Waterworks

Race to lay a leak-free pipeline from valve to spout while your opponents sabotage your pipes.

Designer: Mattiene Moustakas
Published by: AS Manufacturas
Editions by: Hasbro, Piatnik, Parker Brothers, Winning Moves Games (USA), Estrela, Winning Moves Germany, Borras Plana S.A., Clipper, Miro Company, Carlit, Tomy, Winning Moves International Ltd, Cromy Rioja S.A. (Cromy)

Waterworks is a 1972 card game about plumbing, and it is nastier than the theme suggests. Your job is to be the first to build a complete, leak-free pipeline from your valve card to your spout card. Iron and lead pipes can spring a leak when an opponent sabotages them, and you fix them with a wrench or a fresh piece of pipe, while copper pipes never leak at all. The number of pipe cards you need depends on how many people play. It is a light, chatty game of laying cards, repairing and meddling with the others, and a good pick for a table with mixed ages and no appetite for rulebooks.

Pipe cards from valve to spoutSabotage with leaks, repair with wrenchesCopper pipes never leak

Who it's for

You want a light, interactive card race for two to five players, maybe with kids, and a bit of mean-spirited fun.

Not for you if…

You want deep strategy or surprises. Luck of the draw and sabotage decide most of it.

Vibe's take

Plain and cheeky. You lay down pipes, someone springs a leak in your line, and you grumble and fix it while plotting your own sabotage.