Designed by François Romain
Release Year: 2021 Complexity: Low
👥 3-6 Players ⏰ 20-30 min 💸 ~$25 🔗 Buy
Overview
In So Clover!, you need to come up with four clues, each associating the two words that have been randomly assigned to each side of your four-leaf clover. Once all players have locked in their clues, the cards are removed and everyone works as a team to try to guess the original arrangement of the cards based on that player’s clues. However, this task is made even more difficult by the inclusion of a random fifth card as a red herring.
Once the players agree on an arrangement, you submit it to the owner of that clover who will silently remove any cards that are incorrect. The players get one more try to correct it, and then the clover is scored; 1 point for each correct card and a 2-point bonus if it was all correct on the first try. Once all clovers have been scored, the game ends and the total score can be compared to the tiers listed in the rulebook, or scores from previous sessions.
Game Feel
There are two distinct phases in So Clover!. First, players are all deep in thought as they try to come up with associations for each pair of words to use as their clues. Sometimes these come easily, but often there are a few that are really difficult to associate and either require a clever connection or a really loose clue.
But then you shift into what makes up the bulk of the So Clover! experience, which is collaborating as a team to try to solve other players’ clovers. This is filled with lively conversation as everyone tries to justify why a certain card might make sense in a specific spot. This can lead to many funny moments as associations are considered that are surprising or just outright hilarious.
And when you are on the other side of it, sitting silently while the other players discuss your clover, it is still hugely entertaining as you hear all of their reasoning and watch as they struggle to figure out what was intended by your clues. The cooperative dynamic and lack of a true win condition ensures that it all is a casual and low-pressure experience with a focus on just enjoying the process.
FAQ
Player Counts - So Clover! plays well at all its player counts, from 3 to 6.
Abstract vs. Thematic - The clover theme is really just a loose tie-in to the clues being placed on the four sides, but it does give it a nice aesthetic.
Luck vs. Skill - While there is some luck in what words are found on each of your cards, and especially on the fifth random card that gets added, the overall success of the team is much more influenced by how well everyone can come up with effective clues, and then collaborate to solve each clover.
Short Setup vs. Long Setup - Setup is super simple, just give everyone a clover, a dry erase marker, and four cards.
Easy to Teach vs. Hard to Teach - It also is a game that takes hardly any time to teach. You can cover the basics in under 30 seconds, and then the casual cooperative nature makes it easy to jump in and learn by doing.
Low Setup Variability vs. High Setup Variability - While the overall feel of games of So Clover! tend to be similar, the beauty of word association games is that the English language supplies an endless number of interesting combinations that will always make each puzzle unique, both while thinking of clues and while solving the clovers.
Things to Like
✅ Fun Collaborative Solving - The process of solving a clover leads to lively discussion as everyone starts throwing out ideas of where certain cards could fit. Sometimes a few get slotted confidently early, but it isn’t uncommon for someone to have an idea later on how things could be moved around to make even more sense. The ambiguity of the clues and the layers of meaning hidden in the English language provide a rich landscape for discussion as the team works together.
✅ Provides a Satisfying Challenge - And the difficulty of that puzzle seems to find a great balance between being too easy and discouragingly difficult. The addition of a random fifth card adds just enough chaos into the mix to throw the team off, but it still feels like you are always really close to figuring it out and have narrowed it down to just a few different options. And the more discussion it takes to gain consensus, the more exciting it is to get it right; or the more funny it is to get it completely wrong.
✅ Conducive to Funny Moments - And unlike many other word games, our sessions of So Clover! have almost always been filled with laughter. The collaborative discussion inevitably results in players joking about possible associations or poking fun at others’ suggestions, and it puts the experience into a sweet spot for party games where it balances thoughtful gameplay with humorous interaction.
✅ Thinking of Clues is Always Fresh - But even before players reach the collaborative puzzle-solving, the initial round of recording clues is a fun exercise in word association. Each pair of words sparks different ideas, and while not everyone is going to love that process, we find that most players are enjoying themselves while coming up with clues, even if they are complaining about how hard it is.
✅ Very Little Downtime - And whether you are coming up with clues, solving a clover, or listening while the other players try to solve your clover, this is a game where you feel engaged from beginning to end. Everyone is always involved, and even when you are waiting silently while your clover is being discussed, you are locked in on the discussion, often working to contain your laughter.
Things to Dislike
❌ Timid Players Can Feel Left Out - We keep discussing the lively and satisfying collaborative discussion that So Clover! provides, but that is really assuming that all the players are working together equally and making sure their voice is heard. If some players are more timid, it may be easy for them to feel left out as the rest of the group makes decisions on how to solve each puzzle.
❌ Can Get Stuck Thinking of a Clue - And sometimes, you might just get two words that your brain struggles to associate in any way. We usually encourage players not to sweat it too much and just put something that is at least strong for one of the words, but it doesn’t feel great when you are thinking for a long time and still can’t come up with a clue you are happy with.
❌ Final Score is Less Satisfying - So Clover! is a game that doesn’t really have a win condition, but rather has the group compare their score against a tier list in the rulebook. This can be a little anticlimactic, though we find it can be fun to focus on beating your own score if the game is played more than once.
Our Ratings
Ryan (24 Plays) - 8 Daniel (10 Plays) - 8.5
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Is It For You?
If you don’t enjoy word association or prefer more definitive win and loss conditions in your party games, then So Clover! might miss the mark. 👎
But if you want a party game that is highly accessible, has everyone working as a team, and strikes a nice balance between thoughtful word association and funny conversation, then we wholeheartedly recommend checking out So Clover! 👍