YES! GINSENG Card Game - What a Sweet Life

Another Beautiful Card Game Introducing You to Sweet Treats Sold on Taiwan Night Markets

TEXT: TWELLI
PHOTOS: DOPLAN

(Note: The following is sponsored content.)

This is the second game sent to us by the YES! Ginseng creators. For an introduction to the first, please look here: YES! Ginseng Card Game. Both games are very nicely designed and fun to play. While the first is introducing you to Taiwan night market snack foods, this game is about sweet treats/desserts, also available on night markets around the island and in eateries and shops elsewhere as well.

The game comes in an hexagonal-shaped tall box, the size of a typical large-sized pearl milk tea (boba tea) cup.

After opening the box, you’ll find the octagonal-shaped cards, five long card holders, and a dice. There are also tiny booklets, one with a short introduction of sweet treats, including tea shop beverages, traditional pastries, sweet soups, etc.

You’ll also find a few phrases helpful when ordering sweet treats, for example how to say “less sugar” or “no ice” in Chinese, and a list of the most common ingredients used in sweet treats in Taiwan, such as adzuki beans and tapioca balls.

Then there is a tiny rule book, well written in English and Chinese, and easy to understand.

The game is not complicated and can be learned within a few minutes.

It is played by 2-5 players aged 6 or above, and each game lasts about 10 minutes.

The game follows the basic principle of a typical memory game. Cards are placed face down on the table, and with each turn a player turns over cards trying to find the cards he/she is looking for.

However, players are not looking for two identical cards to collect but seven specific cards shown on each player’s base or card holder.

Cards are inserted in the slots of each player’s base

There are a total of 35 cards each showing a different dessert. Each player gets one base showing seven different desserts. The goal of the game for each player is to collect the seven dessert cards shown on his or her base.

Apart from the Dessert cards there are also three different types of special cards or Situation cards, namely Ice, Sugar, and Mix cards.

At the beginning of the game each player gets 6 Ice cards, and 1 Sugar card.

All other cards are placed face down in a beehive pattern on the table.

The first player rolls the dice and can then reveal as many cards as indicated on the dice. If one of the turned cards matches an image on the player’s base he/she can take that card and insert it in the card holder. Then one of the cards in the player’s hand is put back on the table, and all cards are turned face down.

The three types of Situation cards make the game more interesting and fun. When a player turns around these cards, they stay face up at the end of the player’s turn.

If a player turns around a Mix card, all face-up cards need to be shuffled with face-down cards and the player’s turn comes to an end. This will make it more difficult for everyone to remember where the desired cards are located.

If the sixth Ice card is turned around, the table “freezes” and the active player’s turn ends. With the next roll of the dice the next player first has to “de-ice” the table. If the number indicated on the dice is a 3 for example, the player can turn around 2 Ice cards and reveal 1 Dessert card.

The third Situation card, the Sugar card, comes into play when two of these cards are revealed. The active player can demand from another player to give up one of his/her dessert cards in exchange for the Sugar card, which will go into his/her hand, giving the active player an advantage.

The game ends when one player has collected all seven cards needed for his/her base.

This is a simple but fun game. The cards feel great in your hand and are beautifully illustrated.

You will get to know the following 35 yummy treats:

Almond tofu–Bean curd with assorted toppings–Bean paste crystal balls–Brown sugar steamed cake–Candied fruits–Carambola juice–Crispy butter cake–Egg pancakes–Egg yolk cake–Fried sweet potato balls–Fried twisted roll–Dragon’s beard candy–Green tea with Yakult–Herb tea–Hollow cookies–Hot candied sweet potato–Hot grassy jelly–Jelly cake with red bean–Lemon aiyu jelly–Mango shaved ice–Mung bean cake–Muri–Papaya milk–Peanut and water chestnut–Peanut roll with ice cream–Pearl bubble tea–Pineapple cake–Ox-tongue-shaped pastry–Scholar cake–Sticky rice cake–Tapioca frog pawn–Taro balls, sweet-potato balls–Turtle-shaped rice cake–Wheel pies–Winter melon tea

Now my mouth is watering. There are so many delicious surprises on Taiwan’s many night market, hot soups in the winter, ice treats in the summer. Taiwan is truly a foodie’s paradise!