Stats:
No. of players: 2-7
Amount of time to play: 10 min
Age requirements: 5+
Set-up time: minimal

Toc Toc Woodman is a dexterity game with a plastic tree and axe. You must knock bark off the tree without taking out the core.

Toc Toc Woodman Rules Description:

Toc Toc Woodman is kind of like Jenga but instead of using your fingers you use a plastic axe. The tree has a base and you stack 9 cores on top of it. Each core is surrounded by four pieces of bark. The bark will fall off the core with the help of gravity once it hangs over the tree below it.

On your turn you get to take to swings with the plastic axe and try to get the bark to fall off the tree. The trick is to not also topple the core. For every piece of bark you remove from the tree you get one point, but every core is minus five points.

Once all the bark is removed from the tree the game is over and you tally your points. The player with the most points wins the game.

Quick Review of Toc Toc Woodman:

Toc Toc Woodman is a fun, family friendly, party game. There is no deep strategy or complex rules here, but it still a lot of fun. Anyone can play this game and it can be enjoyed by all ages.

The components in this game are top-notch. The axe and tree parts are durable and look great too. The rules are an easy read and once you know them you won’t need them too often.

I like how the points are balanced. Since cores are worth minus five points and they are surrounded by just four pieces of bark, worth one point each, you cannot just sit there and whack off sections of the the and gain points.

I know I said there is not deep strategy in this game but there is some. It helps to be aware of who is winning and try to have the tree as unstable as possible on their turn. If forced players may have to tap things to be more solid with their first hit and then have to score with the second.

Toc Toc Woodman is a great daily game. Even my 3 year old can play it. It works in a party setting and can be taken as seriously or lightly as you like. If you have kids this can be a good game to try with them. If you need a game that plays quick and can accommodate a lot of players this is a good fit too.

Score and synopsis: (Click here for an explanation of these review categories.)
Strategy 2 out of 6
Luck 3 out of 6
Player Interaction 3 out of 6
Replay Value 4 out of 6
Complexity 1 out of 6
Fun 5 out of 6
Overall 5 out of 6