Pig Pile (TOS Review)

“The jig's up! The pig squealed! Over 39 Pink Pigs crammed into a little box! Now it's up to you to let them out!  No mud slinging allowed in this fast-paced family game where players compete to corral the most pigs. Get rid of your cards first and be awarded the prime pile of pigs. Sounds easy, but pigs can be slippery! The more cards you have, the better your chances of calling out HogWash! and clearing away the deck! But don't hog the cards too long or you'll get stuck. The player with the largest stockpile of swine after the final round wins. Quick thinking and clever card play determine how high you'll heap your hogs.”

My first TOS Review for the year is a game called Pig Pile. Pig Pile was a big hit with our family. In fact, it was a hit with our neighbor’s family too—Emily has frequently taken it down the street to play it with her 15 year old friend and his parents. The game itself was fairly simple—We skimmed the rules and were playing in minutes. Basically, the players are trying to get rid of the cards in their hands by playing cards on the “pig pile” (discard pile).  Any card can be played that has a higher number than the top card on the pile. Several twists made it more entertaining—“hog wash,” “hog tied,” and “ewe turn” cards clear the deck, create skipped turns and reverse play direction.

We enjoyed the game the first few times we played it, but according to the game rules, the adorable little plastic pigs are only passed out at the end of each round, requiring very little pig interaction. This also made the game very long, because several rounds were required to accumulate pigs.  We wanted to incorporate the pigs more into the game play, so we altered the rules, awarding a pig for each “hog wash” and stealing a pig from another player for each “ewe turn” card played.  The first player out of cards was awarded 3 pigs (as per game directions). We found that the constant pig earning and trading added a fun twist to the game, making it even more entertaining.

Pig Pyramids are fun to make between turns!

Although the game rules specify 3 or more players, we found that it worked quite well with only 2 players. For our family, this game was just plain fun, but I think it would be educational for younger children who are still mastering greater-than/ less-than skills. I recommend Pig Pile as a fun family game!

Pig Pile includes 80 cards and 40 absolutely adorable pink pigs. It is designed for is for 3-6 players, ages 7 and up, and sells for $15.95. R&R Games sells many other family-friendly games as well.

R&R Games is offering a discount code of 20% off any purchase from their website. “CREW20”

As a member of the TOS Crew, I received this game free in exchange for my honest review. If you’d like to read more reviews of Pig Pile or another R&R game, Flea Circus, please visit the TOS Blog!