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In Limbo is a simple card game by Michael Schacht.
Players: 3-5
Time: 30 minutes
The Components
In Limbo comes with a set of 80 cards in an overly large box. They're all linen-textured and printed on solid, medium-weight cardstock.
70 of the cards are the number cards which are the main focus of the game. Each has a number from 1-5 in one of the main colors (red, green, yellow, purple, blue). Another five cards are limbo cards, which just show the two sides (good and bad) for each of the colors; they also have a "locked" side on the back as a helpful reminder for when a color is done. The last five cards are "doubling" cards, one for each player. These just show a pair of harps on the front. Unfortunately they have the same backs as the numbering cards, which has resulted in them getting shuffled into the main deck a number of times.
Overall the artwork is good (though entirely simple) and the game is thus generally attractive.
It earns a "4" out of "5" for Style: it's slightly above average in its Components, but for the most part is what I expect nowadays from a professional card game that uses linen-textured cards.
The Gameplay
The object of In Limbo is to score the most points from the various colors over 3-5 rounds of play.
Setup: The five limbo cards are set out on the table. Each shows one of the five colors of cards and defines two sides for it: good and bad.
Each player is given one doubling card.
Each player is dealt a hand of five number cards.
Gameplay: On his turn a player draws a card, then plays a card.
A card is played to the limbo card of its same color, but may be played to either the "good" side or the "bad" side. The value of the card (from 1-5) will then weight that color either toward good or bad.
There are two restrictions:
First, no more than three cards may be played to either side of a limbo card, e.g. up to three good or three bad.
Second, when the fifth card (verall) is played to a limbo card the color is locked. When two colors lock then the round is over.
Scoring: Afterward each color scores.
The player who gets the points from a color is the player who has the highest total value of that color still in his hand. Whether he earns positive or negative points is determined by the cards on the table. The value of the cards on each side of the limbo card are added up, and the total determines whether the color is good--and thus worth positive points--or bad--and thus worth negative points. The winning player then adds or subtracts a number of points to his score based on the value of cards in his hand.
Before each player reveals the value of cards in his hand for a good color he may choose to play his doubling card, in which case he'll receive double the value of cards in his hand if he wins. Otherwise, his doubling card was wasted (though he gets it back at the end of the round).
Ending the Game: The game is played over a number of rounds equal to the number of players; the player with the highest total afterward is the winner.
Relationships to Other Games
Any card game that Schacht designs is ultimately compared to Coloretto, his classic set collection game. Thus far no other card game he's designed has held up to that design, but that's generally an unfair game of inflated expectations.
In Limbo is generally what I'd call a stock-market game. There's a whole slew of games where you have cards in your hand that you can either use to raise the value of stock (here, toggling it positive or negative) or increase your holdings (here, the cards in your hand which determine if you get points or not). It's generally a hard genre to design well for. Take Stock was a game that I thought fell down, while conversely In Limbo does all right.
The Game Design
In Limbo is overall a pretty simple game. You draw a card, you play a card, and you hope that you manage to improve the suits that you have the greatest value in.
As already noted the core of the game is a trade-off of valuation: do you improve the value of a color in your hand or its presence on the board? The result can depend heavily on brinkmanship: who blinks first and starts dropping their long suit onto the board rather than holding onto something of questionable value.
The result is pretty chaotic, particularly with more people, but on the other hand it's light, it's enjoyable, and it plays fast. I find it an interesting game that's slightly above average, and thus I've given it a high "3" out of "5" for Substance.
Conclusion
Michael Schacht's In Limbo is a light card game that's nice as a change of pace. It's not a classic like Schacht's Coloretto, but that's an extremely high standard; In Limbo is nonetheless enjoyable and a nice filler.
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