Lesser Known Game but Extremely Fun for the Family
We’re always down for a good party game at our house. It’s one of our favorite things to when we get together on the weekends and holidays.
We recently found an old game buried in the back of my parents storage closet. It’s called Pit. They must have got it before I was around because I don’t remember playing it.
We had a blast! It’s meant to be played like some movie trope about a trading pit on the New York Stock exchange. Which sounds like it would be a game dominated by the loudest person in the room but even the shyest players can trade their way to a win.
How to Play
The object of the game is to be the first to get all 8 of one type of commodity. It isn’t about who’s the loudest, rather who makes the most trade the quickest to corner the market, AKA collecting all 8 cards of one type.
Depending on how many players there are commodities are included or left out. In other words, if there are 5 players then only 5 sets of commodities are included. The rest are left out. This game is made for between 3 to 8 players. So there are 8 sets of commodities (Corn, Wheat, Sugar, etc).
Players are dealt 8 cards each. Once everyone is ready, the bell is rung and the trading starts. Players can trade with anyone. The goal is to get rid of cards you don’t want while keeping ones you do want.
Players trade as few or many cards as they want. The game is as fast or as slow as the players want it to be. There are a few strategies too.
The first person to ring the bell once they have a full set wins.
Simple but Fun
Pit is a hit with our family for younger and older players alike. It’s very unpredictable. You can start with 5 matching cards and lose. Or start with several pairs and still win.
Some rounds are over after just a few trades. While other rounds last much longer. Win or lose, we always enjoy playing. Finding out who was trading what or how close they were to winning is part of the fun.
Pros and Cons
For such an obscure game, Pit is loads of fun. It’s good for parties with friends or holidays with family. Whether you all play nice or cut throat, it has something to offer any group of people. One of the pros is it’s simple to learn and appeals to people from 10 to 100.
One drawback is it isn’t a game I can see playing for several hours at a time. No matter how much fun we’re having, after an hour or so, it does start to loose its edge. However, it isn’t a game that gets stale from playing regularly. Just that each individual session should be limited.
Summary
Just about every household has a copy of Monopoly, Clue, or Sorry. I’m sure not many have Pit. I’m not sure where my parents got their copy.
While I can’t say whether I’ve ever seen or heard others playing Pit, we sure enjoy it at our house. This game is always a hit on game nights.
For such a lesser known game it sure provides a lot of fun!
Lesser Known Game but Extremely Fun for the Family brought to you by David M.
I’m David M. I’ve been playing video games a long time, my pong game was fire. Now, my kids run circles around me but we always have a good time. We mostly play party and family games. Strategy and battle games are still among my favorites. I like writing about games almost as much as I do playing them. My favorite games are: Moving Out 2, Out of Space and Overcooked All You Can Eat.
