Heeeyho Readers! Feeling a bit nostalgic today.
Organizing another batch of my stuff from mom's house. Anyways. Let's not repeat last post's intro, so picture this: Family on vacation. No cellphones. Dad is driving as mom serves Mate tea. Me, my brother, and our cousin are cramped on the back seat, fighting each other over Trunfo cards. Pile of cards change hands, but no-one is close to winning; 700 kilometers to go, so plenty of time. Whoever has the SuperTrunfo has the upper hand, unless someone is lucky to present an A card. Who's gonna win?
The names may vary, I believe. Top Trumps, Ace Trumps, Super Trunfo (Brazil). If you grew up in the 90's, this card game might be familiar. Do you recognize?
I spent a while searching for a game community, but only found digital-related gaming ones. Is there any classic gaming community? Board games, anyone? Because I have several Trunfo decks, this post may as well be a cool addition to the Hive Collectors. After all, the only reason why this collection isn't larger is because le me grew up {laughs}.
What the hell is Super Trunfo?
Perhaps you know them as Top Trumps — original, international name. It's essentially a card game based on different themes, such as cars, tractors, tanks, aircraft, you name it. Each pack contains 32 cards (at least here in Brazil) and each card has a list of data about the subject. I'll explain later.
See above, for example, a pack of Super Trunfo about Luxury Cars. The pack contains 32 different luxury cars from various brands. Then you have the data, always numerical, so you can compare to your opponent's car. Below you can see:
- Engine Displacement (cilindrada)
- Power (potência)
- Top Speed (velocidade)
- 0 - 100 km/h (you know this one)
- Weight
Alright, let's play. The game supports two - six players, each receives an amount of cards. If it's just you and I, each of us gets 16 cards. It's my turn. The card on top of the pile is the one I have to use. I have to pick one of the data offered to compare to your card — the one I think is strong enough. "Power", I say. Your car has 230 KW; mine is only 191. You win my car. You move both your cars (yours and mine) to the back of the your pile and the game continues.
There's one detail though. Do you see the Super Trunfo stamped on that BMW photo? That's the scariest card in the game. The Super Trunfo wins against every car, even if the stats are lower. The ST only loses against cards marked A (1A, 2A, 3A or 4A).
"Super Trunfo!", you shout.
I have to check if my car is ranked A. It's not; it's C2. You win again, bastard!!
It might take ages, but eventually someone's gonna collect all the cards. The fun is turning the game when you have just a handful of cards left. And seeing your opponent fume when he/she loses the Super Trunfo card.
A 90's collection
I have five decks in the collection and the only reason why it's not larger is because... well... I grew up and kinda lost interest. A cousin introduced me the game in the 90's. The packs you see are from 96-98, newest is from 2003 (I was 15 y/o). The exception is the Porsche pack that's from 1981, but that I got used from someone else.
The race truck ST used to be among my favorite. That and the tractors (below). I studied each card on those two decks so well I knew which stat would win no matter what. Not gonna lie such powerful knowledge infuriated my friends.
Today, with cellphones and computer games, the Super Trunfo are only played over here if we run out of electricity. Same goes for our board games. It's pretty sad though. Feels like we were more connected in the 90's.
Now.. I'm curious to know if any other Hiver has had Super Trunfo (Top Trump) cards. I know some of you have Legos and other global games, but ST's is somewhat specific. Imagine if someone created a blockchain-based Super Trunfo; I'd sure not let you win {mad}
If you've got any ST let me know!
Peace.
If you enjoyed this post consider leaving your upvote for a hot coffee.
Find me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrprofessor_
~Love ya all,
Disclaimer: The author of this post is a convict broke backpacker, who has travelled more than 10.000 km hitchhiking and more than 5.000 km cycling. Following him may cause severe problems of wanderlust and inquietud. You've been warned.