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NHL Ice Breaker: The Card Hockey Board Game
2006
Rules assistance for NHL Ice Breaker: The Card Hockey Board Game
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–4 players
- 25 min
- 8+
- Complexity 1.5/5
For 1 player
Rules assistant for NHL Ice Breaker: The Card Hockey Board Game
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
NHL Ice Breaker: The Card Hockey Board Game is a board game released in 2006 for 1–4 players, 25 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Fabio Del Rio and Paolo Del Rio and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Simultaneous Action Selection, and Simulation.
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About the game
NHL Ice Breaker is licensed by the National Hockey League and features the league’s 30 teams plus national teams. You get all the great action of the game on the ice with NHL Ice Breaker. Game play is built around CSE Games' specially-designed 54-card playing deck (52 standard suited cards plus two Jokers). Each action in NHL Ice Breaker is based on the basic principle of high hand wins. Opponents play their card(s) at the same time to battle for puck possession, and the player with the highest hand gets to execute his/her action indicated on the card(s) played. As players win hands, the puck is moved up the ice (game board) and toward the opponent's net. Along the way, players may land on special “Ice Breaker” squares, which can shift momentum in an instant. Ice Breaker actions include penalties, big hits, turnovers or great passes. Once in the Shooting Zone, it's a classic contest of shooter versus goalie. Did you play your cards right? NHL Ice Breaker separates itself from other hockey-based games in that it has a true hockey 'feel'. The game is both accurate and fast-paced. Combining elements of popular card games, players must decide how best to play their cards. Cards can be played individually, in pairs, two pair, or three-of-a-kind. It is up to the player to decide which cards to play and how to play them. The learning curve of NHL Ice Breaker is remarkably low. Typically, the game is learned within a couple of minutes, aided by the built-in familiarity that the playing deck offers. NHL Ice Breaker is designed for one to four players, ages eight (8) and up. For more information, check out www.csegames.com.
Designers
Publishers
- CSE Games
- SportFX
Questions and answers
NHL Ice Breaker: The Card Hockey Board Game supports 1–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for NHL Ice Breaker: The Card Hockey Board Game is 25 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists NHL Ice Breaker: The Card Hockey Board Game for ages 8 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
NHL Ice Breaker: The Card Hockey Board Game has a complexity rating of 1.5 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
NHL Ice Breaker: The Card Hockey Board Game belongs to these categories: Card Game and Sports. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Simultaneous Action Selection, and Simulation. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of NHL Ice Breaker: The Card Hockey Board Game are: Fabio Del Rio and Paolo Del Rio. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists NHL Ice Breaker: The Card Hockey Board Game as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.