So, will it be fries or salad? Fries for you? Good choice! And for you … salad? Oh, okay, if you insist.

Well salad eater, now that you’ve made the biggest mistake of your eating habits for the day by choosing a salad, it’s time to make up for it! But hold on fry-customer, you’re not off the hook yet either! You need to protect those precious potatoes and gobble them up before your silly salad friend can steal them away. Who can choose the right actions to swipe and devour the most fries? Time to put your ketchup covered fingers to the test! Let’s check it out.

What Is It?

Fry Thief is a 2-player card game with variable player actions (depending on which side you’re playing as) and a super cute theme! A small deck of cards and only a few small pieces make this one a nice, light, and quick filler game.

Who Is It For?

I’d recommend this one to gamers ages 8+ because it’s super easy to understand and play. It’s great to get kids started in gaming and can also be easily enjoyed by parents/adults too. It’s great for gamers who like something short and sweet between longer games, and for those who adore french fries (which I kind of hope is everyone!)

Quality of Components

I have a prototype copy, so some things may change, but overall the currently quality is nice. The box is a bit big for what’s in it, but luckily that’ll be smaller in the final version. The cards are a sturdy quality, and the art is very nice. The fries and ketchup are simple wooden pieces, but simple is all you need!

PROS

  • Simple and fast, easy to play a few times in a row
  • Super cute theme and everything fits together well (theme/mechanics)
  • 2 rule cards was a great addition so both players have easy reference!
  • I like the double sided action cards; it was a great choice for a shared deck so that you never have dead cards in your hand.

CONS

  • The ‘reference card’ is just a list of the cards and the turn order, so we didn’t find it that useful. The rules cards would be plenty reference with just the addition of turn order on them
  • It seems much harder for the salad player to win, which, while thematic, is definitely frustrating as a player. (The fry person won in our plays 75% of the time.) It seems to depend heavily on the salad player’s first hand and being able to steal a lot of fries quickly because fry cards are mostly eating cards. We hope to see more of a balance the more we play and maybe work out some new strategies.

Difficulty

I’d give this a 1.5/5 for difficulty. It’s super easy to learn and play that practically anyone could play it. Took it up just a notch for the difficulty that the salad player faces, and because there is a little strategy involved with which cards you choose to play when.

Final Thoughts

Overall I think it’s a cute little game with a great theme and design.
I think as a player your best bet is to cycle your hand fast if you can to get to the best cards for your side. I have to play more to know for sure but the balance seems a little off, and I’m hoping to find a way to make it feel like the salad player stands a chance! (Even though they are wrong and should have just gotten fries too). I’m interested to see what changes besides some of the graphic design in the final product, and hope you guys enjoy it if you check it out!

Happy Gaming~

Additional Information:
Designer – Patrick Rauland
Artist – Matt Franklin
Publisher – Laid Back Games
​Kickstarter
BGG

*I was provided a prototype copy of this game to do this preview*
*All components shown are subject to change*

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