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ANANSI TALES

The great trickster Anansi the Spider and the other amazing characters of West African folklore bring their fantastic stories to Smash Up. Anansi collected stories, but also traded them as he traveled. And he nearly always got the better part of any deal. If you are as clever as Anansi, you can benefit both from playing your cards and from giving them away.

Description

The Anansi Tales are one of the 5 factions from the World Tour: Culture Shock set.

They focus on placing cards from your hand into other players' hands for benefits, either immediately or when that player decides to play or discard it. Some of their actions must also be passed around to other players after being played instead of discarding them.

Other factions from the same set: Ancient Incas, Grimms’ Fairy Tales, Polynesian Voyagers, Russian Fairy Tales.

This faction is called "Anansi Tales" in the rulebook and on the divider included in this set. However, AEG's product page for this set calls this faction "West Africa" after its region of origin.

Cards

The Anansi Tales have the usual 10 minions and 10 actions. The total minion base power (not counting any abilities) is the usual 30 or an average of 3 per minion.

Actions

Among their actions, there are:

  • 0 play-on-minion actions,
  • 0 play-on-base actions,
  • 10 standard actions (3 that affect one or more minions, in bold): Collecting Stories (2x), Ear of Corn, Feather Gifts, Let it be Full and Eat, Pot of Beans (2x), Pot of Wisdom, The Perfect Gift, Trading Stories,
  • 2 actions that directly increase a minion's power: Pot of Beans (2x).

Gameplay

Actions

2x Collecting Stories - Look at another player’s hand. You may play a card you own from their hand as an extra card. 

1x Ear of Corn - Shuffle up to three actions from your discard pile into your deck and play an extra action. Place this card into another player’s hand. 

1x Feather Gifts - Move one of your minions to another base. Place this card into another player’s hand. 

1x Let it be Full and Eat - Draw two cards. Place this card into another player’s hand. 

2x Pot of Beans - Place two +1 power counters total on minions. Place this card into another player’s hand. 

1x Pot of Wisdom - Draw a card for each other player, then place a card from your hand into each other player’s hand. Play an extra action. 

1x The Perfect Gift - Search your deck for a standard action and play it as an extra action. Then place it into another player’s hand instead of where it would normally go. 

1x Trading Stories - You may place up to three cards from your hand into other players’ hands. For each one placed, draw a card. 

Characters

1x Anansi the Spider - power 5 - Talent: Search your deck for a standard action and play it as an extra action. Then place it into another player’s hand instead of where it would normally go. You cannot play any copy of that action again this turn. 

1x Onini the Python - power 4 - Ongoing: After another player plays or discards a card they don’t own from a hand or deck, place a +1 power counter on this minion. 

1x Osebo the Leopard - power 4 - Ongoing: After you place a card into another player’s hand, place a +1 power counter on this minion. 

3x Akye the Turtle - power 3 - You may place a card from your hand into another player’s hand to draw two cards. 

4x Mboro Hornet - power 2 - Special: After another player plays or discards a card they don't own from a hand or deck, you may play this minion as an extra minion. 

Strategy

Give cards to other players for benefit, gain benefits when they play or discard them, and give away actions that are continuously passed between players.

Synergy

  • Mythic Greeks: Anansi Tales can easily play multiple actions in a turn, which allows Heracles and Odysseus to trigger repeatedly.
  • Big Hero 6: Pot of Beans are great for placing counters on multiple minions and getting Big Hero 6's characters online quickly. Honey Lemon embraces the sharing attitude of Anansi Tales, letting you play even more actions.
  • Mulan: Chien Po, Ling, and Yao can trigger off of Pot of Beans, effectively stapling Let it Be Full and Eat's effect onto Pot of Beans. Mulan herself lets you play an extra action if a counter was placed on her that turn.

Tips

None.

Additional Info

Mechanics

They are all about sharing your cards with the other players.

Some cards allow you to place any of your cards from your hand into the hand of other players for a benefit, mainly card draws, +1 power counters or the opportunity to play a standard action of your choice. Others give you a benefit if those other players play or discard any card they don't own, so not just the cards you've given them. In particular, their power-2 minions can be played for free each time another player plays or discards such a card. And if your opponents want to keep your cards in hand, they have Collecting Stories that allow you to play them straight from their hands.

Additionally, to ensure that your cards get played, half of their actions must be passed to another player after being played instead of being discarded.

Expansion

World Tour: Culture Shock

Playstyle

  • Gimmick
  • Support
  • Control