogs.
Capturing the Furry Charm
The creators have decided to make the game as cute as possible and play on the feelings of canine lovers. Visuals have been created by Serene Wyatt, known for her Shantyland comics and Elly the Wiener Dog series. Dogs on the illustrations look colorful, cheeky and their trouble causing nature is portrayed with tons of charm. Wyatt’s involvement also made the game really accessible and child friendly. Especially considering the themes of the japanese original.
Trick Time!
Each player takes the role of a naughty dog. Your owner went out to mind his business and that can mean only one thing: time to finally have some fun! Running around, mud diving and showing off your wall painting skills sounds most tempting.
The Bark Side was made for 3 to 5 players and is aimed at shorter game sessions. The deck has 10 sets of 5 identical cards, each portraying a different dog playing a trick. Each set is numbered from 1 to 10. Numerical values are the key to winning the game. Every round consists of many turns, where everyone plays a card.
How to Play
Every player begins by drawing 10 cards and exchanging 2 of them with another person. Your goal is to place cards higher than the previous player. If you can’t do that, you may play the weakest card instead in the so called “tail-tucking move”. Whoever played the strongest card becomes the next starting player.
The “Tail-tucking move” has a special effect on the following round. It allows players to place pairs of cards instead of singles. Others have to follow suit and do the same thing, but using equal or stronger pairs.
The Owner is Back
The biggest twist of the game comes in the final turn of each round. That’s when the owner comes back home and catches the naughty dogs red-pawed. Each player should be left with only one card. Now everyone places their final card and whoever had the one with the highest value… loses and places 3 lowest value cards from this turn in front of him.
Next, the cards are dealt again, excluding ones that the loser gained at the end. The game continues in identical manner until one of the players loses enough times, to have 7 different dog cards in front of him.
This approach makes the game much more strategic than it may seem at a first glance. You have to plan for your final card from the very beginning and decide what cards to use each turn, so that you can keep the one useful in the finale till the end.
Campaign is On
After playing some test games using the prototype deck we can easily recommend The Bark Side for spring picnics and daily dose of fun with your family. The game works best with bigger groups of players and seems to be a nice way to pass the time. Especially if you love dogs, and already had your daily share of walks and frisbee throws.
The Bark Side is still in the crowdfunding phase on Kickstarter. Basic pledge option is priced at 16 USD, which sounds pretty fair for a this type of game.
You can back it here and help the creators in spreading more dog love around world:
