No Thanks!

Today's game review is of the 2004 release, No Thanks!  For 3-7 players, it takes 20 minutes.

Overview
Your goal is to finish the game with the fewest points.  You gain points by picking up cards (the card number equals its points).  You also have 'pass tokens' (worth -1 point each) that you can put on a card to pass on it instead of picking it up.  You can pass on a card multiple times, but you have a limited number of tokens, so be careful!  The person who eventually picks up the card gets that card plus all tokens on it.

Scoring occurs at the end of the game.  Here's the key: if you have a 'run' of cards (sequential numbers), only the lowest number in that run gives you points.  Examples:
- 10,11,12,13,14 would give you only 10 points
- 10,11,--, 13, 14 would give you 10 + 13 = 23 points
Add up the value of your cards, subtract one point for each token you have remaining, and the lowest score wins!

Simplified Gameplay
Remove nine cards randomly from the deck of cards (numbered 3-35), shuffle, and place face-down in the center of the table.  Turn over the top card and put it next to the deck.  Give each player [x] tokens, where [x] will be 11, 9, or 7 depending on the number of players.

On your turn, either:
- take the displayed card (with tokens on it, if applicable) and add it to your play area.  If you do, turn over a new card.
- pass by putting a token on it and say "No thanks!"

Play passes clockwise.  It's that simple!  The game ends when the cards run out.

Review
I really like this game.  Easy to learn, fast to play . . . it's surprisingly addictive.  The obvious goal is to collect runs of cards, but since nine cards are removed, you never know exactly what you'll find.

Rating: A