Reviews
11/9/2024
Designer: Josh Wood
Publisher: AEG
Created during the shut-down during the Pandemic in response to not taking his planned trip to Japan, the game designer invites you to experience the memorable trip he didn't have. You plan what you'll be doing each day by drafting a card to play on our turn. Every choice matters as you balance moments of joy and stress, with your happiness tracker shaping your final score. Plan when it is best to use your bullet train tokens to ease travel as you schedule activities in Tokyo or Kyoto. Depending on what you plan to do, you'll gain points in different categories from collecting sets of activities. Shopping, sightseeing, dining...so much fun! I got the Deluxe copy and am so glad I did!! The game would still be fun with cardboard tokens and seeing all the goodies was fun to unwrap and incorporate into our game!
11/2/2024
Designer: Bob Whitely
Publisher: QT Games LLC
We play the guardians, protecting cute residents of Shady Valley while the Lord of Night, Zumoffa tries to lead an attack. The attack only happens while the residents are awake so during the Day Phase we gather food and comfort items to help the residents sleep. During the Night Phase the "Wall of Pain" advances and the enemies attack. The art is cute so makes it appropriate for younger folk, the process is pretty straight forward. We played this game at Dice Tower West and is expected to release in 2025.
10/26/2024
Publisher: Allplay
In this Cooperative trick taking game, players exchange cards before playing tricks. Depending on who wins, ships will move back and forth trying to track the end of the board and avoid the Kraken! The cards have abilities printed on them as well as the players having variable powers. This game is beautiful and is a great blend between a card game and a board game! 2 players only. Takes about 20 minutes to play.
10/19/2024
Publisher: Engames
This is a trick taking game with a twist. Get points for taking cards in a trick, or matching tricks and dice. Occasionally you can get points for not taking a trick.(similar to the game “Oh Hell”). If you’re a fan of trick taking games, this provides a nice variation. If you’re new to trick taking games, better to start by learning Hearts or Spades. 3-5 players. Takes about an hour to play.
10/12/2024
Publisher: Allplay
Play your dinosaur cards to for herds of herbivores and carnivores, but watch out! They all need to be fed without eating each other. The biggest and best herds will win. Great starter or filler game. 1-4 players, takes about 20 minutes to play.
10/5/2024
Publisher: Pegasus Spiele
Players use their dice to navigate the marketplace of Istanbul. Collect rubies, also collect goods that can be sold for rubies. It’s all about the rubies! This stand alone game plays a little easier and faster than the original Istanbul board game. It’s nice, but we felt the original, larger game was more fun and more substantial. 2-4 players, takes about 30 minutes to play.
9/28/2024
Designer: Rudliger Dorn
Publisher: Pegasus Spiele
This is modified version of the game Istanbul. I'll say up front that I prefer the regular version. The dice game seemed less strategic and more based on luck. Based on your roll, you'll take certain actions or get certain resources. You're still collecting gems and doing certain abilities based on where you land. You can also trade in some resources for preferred actions. If you prefer your games with a bit more depth, though, I recommend diving into the original Istanbul for a richer experience.
9/21/2024
Designer: Tim Fowers
Publisher: Fowers Games
This is a great 2-player game that I tried at Dice Tower West. One player will be the Fugitive and try to escape while the other player is the Marshall trying to find the Fugitive. Using a deck with cards numbered between 00 (start) and 42 (escape destination). The Fugitive has a hand of the numbered cards and will be trying to escape before the Marshall can guess where the Fugitive is. On the Fugitive's turn, he/she will play 1-2 cards face down. The Marshall must guess all card(s) the Fugitive played and if the guess is correct, the Fugitive is "found." Any mistakes, and the Fugitive is still hidden. Fugitive continues to play cards in sequential order with the Marshall continuing to make guesses. There are additional rules about which cards can be legally played and you get the idea. This is a very simple game and I found it quite interesting to evade the Marshall. The game is compact and will travel well. Plays in 20 minutes. I highly recommend this one!
