Unstable Unicorns (2017) is a card game by Ramy Badie, initially self-published though now primarily published by Unstable Games. At 2-8 players (before expansions), this game allows for more players than most do (though I would recommend not more than 4-5, at least until you’re familiar). Several expansions exist, though none really change the game in ways that are substantial – they mostly just add more potential cards. Notably, the NSFW version of this game is also an expansion meant to be shuffled into the base deck and not a full separate deck like most NSFW versions of games, so if you go to buy that, remember you will still need a base game.
Each person starts with a “baby unicorn” in their stable and some number of cards in your hand (depends on the number of players). On your turn, you resolve any effects of your cards (will come back to that in a minute). You then draw a card, and can either draw another card or play a card onto your or someone else’s stables. If you are at more than seven cards in your hand, discard down to seven to end your turn. Play rotates clockwise. The game ends when someone reaches a set number of unicorns in their stable (also depends on the number of players), or when there are no more cards in the draw pile.
The cards include instant cards (have an effect that happens immediately and can be played at any time), upgrade cards (adds a positive effect to a stable, usually permanent), downgrade cards (adds a negative effect to a stable, usually permanent), magic cards (played on your turn and have a chaotic effect), and magical, normal, or baby unicorns (each of which counts as one unicorn towards your stable; baby unicorns are usually only starting unicorns, and magical unicorns add powers). Baby unicorns can be moved, stolen, or removed, so shouldn’t just be treated as a permanent reduction in the target (e.g., if you have to get to six unicorns, you can’t just view it as “I need to get to five”, because you might lose your baby unicorn and still need to get to six). Most cards with abilities are fairly self-explanatory, though there are definitely some that cause weird overlapping abilities that probably weren’t fully thought out.
The game is clearly meant to be a family game. With the notable exception of the NSFW expansion, everything is very kid-friendly. It can work for a large enough group of people that your kids could have a couple friends over, and it’s still playable. The art is cute and cartoony.
This leads me into my main point about the game: This is just a rules-lite, self-contained, family-friendly version of Magic the Gathering (MTG) and other trading card games (TCGs). It is the perfect introduction for a child into this world. I’m leaning towards MTG purely because shifting cards to and from hands, forcibly discarding without contributing to a win/loss condition, and a couple other related mechanics tend to be more common in MTG than other popular TCGs (like Pokémon). That said, it really fits nicely as an intro to the genre in general. Its self-contained nature means you don’t have to dump a lot of money into cards (or time into freebies), but it is – logically and mechanically – coherent with TCGs as a whole.
I don’t strictly mean this comment to be positive or negative. Rather, I want people to be fully aware of what this game entails. And I want to be clear – while the description may fit closer to a deckbuilder, the playstyle genuinely feels most like a 4 or 5 player MTG game, but dumbed down a bit. Calibrate your expectations accordingly.