Review: 6 nimmt!

Introduction & Overview

It’s no game for bulls! You have 10 cards to play smartly into one of four rows. But watch out! Each row can only hold five cards. So, if you place the sixth card in a row, you’ll have to take the five cards already there, along with all their bullheads (negative points).

This is how 6 nimmt! (also known as Take 5! or ¡Toma 6!) presents itself, one of the all-time classics in the world of filler games. Designed by the tireless Wolfgang Kramer in 1994 (20 years ago now) under the original name of Category 5. The game has already been published by countless publishers and in a large number of countries, celebrating its twentieth anniversary this year. This latest edition is illustrated by Franz Vohwinkel, responsible for classics such as Puerto Rico or Ra.

In our country, it is published by Mercurio Distribuciones, which recently released the latest edition published on the occasion of the anniversary. It accommodates 2 to 10 players, with a minimum recommended age of 8 years and an average playing time of 30 minutes. Its MSRP is €13.20. For this review, I have used the recent German edition.

Components

Inside a two-piece cardboard box (lid and bottom), measuring 11.9 × 9.4 × 2 cm (a standard box size like Famiglia or Bohnanza), we find:

104 base game cards
10 expansion cards
Rulebook

How to Play

6 nimmt! is a simultaneous action selection card game where players play their cards blindly at the same time. Once revealed, they are placed into a series of rows in ascending order, being added to the row where the last card is closest in value to the revealed card. When a player places the sixth card in a row, they must take the five cards previously in that row. If the value of the card is lower than the last card of every row, the player chooses which row to place their card in, taking all the cards currently in that row. Rounds are played until a player reaches or exceeds 66 points.

Key Concepts

The core element of the game is its cards. These cards are numbered and unique (there are no duplicate cards). In addition, each card features a number of bullheads (small symbols above the game logo printed on all cards). These small symbols represent the number of penalty points that the card yields when taken by a player (once again, the numerical value of the card does not matter in this regard).

The number of bullheads on a card does depend on its numerical value:

Multiples of 5: 2 bullheads.
Multiples of 10: 3 bullheads.
Multiples of 11: 5 bullheads.
55 is a special case: 7 bullheads (it is a multiple of both 11 and 5).

The key concept of the game is card placement. On the table, we will have a series of rows made up of cards. Each card must be placed in the row whose last card is lower than the card being placed and where the difference between that last card in the row and the card being placed is the smallest.

Preparación de la Partida

Shuffle the entire deck of cards.
Draw the first 4 cards and place them on the table face up, forming a vertical column.
Deal 10 cards to each player.

We are ready to begin!

Game Flow

The game lasts an indefinite number of rounds. Rounds are always played in full (never left halfway). In each round, 10 turns are played. Each turn proceeds as follows:

Each player chooses one card from their hand and places it face down on the table.
Once everyone has chosen a card, all players reveal them simultaneously.
Cards are resolved from lowest to highest numerical value and placed into the rows (checking if any player must take cards from a row).
Once all cards have been placed, the process is repeated until all players have run out of cards.

The moment a player’s card is placed in the sixth position of a row, that player must take the previous five cards, tallying the number of bullheads printed on them on their score sheet, leaving their chosen card as the new starting card of that row.

If a player’s card is lower than the last card of every row, that player must choose any one row and take all the cards in it, scoring the corresponding penalty points, and leaving their played card as the new starting card of that row.

If, at the end of the round, no player has reached 66 points, a new round is set up and play continues.

Game End

The final round is the one in which a player reaches or exceeds 66 points. After finishing it, the winner is the player with the fewest accumulated penalty points.

Variants

Known Numbers (Tactics): Only cards with a value equal to or lower than the number of players multiplied by 10 plus four are used. All these cards are then laid out on the table, and players take turns drafting one card until everyone has a hand of 10 cards. The remaining 4 cards will be the starting cards for the rows.
Two Rounds: The card distribution is slightly different (12 cards for 4 players, 10 cards for 5, 8 cards for 6, and 7 cards for 7). Four starting cards are placed and play proceeds as usual. For the second round, the table is left exactly as it ended in the first round. At the end of the game, the winner is whoever has accumulated the fewest points (there is no need to reach 66).
Wildcards: Each player receives a decimal wildcard that is “added” to the value of the last card. That is, if, for example, we have a 0.5 and place it behind a 45, a 46 would still be higher than our card.

