So Clover

Designed by: François Romain

So Clover is a party game of making connections between words. Players work together to score points, but also (slightly) apart, as everyone takes a turn keeping silent whilst the others discuss their clues…

Everyone is given a green clover and dealt 4 cards to place on it randomly (see pictures) to make a square combined of the cards. Try not to look at each other’s clovers!

Looking only at the two words along each edge of the ‘square’, players now write a single word on the clover leaf next to them that will, everyone hopes, be clear(ish) about which two words belong there. Once you’ve written your four clues for each edge, take the cards off and shuffle them face down with an extra random card from the deck. Flip the clover over so nobody can see it.

Once everyone has completed their clues, players take turns revealing their clovers and the five cards, four of which belong on the clover. The player whose clover it is must sit poker-faced whilst everyone else discusses and decides where the cards go that make sense of the clues. Players score a point for each card in it’s correct position, and a bonus 2 points if they get all four cards right first time!

Sam says

My absolute favourite of this type of game is probably Decrypto, but So Clover is about on par with it. It's a very entertaining iteration of that type of experience, one where word meanings and lateral thought are central to the game. I appreciate not everyone feels the same but I love these games with simple rulesets that get your brain working in a very different way to many others: thinking about meaning, context, connections, and usually having a lot of laughs along the way. I've played it well over a hundred times now and still keep coming back for more!

The guru's verdict

GNG Favourite
  • Take That!

    Take That!

    None - players actually work as a team.

  • Fidget Factor!

    Fidget Factor!

    Everyone is involved at all times

  • Brain Burn!

    Brain Burn!

    The rules are very simple, and the challenge is more about looking for connections between the clues and the available words

  • Again Again!

    Again Again!

    We found it rather moreish - there's a huge stack of cards but even half that amount would provide a colossal amount of variation in how the words combine.