1. Ghost Blitz Game Play
2. Ghost Blitz Online

A frenzied game of mental & physical dexterity

Ghost Blitz is a speed grabbing game. There are five objects that rest in the middle of the play area: a red chair, a blue book, a green bottle, a grey mouse, and a white ghost (Balduin himself). There are five objects that rest in the middle of the play area: a red chair, a blue book, a green bottle, a grey mouse, and a white ghost (Balduin. In their simplest form, Ghost Blitz 1 & 2 are games of racing your friends to decipher which item you need to grab (based on playing cards), and then of course, snatching it before them. The setup and game play are very simple, which we will get into next, but figuring out which item to grab is the tricky part.

Looking at the box may have you raising your eyebrows wondering why I’ve given Geistesblitz such a high score. Rest assured, I’ve tried this game out with numerous gamers and the overwhelming response was “that game is brilliant.”

Components

Sometimes nice things come in small packages. The components feel durable and seem to be produced with a high quality. You get 60 cards with charming illustrations printed on thick card stock, five wooden objects, and a full-color rulebook written in four languages. My favorite component is the little gray mouse with it’s red rope tail. I found that several gamers liked playing with the wooden objects, they were stacking them up and taking victorious swigs from the green bottle.

Flavor Text

This is the kind of game that makes me wonder which came first, the theme or the mechanic. Hopefully it was the mechanic because the storyline seems disjointed, concocted over too much German lager perhaps? Maybe we’re just missing something in the English translation.

The odd story-line loosely woven into the mechanics explains that it’s your job to assist an absent minded ghost named Balduin. As he roams about the castle Balduin likes to take pictures with his enchanted camera of objects he likes to make disappear. Apparently this enchanted camera is broken and the objects in the pictures turn up the wrong color. All of this wacky color changing makes Balduin very confused and it is our job to help him sort things out.

Gameplay

The game comes with a basic rule set and a slightly more challenging variation.

In the basic rules the wooden objects are laid out. A card is turned over so that everyone can read it. The card will show two of the wooden objects after which one of two scenarios will play out:

1. One object on the card is colored incorrectly; therefore players must be the first to grab the correct colored object.
2. Both objects on the card are colored incorrectly; now players must grab the only object not represent on the card in any fashion.

For example:

The correct object for the first card is Balduin the White Ghost.

For the second card you would grab the Green Bottle. Since both objects are miss-colored, the green bottle is the only object not represented on the card (neither green nor a bottle is shown on the card)

Hands dart out trying to grab the correct wooden object. The first player with the correct object in hand gets to keep that overturned card. You only get one guess, touch the wrong item you must give up a card to the first player who snagged the wooden object correctly.

The second rules variation is a shouting version based on the card illustration. It adds an extra step to make your brain hurt just a little more. If the book is shown you then must shout the correct answer, otherwise you grab the right object like normal.

Ghost Blitz Game Play

The more one plays the game the better they get at recognizing the correct object. Allowing the inexperienced players a few rounds head start alleviates this situation.

Tips and Trickery

1. Players may try to snatch items out of each other’s hands or even push another player’s hand into the wrong object. Tsk, tsk, you know who you are! We had to develop various house rules to cope with the insanity.

2. Not very good at the game? You will have to depend on trickery to win. Shout out the wrong object or do a fake grab to throw people off. When they touch the wrong object they are out for that round and are forced to hand over a card.

3. Let’s be honest, this is a game about a sneaky ghost, if you snuck one of your oponent’s cards into your own pile is it so wrong? Just ask yourself, what would Balduin do?

Who will like this game

Geistesblitz can take a multitude of players and can be simultaneously enjoyed by a wide range of players. The dynamics of the game will vary based on the familiarity of the players. In other words the game gets more vicious depending on how comfortable everyone is with each other.

I witnessed a hardcore strategy wargamer, an eight-year-old, and my non-gaming mother-in-law enjoying Geistesblitz equally.

Downsides?

Gesitesblitz is similar to another game called SET but in my opinion much better. With SET you sometimes have a runaway leader or players who ‘just don’t get it’. Geistesblitz has an added dexterity and punishment element that makes it a little more accessible, chaotic, and entertaining.

Some of you might consider this a tip but if you play with someone who has sharp finger nails watch out! Also, competitive spouses and siblings have a tendency to get a little violent when snatching the objects—I guess some families play for blood.

Final Remarks

Is this the best game ever invented? No, but as a quick filler game Geistesblitz is fun and engaging.

Ghost Blitz Online