
2021Klaus Altenburger
From BoardGameGeek
Who can collect the highest-scoring cards over three rounds of play? Will the die be on your side? Jinx is played over three rounds. At the start of each round, draw 16 cards and place them face-up; cards come in eight colors, and each color has cards numbered 1-6. On a turn, you roll the die, then optionally roll it again. After your first or second roll, you collect a card from the table that matches the number on the die. If you can't collect a card, the round ends and if the color of a card in front of you is present among the face-up cards, then you lose that card. You might lose everything depending on how jinxed you are! Players who lost a card receive a random bonus card for any remaining rounds. These cards have different powers such as adding or subtracting 1 from the die roll, rolling a third time, and choosing a card numbered 4-6 instead of rolling the die. Cards that are safe in one round might be lost in a subsequent round, so ideally you can roll well or use the bonus cards to clear out troublesome colors. At the end of three rounds, players sum the cards in front of them, and whoever has the highest score wins.
Jinks has 2 videos from 2 creators: 1 review and 1 how-to-play guide. They date from August to December 2025.
To learn the rules, start with "All the Games with Steph: Jinks - Teach" by Steph Hodge, which runs 6 min.
For an opinion before you buy, start with "Jinks (Jinx) | Review & How to Play" by GameEnthus.
If you like it, try Jewels, Wreck Raiders, Eleven: Football Manager Board Game or Above and Below: Haunted, which share several of its mechanics.
2019Tim W. K. Brown, Josh Cappel
1 - 5 players45 minMedium weight
2022Thomas Jansen
1 - 4 players60 - 120 minHeavy weight
2025Ryan Laukat
2 - 4 players60 - 120 minMedium weight
From BoardGameGeek:
Who can collect the highest-scoring cards over three rounds of play? Will the die be on your side? Jinx is played over three rounds. At the start of each round, draw 16 cards and place them face-up; cards come in eight colors, and each color has cards numbered 1-6. On a turn, you roll the die, then optionally roll it again. After your first or second roll, you collect a card from the table that matches the number on the die. If you can't collect a card, the round ends and if the color of a card in front of you is present among the face-up cards, then you lose that card. You might lose everything depending on how jinxed you are! Players who lost a card receive a random bonus card for any remaining rounds. These cards have different powers such as adding or subtracting 1 from the die roll, rolling a third time, and choosing a card numbered 4-6 instead of rolling the die. Cards that are safe in one round might be lost in a subsequent round, so ideally you can roll well or use the bonus cards to clear out troublesome colors. At the end of three rounds, players sum the cards in front of them, and whoever has the highest score wins.