9/14/2024
Designer: Unai Rubio
Publisher: Keymaster Games
I heard this game was great for two players, so I was eager to try it out. In this game, you and your opponent play as thieves recruiting crews and stealing items across Europe. Each round involves drafting and playing cards, exchanging hands, and selecting more cards.
During the Thief Round, you place your crew at various locations around town, collecting coins and possibly taking coins from your opponent if needed. In the Gear Round, you use your coins to buy gear. The game features a tug-of-war mechanic with tokens that can shift based on card effects and strategic moves, adding a dynamic element of interaction.
While the game’s compact design is a plus (like most Keymaster Games), it includes a fair amount of "take that" gameplay, which wasn’t my favorite. However, if you enjoy competitive, interactive games, this one’s a "steal"!
9/7/2024
Designer: David Thompson
Publisher: Kosmos
We got to play this game at Dice Tower West this year. I had heard of the game with a good a pick-up and deliver mechanic and was on my list to play. This game did not disappoint. This co-op game is pretty straight forward--reveal cards to know which train(s) you can move or add to the board, get cargo and figure out how to get everything to the port. You will be discarding cards to move one the limited signals and select the correct track. There is a bit of luck based on the cards you draw and your dice-rolling skills to move trains (each train has it's own die with the number of moves based on how big the train is). While at first glance it looks like Ticket to Ride, this is a completely different game. If you like Pick-up and Deliver games, this is worth a try.
8/31/2024
Publisher: Libellud
Smaller, faster, more compact version of the larger Mysterium game. One player gives clues through colorful cards (visions). Other players try to solve the mystery within 6 rounds. Great conversational cooperative game! 2-6 players. Takes about 45 minutes to play.
8/24/2024
Publisher: Lookout Games
Players compete to create the most attractive bear park placing tiles on their personal player boards to create animal exhibits, food kiosks, and nature areas. You get points for covering up spots on your board. 2-4 players. Takes about 45 minutes to play
8/18/2024
Publisher: Scorpion Masqué
This is a cooperative game for 2 players who play the pilot and co-pilot trying to land a plane. Each rolls their 5 dice keeping the result secret. Players then take turns placing their dice on the board to accomplish tasks like lowering the landing gear, lowering the flaps, and keeping the plane level. There are many scenarios making the game more difficult if you wish. The only thematically troubling thing about this game is the limited communication. Why would a pilot and go-pilot not speak to each other?! That aside, it’s a very fun dice-chucker with worker placement! 2 players only. Takes about 30 minutes to play.
8/15/2024
Publisher: IELLO
In this flip-n-write game, players take simultaneous turns by mapping out their optimal routes and picking up passengers. A ticket is revealed, then based on each player’s personal sheet, they may lay route markers on the board. You get points for completing your route and also for getting passengers to their destinations. 2-5 players. Takes about 30 minutes to play
8/11/2024
Publisher: Boardcubator
Players complete Tetris-like puzzles by drafting puzzles and their pieces. The more puzzles you complete, the more points and additional pieces you get, propelling the tempo of the game. It’s super satisfying to do these mini-puzzles while playing the game! There are expansions which make the game slightly more complicated and make for extended replayability. 1-4 players, takes about 40 minutes to play.
7/27/2024
#DiceRolling
#OpenDrafting
#PointtoPointMovement
#PushYourLuck
#SetCollection
Enter a dark world that you can explore by the results of your dice rolls. Collect companions to help you get additional dice that might score you extra resources or points...or maybe you are sending someone to the graveyard. In this game you'll collect different elements to move you along paths to areas that gain or cost you points or items. The art is stunning and the drafting mechanism is clean as you pick up additional companions with good and bad abilities and temporary dice for that phase's roll. Reroll if you can-- and dare--but all actions trigger in the resolve phase (both positive and negative results). Gain "footprints" to help you move/enter areas and "fireflies" to pay for your companions. Return the temporary dice without changing the die face for the next companion drafting. After 8 days (rounds), the game ends with the highest point as the winner. On one of the last games I played, I couldn't move off the starting block. With all the points I scored by moving through the map and collecting fireflies, I ended up moving up and almost came in second. Love, this game and you will too!
