Let Sleeping Queens lie?
Sleeping Queens has long been one of the most popular games at Presents of Mind, and it’s certainly one of our family’s favourites. Invented by a 6 year old, after a dream, (with a little help from Mum & Dad), it has been a worldwide smash hit ever since. It’s great, family fun! Many times we’ve seen families purchase an initial copy, love it and go on to gift many more games to their family & friends.
To begin the game, the twelve Queen cards lie face-down (‘sleeping’) on the table. Each Queen card features it’s own beautiful artwork, & fantastical names like the Pancake Queen, Bubble Gum Queen, and the very groovy Tie Dye Queen.
Players need to think strategically and quickly, and have bit of luck, to rouse these napping Nobles from their Royal slumbers.
On a turn, one of several actions are taken:
- Play a King card to awaken and claim a Sleeping Queen.
- Play a Knight to steal someone else’s Queen (unless she has a Dragon for protection).
- Play a wand to send another players’ Queen back to sleep.
- Use a Jester to try your luck with the top of the deck.
- Discard one or more number cards to draw more cards.
Each Queen card has a point value on it, and whenever all the Queens have been awakened, or one player hits the point threshold, the game ends & whoever has the most points wins.
The ability to (or try to) steal other players Queens, and sabotage your friends by putting a Queen back to sleep, introduces a more grown up feel to the game. Yet the easy rules and cute graphics makes it of great appeal to families with kids. While the pack recommends ages 8+, and we’ve certainly seen 8 year olds playing the game independent of any supervision. However, with a little help in the initial rounds, we’ve seen kids as young as 5 & 6 really get into Sleeping Queens.
It’s light weight and compact, so perfect for travel, camping or any place where fun needs to be had.
Key facts:
- Ages 8+ (we reckon even a little younger is OK)
- 2 – 5 players (we think best with 3, 4 or 5)
- Plays out in about 15 minutes, so it’s nice & fast past, though there’s likely to be many rounds.
- Card game: easy to pack / travel with
- Easy to learn
- Easy to set up
