Those face-down cards with the green backs are Queens, and all of them are “asleep” to begin play. Points all come from a set of 16 face-down cards laid out in a grid to start the game. The goal of the game is to score 50 points or possess 5 Queens with 2-3 players with more players, you’ll only need 40 points or 4 Queens. Those are essentially all of the rules to a game of Sleeping Queens.Ĭombining a mix of math, Memory, and some light combat with cards that play offense or defense, Sleeping Queens plays 2-5 players and can squeeze between almost any game you are going to be playing on game night. Why have I not heard of this game before now? Now that I’ve played it a few times, I have to admit: Sleeping Queens is a fantastic light card game that fits on any game table and gets quality family fun into a 10-to-15-minute package.

I was traveling later that day but the Sleeping Queens box was pocket-sized, so I slipped it into my carry-on and wished Nora well. I hadn’t even heard of Sleeping Queens, a 2005 release from Gamewright that got re-released a few years ago for its 15th anniversary. “Have you played Sleeping Queens? It’s a classic.” After she sold me on giving Sushi Roll a spin at Gen Con last year, she had nice things to say about some of our other Gamewright reviews, such as Happy City. I ran into Nora Meiners from Gamewright while strolling the exhibition hall at GAMA Expo.

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