Disclosure: Meeple Mountain received a free copy of this product in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. This review is not intended to be an endorsement.
Squirrels run rampant in my neighborhood, and with fall on the horizon I constantly see them scampering around with their cheeks stuffed with acorns. And while I can pop over to the grocery store and snag a jar of peanut butter, the squirrels aren’t so lucky. They’re all preparing and hoping for a comfortable winter based on their accumulated stash of nuts. In Squirrel Away, you assume the role of squirrels who have somehow pulled off the greatest heist of this century, resulting in a large acorn stash that begs to be divided up. Evenly? Fairly? That’s unlikely.
Squirrel Away Overview
Gameplay in Squirrel Away is simple: play a face-down card outlining the acorns you’re allowed to take from the central pile of gem-like acorns between the players. After the card is played, take acorns into a closed fist and announce what you took. The other players then decide whether or not you were truthful. Does your card show what you said? Did you take what you said? You await their judgement.
If any player thinks that you aren’t being entirely truthful, they place one of the red Scoundrel tokens on the source of your lie, whether that’s your closed fist or the card. Then, you reveal. If you were telling the truth and were called out, you keep what you took and also receive an extra acorn as compensation. If you were caught lying, you keep one acorn and give one to the accuser as a reward for their observation skills. If you aren’t called out, you keep everything you took, whether you were truthful or not.
This is where the chaos comes in. The next player can begin their turn the second the results of any accusations are revealed, or once it’s clear that nobody is accusing the active player of lying. You need to keep your head on a swivel because even if you miss a second or two of a player taking their turn, you miss vital information about what they might have taken.
Once a player accumulates one acorn of each color, they can thematically stash them away inside the hollow of their player aid. Whoever ends up with the most complete sets of acorns wins the game.
Squirrel Away: Now You See Me
Games of Squirrel Away are a test of awareness. Can you focus on two things at the same time? The simultaneous play aspect of the game often left our group crying out in perceived agony as we lamented missing another player beginning—and sometimes completing—their turn before we had a chance to notice.
It’s also interesting to see how various groups approach the acquiring of acorns. I’ve seen groups gingerly pick up acorns one at a time, dropping them out the back of their palm occasionally. Other times I’ve seen players swoop in and make a single scoop if they find the correct arrangement of acorns on the table. I’m partial to clattering acorns around, mixing up the entire pile as I surreptitiously pick them up with sleight of hand. Dexterous players who have mastered control of their pinkies and palms have a distinct advantage in this game.
Suddenly everybody at the table becomes masters of deduction, eyeing acorns like squirrely Sherlocks with varying levels of success. Managing to sneak a lie past the group gives a fuzzy feeling that will keep you warm for the entirety of those brutal Midwest winters. There’s also an aspect of feigning skill so that others will incorrectly assume that you’re deceiving them.
Your strategy is partially dictated by the cards in your hand, directing you towards which acorns you may be missing to create those coveted sets of four. But the deception still comes down to whether or not people can correctly guess if you’re lying about the card or lying about what’s in your hand. If you’re able to conceal what you pick up, then your odds of succeeding at a deception go way up.
Despite the allure of translucent, acrylic acorns, I found the game to be fine for what it is. It’s a combination of bluffing and physical deception which lends itself well to a casual, social setting. Gameplay in Squirrel Away is quick and approachable for anybody to pick up and join in, but it tends to lack staying power because with good bluffers the game becomes more about correctly guessing when somebody is lying.
I’ll stash Squirrel Away on the shelf for now, but we’ll see if it outlasts the winter.
