Puffy

The Idea

This game was created in a pretty classic way: it started from the possibility of a collaboration with an illustrator — something that hasn't materialized yet — but it still inspired me to walk the whole path on my own. My game Pilvax was born in exactly the same way back then, and it became one of my most successful releases, so I'm really glad I went through with it.

In the case of Puffy, the starting point was that I had nine simple characters — once upon a time they were vegetables and fruits — and the goal was to create a card game for kids. I didn't want action cards, I didn't want any extras, just the nine characters. From that, a memory-based idea emerged very quickly: something light, but with a tiny twist. Then we kept refining it through playtests, and another little twist found its way into the game, one that (in our opinion) makes it truly unique.

Finally, I decided I didn't want to publish this in the classic boxed-game format either. Instead, I took matters into my own hands, contacted PlayWise's graphic designer (Dóra Marton), and together we created the Puffy print-and-play version.

About the Game

The game can be played with 2–5 players, although I don't think it's at its best with just two — but it does have a special rule for that player count, and it works surprisingly well. In the end, we recommend it from age 6, but decide for yourselves; I think in some cases it can work from age 5 as well.

Game time is around 10–15 minutes, so it's a quick little fun session.

The gameplay is based on drafting: you collect your plushies face down in front of you, following a specific rule, and from time to time plushies also appear in the center of the table. That's when you have to step out of the calm, concentrated memorizing mode and make a quick, good decision.

How to Play

I made a very simple video explaining the rules — the audio is in Hungarian, but it has English subtitles — though you should definitely read the rulebook as well. So, we draft: each time you pick a plush, and place it face down in front of you. The one you pick first goes into your first column, the next one into the second, and so on. Everything has its designated place — but you have to remember what's where, since all the cards are face down.

And depending on the player count, you can't just collect unlimited plushies, so from time to time you're forced to discard cards that anyone can grab. That's how a basically quiet, concentrated game suddenly turns into quick slapping. I think it's exciting.

Coloring

The game consists of 63 cards — you'll need to print them, cut them out, and perhaps laminate them along the way. Naturally, we made a finished version for you with nice colors, designed to make the memorizing a bit trickier, but we also created a color-it-yourself version.

We figured there would surely be some kids — and child-hearted adults — who would be happy to have a completely unique copy of the game, and who won't be scared of a bit of crafting and coloring. In fact, they'll enjoy it!

We genuinely believe that buying print-and-play games is a slightly different, slightly slower, slightly calmer experience — something we could all use in today's world. Printing, cutting, assembling… that's already an activity in itself. We think you shouldn't see it as an extra hassle, but as a little project. And that's exactly what we wanted to highlight with this coloring version.

Get Your Copy