It's Alive!^*

It's Alive! is a quick auction game by Yehuda Berlinger in which mad scientists race to build a monster from eight body parts. For 2 to 5 players, ages 12 and up.

What's it about?

Across Europe, scientists compete for glory. Who will be the first to bring a creature to life with alchemy and lightning? Each of them needs eight body parts. Shady "suppliers to the anatomy trade" provide them. Whole corpses are rare, because the local farmers keep dying in silly farm accidents. Usually only one part is worth saving.

How a round works

The suppliers offer a single body part.
You buy it yourself or sell it cheaply to an anatomist.
Or you put it up for auction, everyone bids, and you get a better price.

The auction is the heart of the game. You can drive up the price of a part someone badly needs. Or you let the others pay and save your money for later.

What stands out

Short games of 15 to 30 minutes
Bidding, bluffing and set collection
A coffin holding a weak scribe can replace any body part
Trade too greedily and the angry villagers come for you
Almost no text on the cards

Conclusion

A small game with a dark sense of humor for groups that enjoy haggling. You can teach it in a few minutes. Auction fans get plenty of laughs and mischief in half an hour. Players looking for deep strategy will move on quickly.