High Society Review: flaunt it, but don't embarass yourself!

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We are at the turn of the century—it’s time to live in style! Compete for life’s luxuries, sparing no expense, following the latest trends, and surrounding yourself with the finer things in life. Assert your status, impress your peers, and avoid scandals—or the dreaded bankruptcy—at every turn.

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Tradotto daAntonio Carlos

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Rivisto daAntonio Carlos

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The Upper Echelons

The term "High Society" emerged in the United States and Europe between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as a mean to describe the lifestyle, power, and customs of the wealthiest and most influential people.

Its origins are linked to specific historical and cultural shifts—such as the "American Golden Age," characterized by rapid industrialization—which saw the rise of a new class of millionaires in the U.S. To distinguish themselves and establish their status, these families adopted an ostentatious lifestyle, hosting parties that attracted significant media attention.

This era also saw the emergence of concepts regarding control and exclusivity. Publications like the Social Register appeared to document who "belonged" to these select circles. In New York, etiquette authority Ward McAllister coined the term "The 400."

Ward McAllister, the "authority" that determined who was and wasn't part of New York's High Society
Ward McAllister, the "authority" that determined who was and wasn't part of New York's High Society

The expression “The 400” was coined to define the exact number of people who could fit into the ballroom of influential socialite Caroline Astor—a focal point for the group.

Caroline Astor with guests, circa 1902
Caroline Astor with guests, circa 1902

Let's play High Society!

High Society - Game Info

High Society is a game for 3 to 5 players, ages 10+, by acclaimed designer Reiner Knizia. The artwork was done by a team: Mateusz Bielski, Alvin Madden, Ulf Marckwort, Paul Niemeyer, Björn Pertoft, Markus Wagner, and Marie Bergeron.

Game Box
Game Box

High Society was released in 1995 by Ravensburger, and in Brazil, it was released in 2019 by Across the Board. Its main mechanics are auction, bidding, set collection, commodity speculation, and hand management.

Game Components
Game Components

In the year of its release, 1995, the game was nominated for the Meeples Choice Award and was the runner-up for the Fairplay À la carte award.

Phew! Let's get to the game!

Playing the Game

You are the cultural elite, the quintessential bon vivants, the true icons of the age. The competition is fierce amidst highborn and nouveau riche to assert your status and earn

prestige in the eyes of your peers. Adorn yourself with splendid jewellery and high fashion, enjoy fine cuisine and fizzing champagne, and waste away money in casinos

and at the races. Show off your exquisite palette and excellent tastes, but don’t be caught penniless or be cast out as an impostor! Fashion is fickle but style is forever.

Show them what it really means to be a member of High Society!

In the game, players compete in auctions to acquire various symbols of luxury and prestige while avoiding traps—the infamous "embarrassments"—in "reverse" auctions. As they place their bids, players must not forget to keep an eye on their remaining funds; after all, this amount will also be taken into account when determining the winner.

Before looking at the game setup, it is important to understand the Status Cards, which are divided into three groups:

- Luxury Cards: increase your status;

- Prestige Cards: multiply your status;

- Disgrace Cards: decrease your status.

The Luxury Cards are numbered from 1 to 10 and increase your status:

- Eau de Parfum: value 1;

- Champagne: value 2;

- Haute Cuisine: value 3;

- Casino: value 4;

- Haute Couture: value 5;

- Perfect Vacation: value 6;

- Work of Art: value 7;

- Jewelry: value 8;

- Dressage: value 9;

- Sailing Trip: value 10.

Luxury Cards
Luxury Cards

Prestige Cards double your status:

- Bon Vivant;

- Joie de Vivre;

- Avant Garde.

Prestige Cards
Prestige Cards

Disgrace Cards lower your status, each in a different way:

- Scandale: halves the player's status at the end of the game;

- Passé: reduces the player's status by 5; and

- Faux Pas: forces you to immediately discard one of your Luxury Cards of your choice.