Personal Opinion

We are looking at one of those filler games that stand the test of time while remaining at the top of their game. It’s hard to say no to a match of one of the most famous designs by the prolific Wolfgang Kramer (in this case, designed solo). We could say this title is to fillers what Catan (here is its tocho-review) or Carcassonne (here is its tocho-review) are to Gateway/Family games, or Agricola (here is its tocho-review) and Caylus (here is its tocho-review) to heavy eurogames: a timeless classic.

Something every self-respecting filler must have is the ability to deliver fun. It’s not enough to simply offer a short challenge. And this title doesn’t fail in that department. If there is one thing this game can boast about, it’s getting laugh after laugh out of the table every time a player unexpectedly eats a row of cards.

Like every card game, luck is quite present throughout the match. On one hand, as with any deal, you might get great cards or Lady Luck might constantly laugh in your face. But once you have your hand, you have no choice but to deal with it. This is where the strategic element comes in—strategic or chaotic, depending on player count. The level of control shifts dramatically based on the number of people around the table.

At low player counts, you can play with a reasonable degree of control since you can more or less anticipate which row your card will end up in, and tense moments only crop up when all rows start getting crowded.

At high player counts, the complete opposite happens. Every round is a mystery. There are many cards being added, making it hard to properly calculate the exact order in which your card will hit the table. In the end, you find yourself merely mitigating risks as much as possible, trying to play cards with a safe margin (though you can only play with total peace of mind if your card is practically consecutive to the one at the end of a row).

Furthermore, it features a built-in game timer mechanism so games don’t drag on, as cards will inevitably enter the board and players will be forced to take cards no matter what. The only way for a game to last long is for these penalties to be evenly distributed among everyone. But what is truly hilarious is when a player goes into a complete downward spiral and can’t stop eating cards. I’m a specialist at that.

The variants, while not groundbreaking, offer enough variety to keep things feeling fresh and expand the range of possibilities.

Scalability is a delicate point because, although it plays 2 to 10 players, at very low player counts there is too much control and games feel slower. At high player counts, it might be a bit too chaotic (though that has its own charm). The sweet spot is definitely 4–8 players.

I believe that, even if it can occasionally feel too chaotic, it is one of those fillers that belongs in any self-respecting board game collection. Personally, I prefer Turn the Tide (here is its tocho-review), which shares a very similar premise but introduces subtle nuances that give it greater depth without increasing the rules overhead.

Regarding the production, it remains a card game at its core, so the cards are the key component. Here we find good quality cards with a predominantly white background, making edge wear less noticeable. However, as you know, I always recommend sleeving. In this game, cards are handled quite a bit, and if you want it to last, it’s worth spending a few extra bucks on a pack of sleeves.

Regarding the artwork, I won’t focus on any specific illustrator across the various editions, as the minimalist card design is something virtually anyone could produce with vector design software. Nothing iconic in terms of art. It does the job without standing out, although the bullhead logo is practically a trademark by now. See it, and you instantly think of Kramer.

And let’s wrap this up. 6 nimmt! is an undisputed classic whose brilliance lies in a premise as simple as it is clever: simultaneously playing cards in ascending numerical order while doing everything possible to dodge the dreaded sixth spot in any row. This dynamic generates delicious tension and constant double-guessing, sparking hilarious moments and uproarious laughter whenever plans fall apart and someone spirals into taking a row crammed with penalties. While the luck of the deal and the inherent chaos can narrow your strategic leeway, its ability to deliver immediate, effortless fun more than makes up for any lack of tight calculation. A direct, snappy, and wildly effective design that turns simple rules into pure tabletop excitement. For all these reasons, I give it a…