HOPPE 2026

Note: HOPPE is a cute Japanese word for cheeks!

Winter is coming! You are squirrels venturing into a mountain rumored to hold the legendary Golden and Silver Acorns. HOPPE is a fast-paced, 2-player bluffing game where you must outsmart your rival to bring home the rarest find.

The game is played with only 9 Acorn Coasters (1 Gold, 3 Silver, and 5 Regular). Each player manages two spaces for their acorns: their "HOPPE" (stuffed in their cheeks, kept private in hand) and their "Ground" (placed face-down on the table, unknown to both).

On your turn, choose one of three actions to manipulate the game state:

PICK: Draw 1 acorn from the Mountain (deck), optionally swap it with your HOPPE, and discard the remaining acorn face-up.

TUCK: Swap the acorns between your own HOPPE and Ground.

TRICK: Swap your HOPPE with your opponent's HOPPE face-down. Then, both players swap their HOPPE and Ground, and 1 acorn is discarded from the Mountain face-up.

The game ends when the Mountain is empty. Both players reveal their acorns. The squirrel holding the Gold acorn wins, or the one with the most Silver acorns if the Gold is missing (ties result in a draw). But beware—if you greedily hold BOTH a Gold and Silver acorn at the end, they are far too heavy! You will collapse on the way home and Bust (lose).

—description from the designer