Disgrace Cards
Disgrace Cards

An important detail: the 3 Prestige Cards and a single Disgrace Card - Scandal - share a dark green background. These 4 cards determine the end of the game.

There are also the Money Cards; every player has their own set of 11 cards with varying values, representing their financial assets.

Money Cards
Money Cards

Now that we know all this, it is time for setup:

- each player receives their set of 11 Money Cards in a specific color (keep these cards secret at all times);

- shuffle all the Status Cards to form a face-down deck;

- the player who shuffled the cards starts the game.

3-Players Setup
3-Players Setup

A turn—or rather, an Auction Round—in High Society is quite simple:

- reveal a Status Card: mandatory; this card dictates the type of auction;

- bid: optional; place your bid;

- pass: optional; withdraw from the current auction.

Regardless of the auction type, you must choose to either bid or pass; simply assess the situation and make your choice. Let’s look at the details.

When you reveal a Status Card from the deck, you immediately know what type of auction will take place:

- standard auction: if it is a Luxury or Prestige Card;

- reverse auction: if it is a Disgrace Card.

In a standard auction, you bid to acquire the Luxury Card or Prestige Card. The starting player chooses whether to bid or pass.

If you choose to bid, simply play one or more Money Cards face-up in front of you and announce their total value. If you have already placed a bid in this round, you may only increase your bid by adding new Money Cards face-up in front of you.

A player places a bid to acquire a Luxury card
A player places a bid to acquire a Luxury card

You cannot return Money Cards previously used in the bid to your hand. You may only place a bid if the new total exceeds the last bid made in the round (bids must always increase).

In a standard auction, if you choose to pass and have already placed a bid in the round, return the Money Cards you used to your hand. Once you pass, you can no longer place a bid in that auction.

Upper right player decided to pass. Next player still thinking if they bid or pass
Upper right player decided to pass. Next player still thinking if they bid or pass

Once a player has taken their turn (either passing or bidding), play moves to the player on their left. The last player remaining after everyone else has passed wins the auction for that card! If all players pass without placing a bid, the last player to pass claims the Status Card for free.

Place the contested Status Card face-up in front of the auction winner. In a standard auction, the winner discards—face-down—all the Money Cards used in the bid. These cards cannot be used again in the game.

A Status Card won in this type of auction contributes positively to your total status at the end of the game: Luxury Cards add their value to your total, while Prestige Cards multiply the value of other cards.

A reverse auction occurs when the revealed Status Card is a Disgrace Card. Things get even more interesting here, as the goal is to avoid taking the card.

In these reverse auction scenarios, players bid to avoid receiving the Disgrace Card—specifically: Scandale, Passé, or Faux Pas. The auction round ends as soon as a player decides to pass. That player receives the unwanted Disgrace Card and places it in front of them.

In this reverse auction scenario, a few "different" things happen:

- the player who passed, in addition to receiving the Disgrace Card, takes back into their hand all the Money Cards they bid during the round (if any);

- the other players must discard—face-down—all the Money Cards they bid to avoid the Disgrace Card (if any). These cards cannot be used again in the game. In the reverse auction, money is spent to “suppress” the source of embarrassment—that is, to get rid of it—whereas the player who ends up holding that source gets their money back, as a consolation prize!

Disgrace Cards lower a player's total status; each of the three cards functions differently (as previously mentioned):

The Scandale card causes a player's total status to be halved at the end of the game.

Scandale! Card
Scandale! Card

The Passé card reduces a player’s final total status by 5.

Passé! Card
Passé! Card

Lastly, the Faux Pas card requires the player who draws it to immediately discard—at their choice—one of the Luxury Cards currently in front of them. If the player does not yet have any Luxury Cards, they must discard the next Luxury Card they acquire. Once the Luxury Card is discarded, the Faux Pas card must also be discarded.

Faux Pas! Card
Faux Pas! Card

Regardless of the auction type—normal or reverse—the player who wins the auctioned card becomes the new starting player for the next round and reveals the next Status Card from the top of the deck.