7/20/2024
Publisher: Nürnberger-Spielkarten-Verlag
#Contracts
#EndGameBonuses
#FlipandWrite
#GridCoverage
#SetCollection
#SimultaneousAction
This is a great game where all players cross off squares on their player card (your treasure card) based on a revealed shape (expedition card). Gain bonuses for crossing off coins or palm trees. If you cross off an "X", you'll get to cross off an additional box. Choose how you want to gain points--by crossing off symbols or complete your player card. Different amount of points are awarded for different goals completed. It's a pretty fast game (about 20 minutes) and perfect to play at restaurants while waiting for your order or as a warm-up game.
7/13/2024
Publisher: Grey Fox
#AreaMajority
#DiceRolling
#HandManagement
#SimultaneousActionSelection
#VariablePlayerPower
Last Light is the long-awaited game designed by Roy Cannaday (The Dice Tower fame), who invited 4x games (Explore, Expand, Exploit, and Exterminate) to be a 1-hour playtime. 4x games usually take 2-3 hours and the clever design shortened the playing time without sacrificing fun and strategy. In the past, I was a flat-out "no" to the 4-8 hour game, Twilight Imperium: 4th Edition and thought I wouldn't get to experience this type of game. There is enough head scratching to keep me interested and continuous playing that I'm not constantly waiting for my turn. This game was everything I had hoped for and I can't recommend it enough.
7/6/2024
Publisher: Wiz Kids
#AuctionBidding
#TilePlacement
In SiliconVania you are creating Transylvania into the a tech wonder-city. You'll be placing cards to bid on first option to take a series of tiles to lay on your 4x4 city grid (and of course location, location, location of your tiles matter!). Compete for powerful character cards that grant unique abilities and scoring advantages, all while navigating your tokens around a track that grants bonuses. I found the theme a bit thin but liked the art and tableau building. There are plenty of ways to manipulate your city into a high-scoring mecca. If you like multiple ways to win with bidding and great vampire art, pick this one up!
6/29/2024
Publisher: Restoration Games
#Family
#Deduction
#CardGame
Players receive a dinosaur identity. The other players will ask questions (preferably with a classy British accent) to try to determine your identity. Seems to be based on the older game “Guess Who”. Fun filler or starter game. 3-5 players. Takes about 30 minutes to play.
6/22/2024
Publisher: Inside Up Games
#CardGame
#HandManagement
Cards. Lots of cards!! Lots and lots of cards!!! Players use the cards to build out their individual tableaus into different eco-systems. Flora, Fauna, and natural disaster cards will affect your scoring at the end. In your turn you can choose an action. The player whose turn it is not also gets to follow you on that action. Since you get to do “stuff” on the other players turn, it helps move the game along with simultaneous actions. The more cards you have played, the more stuff you get to do on each turn. Artwork is great! We had fun with it! 1-5 players, takes about 90 minutes to play.
6/15/2024
Publisher: Looney Labs
#SetCollection
#CardGame
In this version of Fluxx, cards depict major sight-seeing marvels around the world. Use the ever changing rules to try to meet the ever changing goal and you might just win! Wacky and fun! 1-6 players. Takes about 30 minutes to play.
6/9/2024
Publisher: Helvetiq
#Cooperative
#TilePlacement
Players take turns placing cards to block the prisoner from escaping through tunnels. Tunnel tiles must be placed in an orientation that “makes sense,” similar to Carcassonne. Successful in stopping the bandido is not guaranteed. This is a light starter or filler game. 1-4 players. Takes about 15 minutes to play.
