Scout
MSRP
$23.00
$16.97
Sale price
$16.97
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TGC Pick
Scout
MSRP
$23.00
$16.97
Sale price
$16.97
Our Take
SCOUT is a tight little card game from Oink Games where you can't reorder the cards in your hand. You play sets of consecutive or matching cards from your hand, beat your opponents' sets, and earn points for every set that survived to the next round. Twenty minutes, five players, Spiel des Jahres nominee.
Game At A Glance
Players
2-5 PlayersBest: 4
Playtime
20 Min
Recommended Ages
9+
Complexity
Light · 1.4 / 5
Play Style
Competitive
Game Type
Set Collection
Theme
Circus, Cards
Publisher
Oink Games
Designer
Kei Kajino
Year Published
2019
Awards
2023 Hra roku Nominee, 2022 Spiel des Jahres Nominee, 2022 Origins Awards Best Card Game Winner, 2022 Japan Boardgame Prize Voters' Selection Nominee, 2022 Fairplay À la carte Winner, 2022 Board Game Quest Awards Best Reprint/Reimplementation Nominee
Hold the cards you're dealt. Beat the table anyway
Most card games let you sort your hand and ladder your sets together. SCOUT does not. The hand you're dealt is the hand you play in the order it arrived, and your only job is to find the best sets hiding inside that fixed sequence.
On your turn, you either play a set of cards from a contiguous run in your hand, or you scout a card from the table into your hand at any spot you like. Your set has to beat the one currently on the table — more cards, or higher cards, or matching values where the table had a run. Every time you beat a set, the player you beat earns a small consolation point. Every time someone scouts off your set, you earn a point.
What makes SCOUT special is the constraint. Because you can't reorder your hand, every game you play feels like a small spatial puzzle on top of the social game of reading what your opponents are about to play. The dual-indexed cards (with a different number on each end) mean even rotating your whole hand is a meaningful decision.
Casual game nights, families with kids ready for something past Uno, and card-game enthusiasts looking for an elegant 20-minute filler will all find a great fit here. SCOUT was nominated for Spiel des Jahres in 2022 and won the Origins Award for Best Card Game the same year.
It's the kind of game you teach in two minutes and play for the rest of the evening.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many players can play SCOUT?
Plays 2 to 5 players. The community most consistently picks 4 as the sweet spot. Two-player SCOUT plays more like a head-to-head puzzle, while five players brings out the most reading-the-table dynamics.
How long does a game of SCOUT take?
About 20 minutes once everyone knows the rules. First plays run a bit longer because the no-reordering rule takes a moment to register.
Is SCOUT beginner-friendly?
Very. The rules teach in under five minutes, and the dual-indexed cards make every hand feel like its own puzzle. It's one of the most-recommended quick fillers in the modern hobby.
How does this compare to Tichu or other ladder-climbing games?
Same family of mechanics — playing higher sets to beat what's on the table — but SCOUT is far lighter and faster. You can play three rounds of SCOUT in the time a full Tichu hand takes. Different feel, similar pleasure.
What's the deal with the Oink Games packaging?
Oink games come in tiny, beautifully designed pocket-sized boxes. Don't let the box size fool you — there's a full Spiel des Jahres-nominated game inside. The packaging is part of why so many people travel with these.
Can you play SCOUT with non-gamers?
Yes, comfortably. Once you explain that you can't reorder your hand, almost everyone gets the rest in their first round. It's one of the best gateway-from-Uno games we sell.