That is how an auction round in High Society works!

Ending the Game

The game ends immediately as soon as the 4th dark-green backgroundcard is revealed for auction; notably, this 4th card is not auctioned at all—it simply signals the end of the game.

Now it is time to see which player has the least money and will, consequently, be expelled from the circle of bon vivants. All players reveal the Money Cards in their hands and announce their remaining totals. The player (or players, in the event of a tie) with the least money is expelled as an impostor and cannot win the game! Oh, the humanity!

Now it is time to determine which of the remaining players has the most status. The calculation is quite simple:

- each Luxury Card grants positive status points equal to its value;

- Disgrace Cards lower the player's status (as previously explained);

- each Prestige Card doubles the current status of the player holding it.

The player with the highest status—among those who were not expelled—is the winner!

Example Score
Example Score

In the event of a tie, the tied player with the most remaining money wins. If the tie persists, the tied player holding the most valuable Luxury Card wins the game.

Strategy Tips

High Society is about auctions, but it’s also about bluffing and money management—and here’s a key detail: the game is punishing. Beyond the "Disgrace" cards, ending the game with the least amount of money disqualifies you from contending for the win, even if you’ve accumulated the most status. Yes, the life of a bon vivant is sweet, but it can be cruel!

It’s a dilemma: you want to enjoy the finer things, yet you can't afford to be the player with the least cash—otherwise, you’re kicked out and can't compete in the finale, even if you have more status than everyone else. I told you, High Society is punishing!

It’s a fantastic game, and it gets even better when you remember that it can end at any moment—specifically, the instant the fourth dark-green-background card appears. The game stops immediately; that fourth card doesn't even go up for auction. So, that’s another factor to consider: the number of dark-green cards in play.

Notice, then, that beyond managing your money, you have to manage those green cards that can hasten the game's end. Knowing how much to invest—and when—to acquire a luxury item or avoid a "Disgrace" card is key.

Speaking of which, it’s also important to know when to back off—when to pass. It’s best not to get too attached to a specific card; after all, others will come along. But whether you’re bidding or passing, knowing how to bluff can make the difference between victory and defeat. Use that skill without restraint!

I recommend that, whenever possible, you raise the previous bid by only 1 or 2. If you make a massive jump compared to the last bid, the other players will likely fold, and you'll have overpaid for the card. So, always stay alert and try to raise the bid without burning through too much cash. With this in mind, keep an eye out for the opportunities the game presents, devise your best strategy, place your bets, know when to back down, bluff, manage your money, and win at High Society.

Unboxing, Rules, and Gameplay

Unboxing:

Rules:

Gameplay:

Pedagogical Tips

If you are looking for a game that is easy to explain and understand—regardless of language—features beautiful illustrations, and offers excellent math reinforcement for kids while being fun, then High Society is the game for you!

Based entirely on numbers and completely language-independent, High Society is quick and easy to play. This allows kids to play multiple rounds, improving their skills with every game.

The best part is that they learn from their own mistakes—such as overspending due to the excitement of the moment or simply to avoid "losing to a friend." They learn the hard way that having high status but little money leads to losing the game. It is a true example of learning from one's own errors—and best of all, doing so while having fun.

Of course, there will be moments of giggles and "good tension" as players wait to see if the next person will bid more money or pass, or who will end up with the dreaded "disgrace" card. These are moments worth remembering.

High Society offers all this, but beyond the fun, it gives kids the chance to exercise important skills, namely:

- resource management: handling their own money and the dark-green-background cards;

- strategy: knowing when to bid and when to pass;

- decision-making: constantly choosing between bidding and passing;

- logical-mathematical reasoning: for the constant calculations involved in bidding and scoring.

From an educational standpoint, High Society addresses resource management and fosters strategy, decision-making, and logical-mathematical reasoning—all while being entertaining!

I highly recommend adding High Society to your collection!

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