Theme: 18th Century French Revolution Head-Lopping Game.
Company: Wizards of the Coast
Type: Card Game
# of Players: 2 - 5
Avg. Game Time: 30 minutes
Rating: 

Ken Says: A light frolic with a heavy theme.  Guillotine asks how many noblemen's heads you can collect in three rounds.
   Guillotine comes with two decks of cards. The Noblemen deck consists of Army officers & guards, lords and ladies of the court, various peasents and other riff-raff, and poor King Louis XVI & his cake-loving wife.  These cards are worth one to five points each.  However, there are three persons who costs you points, most notably the "Hero of the People".  The Action deck has cards that can change the order of the line, add new noblemen, mess with the other players, or even end the round.
   How does the game play, well...
   First, place twelve noblemen single file with the "guillotine" (a cardboard redition is included.  A nice touch.) at the head of the line (any pun intented is purely coincidental).  Next, deal five action cards to each player.  The first player, if he or she chooses, plays a card and collects the nobleman at the head of the line.  The next player does the same thing and so on until there are no more noblemen.  After three rounds, add up the points and the one with the most "heads" is the winner.

Pros: The concept is pretty original and well executed.  The artwork, especially on the cards, is exceptionally well done.  A game that can be taught in a few minutes, a good choice for non-gamers and some family members.

Cons: Luck  plays a big factor in this game.  Also, the theme of the game may not be well suited for the very young.  Although that choice is up to the parents.

Addendum: One variant is to play to 100 points, instead of just three rounds.

Ken Says: