Village at Night or Rummy?

The key differences

• From 7 players on, only Village at Night works: it goes up to 12 players, Rummy only up to 6.
• Village at Night needs at least 5 players – with fewer people, only Rummy works.
• Village at Night needs a TV, or an iPad or Mac as the table; Rummy also runs on phones alone.
• Village at Night has more interaction than Rummy (constant debate vs. little contact).
• Village at Night is louder than Rummy (loud vs. calm).
• Only Rummy can be played against the computer – Village at Night needs real players.
• Village at Night is played in teams; in Rummy everyone plays for themselves.
• Village at Night rewards skill more than Rummy (mostly skill vs. skill and luck).

At a glance

At a glance	Village at Night	Rummy
Type	Party games	Card games
Players	5–12 players	2–6 players
Length of a game	15–30 min	15–40 min
Age	ages 10+	ages 9+
Luck or skill	mostly skill	skill and luck
Noise level	loud	calm
Learning curve	clear after one round	clear after one round
Interaction	constant debate	little contact
TV	needed	not needed
Against the computer	no	yes
Teams	yes	no
Bluffing	yes	no
Reading needed	yes	no

Which one suits you?

Village at Night

A game of hidden roles: at night the wolves strike, by day the village tries to work out who’s lying. The TV narrates, so nobody has to sit out as game master.

Pick Village at Night when there are at least five of you and you enjoy arguing and reading people.

Rummy

Collect sets and runs, lay down at least 30 points to open, then add to the table until your hand is empty. Whoever is still holding cards counts penalty points – and after each round you decide whether to play on or tally up.

Pick Rummy when you want a laid-back card game with some thinking that can fill an evening.

What they have in common

• Both work for 5–6 players.
• In both, everyone has secret information on their own phone.
• Both work from age 10.
• Both come free with Gather and need no account.