La Strada !!
(inspired by, but not to be confused with, La Strada by Mayfair Games)
by Dave Chalker, John Cooper, Jacob Davenport, and Kory Heath
Players: 2 and up
Time: One gaming session
Equipment: Pen & paper to keep score, other games
La Strada!! is a game of quick reflexes, steady hands, and psychology.
La Strada!! must be played while other games are going on, and is a
perfect companion to any gaming night. Players may join in a game of
La Strada!! at any time.
GAME PLAY
Whenever a game piece hits the floor, the first person to yell out “La
Strada!!” scores a point. This is subject to the following restrictions:
- It must be a game piece from a game being setup to be played, a game currently being played, or a game being put away because it has just been played.
- You cannot call a piece that you have knocked onto the floor. Doing so results in a Miscall.
- A piece that has been intentionally dropped on the floor cannot be called. However, anyone calling an intentionally dropped piece does not suffer a Miscall.
- Anyone calling a game piece that is no longer touching the floor (it has since been picked up) suffers a Miscall.
- If several pieces fall to the ground, it only counts as one “La Strada !!” Individual game pieces are not counted, “La Stradas !!” are per incident.
Record that player’s point on the score sheet.
MISCALLS
If a player calls La Strada!! incorrectly, that player loses a point.
(Players cannot go negative, however.) A Miscall happens when a player
calls La Strada!! on a piece that he has knocked off the floor, or on
a piece that did not actually hit the floor, or on a piece that has
been picked up before the call was made, or on a piece that is not a
legal piece (or possibly not a game piece at all.)
A Miscall does not eliminate another player from calling La Strada!!
provided it meets the conditions. There can be multiple Miscalls on
the same La Strada!!.
GAME END
When the gaming session ends, the player with the most points wins.
TOURNAMENT LA STRADA!!
For a greater challenge with more strategy, tournament La Strada!! is
a variant where instead of the game ending when the gaming session
ends, it does not end until all players agree the game is over. The
current record for Tournament La Strada!! has been going since the
game was invented and has never ended.
STRATEGY TIPS
- The key to La Strada!! is memorizing what to say when a La Strada!! occurs. Try to spend a couple nights studying this document before your next game night to make sure you don’t “choke” when the pressure is on.
- Always try to keep an eye below the table when any game is being played. What’s the point in winning other games if you lose La Strada!! ?
- Intense games such as high-stakes poker are perfect times to wrack up a big La Strada!! score. While everyone else is focusing on “pot odds”, focus on what the other players are doing with their chips in case they knock them to the ground while betting.
- The “La Strada!!” trap is a clever gambit that can lull opponents into a false sense of security under the guise of being helpful. In games where there is a bag full of tiles, offer to hold the bag open while someone else pours the tiles in. When they start to send them there, pull the bag out of the way and rack up the points. Just be careful not to let any of them touch you on the way down!
- Keep an eye out for things that most people wouldn’t consider game pieces. The pen and paper used to keep score in this game have helped others eek out a surprise victory.
- Watch out for people dropping pieces onto the floor on purpose, since those don’t count. Because of the highly competetive nature of the game, other players may also pull a “fake-out” and pretend to drop pieces on the floor, and then pretend to look for them. Do not be fooled!
- An advanced strategy tip when playing at home: try to train your cat to knock game pieces onto the floor. People can’t resist putting a cute kitty on their lap, and you’ll have an edge when their training kicks in.
VARIANTS
La Strada !! is such a popular game that it is inevitable that other games like it would be designed. The beauty of these games is that you can play all of them at the same time! Of course, nothing is quite as strategic as the original, but there are a variety of “lighter” versions. Keep in mind that for each of these games, each has a different way to call in order to get a point. Calling a “La Strada!!” on a “La Bamstra!!” will only lose you a point in La Strada!!
LA BAMBA!!
La Bamba!! is played in the same way as La Strada!! but with two minor changes:
Instead of the call happening when a game piece hits the floor, a La Bamba!! is an “almost La Strada !!” If a playing piece is knocked around, but does not actually hit the floor (by stopping at the edge of the table, landing in someone’s lap, being caught, etc) then it is a La Bamba!! There is no penalty for a Miscall in La Bamba!!
LAP BAMBA!!
The rules are the same as La Strada!! but a Lap Bamba!! may only be called when a playing piece falls into someone’s lap. A Lap Bamba!! almost always also counts as a La Bamba!!
LA STRAMBA!!
The rules are the same as La Strada!! but a La Stramba!! may only be called when a card collides into a playing piece, causing the playing piece to move.
LA BAMSTRA!!
The rules are the same as La Strada!! but a La Bamstra!! may only be called when a playing piece collides into a card, causing the card to move.
LA STROMBOLI!!
The rules are the same as La Strada!! but a La Stromboli!! may only be called when a playing piece collides into a piece of food. Beverages do not count.
BONUS: The Secret Origin of La Strada !!
At one of our weekly game nights, Kory had brought the Mayfair game La Strada. The game received a lukewarm reception. However, the game had lots of tiny game components that kept falling on the floor. During one particularly bad incident of pieces dropping to the floor, John stood up, pumped his fists into the air, and shouted “LA STRADA!!” That started a game-part-dropping meme, and since it happened among a group of game designers, it slowly gained rules. Now, it is the world’s most played and popular meta-game.*
* For some very specific definitions. Or possibly an outright lie.
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I love this idea. Hope it gets published
This may be John Cooper’s best game ever.