Hab & Gut: A Game of Stocks, Secrets, and Charity

Hab & Gut is the English version of a game originally called Hab & Gut. I will call it Hab & Gut here, mostly because it is shorter to type than the English name. This game is about manipulating prices for goods, using inside information, and making donations. You play the role of an investor, or really, someone trying to make a profit. You are expected to be a philanthropist too. To win, you need to be the richest person at the table. However, if you do not give enough to charity, you will be removed from the game. So, you want to make money, but you must also give enough away so you are not the smallest donor. Finding this balance is tricky.

There are six different types of goods in the game. The deck of cards has cards that make their values go up or down. There are more cards that increase values than decrease them, so the market usually goes up. In every game, only some of the cards will be played. They are put on racks, and each rack sits between two players. You can only see the cards on the two racks right next to you. You know for sure that these cards will be played. You share some information with the player on your left and different information with the player on your right.

Every round has two stages. In the first stage, you buy or sell shares. There is a limited amount of shares, so they can run out. In the second stage, you change share prices by playing cards. You pick one card from each of the two racks next to you. One card is used for its full effect, but for the other card, you only use half the effect. Halving the effect can mean slowing down growth or softening a drop in price. All the cards on all the racks will be played eventually. It is just a matter of time and whether the effect is reduced.

The game is about buying low and selling high. Information is power here. Although you can cut the effect of some cards in half, that is not your strongest tool. You can try to guess if share prices will go up or down by watching what your opponents do. It is interesting to see how players share common information. You have a bit more info when you try to figure out what your neighbors are thinking. The donation part of the game is like a game of chicken. Giving money away goes against your main goal, which is to make money. But if you donate the least, you cannot even compete to win. There is a checkpoint in the middle of the game where you can see how much everyone has donated so far. One hard part about donations is that you use shares to give, not cash. That means after you donate, the value of those shares can change. This adds some unpredictability. Donations also change how many shares are available in the market.

Cash flow is very important. You need cash in hand to invest, and that is the only way to make more money. Without cash, you cannot take advantage of opportunities. So sometimes you have to sell some shares, even if they have not made you much money yet, if you think there will be other shares with higher potential. You must watch your opponents closely. Their actions will give you clues about the secret information they have.