The Abducktion Game Is A Fun Way To Get Ducks In A Row

This quirky and strategic Abducktion game is full of so much fun and weirdness that it’s almost impossible to put this tabletop game into words. But, ducky for you, I have a lot of hot air (especially about ducks) to tell you why this family board game will quack you up! (See what I did there?!)

The Abducktion Game Is All Fowl Play

If you’re a fan of strategy games that are equal parts challenging, silly, weird, and competitive, Abducktion (or, “that duck game” as we call it in our house) is about to abduct your game night, but in the best way possible.

(Too much? How many duck puns can I fit into this post?)

But, it really is duck-tacular fun.

(OK. I’ll stop.)

(Maybe.)

(Probably not.)

What the duck?

(See?)

Imagine this: those UFO TicTac videos came to life, aliens have landed, and now they’re on a mission to abduct Earth’s most valuable resource—DUCKS (of course, you didn’t think it was Skittles, did you?).

That’s right, these little quackers are about to be beamed up, rearranged, and turned into an interquacklactic adventure. (Say that three times fast.)

Using some luck and spatial logic, you’ll arrange your adorable duck minions into perfect patterns that would make even the most discerning UFO commander proud.

Then, you’ll take control of the universe.

*insert evil laughter*

Or, you know, win the game.

GPG Game At A Glance for Abducktion – “A Weirdly Strategic Duck Kidnapping Game”

WHAT WE LIKE ABOUT THIS GAME:

• Tiny ducks
• Rubber UFO for your ducks
• Hilariously creative theme of ducks + UFO abduction

But also:

• Quick play time
• Easy setup
• Easy to learn
• Challenging strategies for adults and kids
• Fun enough for adults only (its surprisingly and satisfyingly strategic, plus, did I mention ducks??)

GPG GAME TIP: One of the complaints that some people (not us) have about this game is that there can be several rounds where you don't get to play (because you can't make a move) and the downtime while waiting for others. If you're an impatient person who hates to wait, try this game instead. (Or, see our game mods below for Abducktion.)

YOU MIGHT LIKE THIS GAME IF YOU LIKE:

• Blokus
• Hive
• Quirkle
• Rummikub
• Azul
• Any game with cute ducks (Look, you came here for this kind of super helpful info. You did this to yourself.)

GET THE GAME

Here’s how to quack the code to this game…

How To Play The Abducktion Board Game

Goal: 

To match your duck formations to the patterns on the cards to score points. The more complex the pattern, the more points you earn. (Or, the more points I don’t earn because sometimes my brain doesn’t wanna brain. BECAUSE PATTERNS = HARD.)

Gameplay:

On your turn, draw ducks from the UFO (which, for some reason, really is ridiculously fun).

Then, take a quack at one of the patterns – use action cards to move, swap, or rearrange ducks on your own board (or take actions on other boards) before those other duckers do it first.

Just don’t fowl things up!

Match one of the pattern cards and you get that card, plus the points that card is worth, and those ducks get abduckted into the UFO.

GPG House Rules & Gaming Mods for Abducktion

We played this game according to the rules and enjoyed it without any mods.

However, there are some people who say this game can get boring or tedious because there are times where your turn will be skipped (because you can’t make a ducking move) or there are longer wait times because the person before you insists on taking FOR-EV-ER to make a strategic decision.

Side eyeing and tsk-ing the person at our house who does this. You know who you are.

Some people complain that some of the game play is based on pure luck of the action cards you are dealt, to which I say: HELLO, ALMOST EVERY SINGLE GAME.

GPG TRUTH TALE: To be fair, I'm sometimes not good at spatial strategy, so it did take me a couple of turns to get the hang of it. But, you're probably not as dumb as I am, so you'll be fine. If I can do it, you can definitely do it.

If these are some of your complaints, but you want to give Abducktion another go using some of these helpful tips…

::cough::my husband::cough::

Abducktion Game Modifications and Ideas:

• Set a timer for each person’s turn. I prefer one of those old-school timers because I like to see the bead of sweat roll down a person’s temple as they watch that last grain of salt plunge to the bottom.

• Instead of skipping players who can’t make a play, allow players to go again or swap out ducks on their turn (like once per game, or, who cares? Every turn. No real aliens are coming to abduct you. Yet…).

• Instead of individual boards, create one large communal puzzle where all players contribute to achieving patterns. Players take turns adding ducks or manipulating the communal board in the center to meet shared goals.

• Allow players to discard an unused pattern card and draw a new one once per turn (or game) or to swap out action cards to avoid getting stuck with the harder requirements that sometimes take longer.

• Use more wild ducks (like the new glitter ones) that allow players to use ducks as they need to.

• Partner up for some cooperative fun. (Like, play the person across from you as your partner and you can play on your boards or your partner’s boards.)

Our Owen Game Rating: Ducks Down, 5 Owen Paws

Listen, I don’t know what to say to you if you don’t like this game. (Maybe you’re the kind of family who likes this game instead?!?)

Everyone in our house and gaming circle loves this game. Like, it’s a regular on the rotation, loooooves it.

Even my husband gave this a 5 star rating and, well, you know what I’ve said about his ratings before…

My recommendation?

Just give Abducktion a ducking chance, will you?

GET THE ABDUCKTION DUCK BOARD GAME

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts about Abducktion! Just don’t be a wise quacker. (End duck puns.)