6/9/2024
Review: Unmatched Tales to Amaze
Publisher: Restoration Games
#Cooperative
#HandManagement
#VariablePlayerPowers
Player work together to defeat one of two villains, the Mothman or Martian Invader as well as several minions like the Blob or the Jersey Devil. Each turn, players move around the board and use cards from their hand for combat and defense. The heroes included in this game can be used in the competitive version of unmatched! 1-4 players. Takes about an hour to play
5/25/2024
Review: Paris: La Cite de la Lumiere and Paris: Eiffel
Publisher: Devir
#TileDrafting
#AreaMajority
#GridCoverage
#TilePlacement
#2playergames
Step into the streets of old Paris, the City of Lights, the city of romance! This 2-player game is in two phases. In the first phase, we draft tiles and actions. In the second phase, we place the tiles on the board (which is inside the box!!) Strategically placing tiles that cover our colors (blue vs red) or something shared (space that has blue and red) while trying to get within streetlights for extra points is simple yet gives enough of a push on strategy. This game is gorgeous and is a great date night game.
5/18/2024
Review: Terracotta Army
Publisher: Board&Dice
#AreaMajority
#VariableSetup
#WorkerPlacement
I've always had a fascination with the Terracotta Army and was thrilled to hear of this game that allows players to create Terracotta Army statues. Placing workers on a clever rondelle to take on different tasks (such as gathering clay, crafting statues, wetting dry clay, and such) we get to fill a grid with gorgeous statues that give you certain points or abilities to gain points. Victory points are awarded based on proximity to certain other statues and you can move a marker to gain additional points over your opponent(s). The figures were a little bent and didn't fit upside down in the box well, but I dipped them in a cup of hot water and coaxed them back in alignment and everything was great. The game takes about 1-1.5 hours for 2 players and it goes FAST! Love this game!!
5/11/2024
Review: Star Wars: Outer Rim
Publisher: Fantasy Flight Games
#DiceRolling
#ModularBoard
#pickupanddelivery
#VariablePlayerPowers
#StarWars
We really enjoy playing Star Wars: Outer Rim for Star Wars Day on May the 4th. The theme of running around the galaxy with different objectives is so fun. This time I chose to be Boba Fett and Onezie was Lando. Though I missed out on acquiring the Millennium Falcon, I had a blast upgrading my starter ship and strategizing about which crew members to exchange for bounties. This time I chose to battle a couple of patrols and trade reputation for completing jobs. Super fun! Takes about 45-min with 2 players.
5/7/2024
Review: The Tree Lined Avenue
Publisher: Tactical Games and Japanime Games
#OpenDrafting
#PatternBuilding
#TilePlacement
We found this beautiful game published in Japan when we took a trip to Denver. Picture this: you're drafting tiles to craft your very own park masterpiece. You'll get points for completing objectives of claiming tiles with certain trees, animals, gazebos, and such. Finding this gem has woken my love of games from Asia.
4/27/2024
Review: Azul Mini
Publisher: Next Move Games
#tiledrafting
#azul
#SetCollection
As the title implies, this is a miniature version of the game Azul. All of the fun but with a smaller footprint. Also, the player boards come with a plastic overlay that keeps your tiles from sliding around. Less is definitely more! This game rocks! 1-4 players, takes about 30 minutes to play.
4/20/2024
Review: Race To The Raft
Publisher: City Of Games
#isleofcats
#coop
#modularboard
Based on the game Isle of Cats, Players work together to get cats to the raft before the island burns down. Plan the best route by placing tiles. Be sure not to leave any cats behind! As you lay tiles, the color coded paths are constantly changing. Great co-op game! 1-4 players takes about an hour.
4/13/2024
Review: Mint Delivery
Publisher: Five24 Labs
#pickupanddelivery
#contracts
#movement
Pick up and deliver your mints around the board. Fulfill your contracts and maximize your efficiency. The entire game fits into a mint tin and is great for traveling. There are other mint games in this series and they all seem to be good! 1-5 players; takes about 30 minutes to play.
4/6/2024
Review: Heat-Pedal to the Metal
Publisher: Days of Wonder
#Deckbuilding
#handmanagement
Players race their cars around a track using cards to adjust speed, brakes, and gears. The twist is you need to choose your cards before you start moving and hope you pull ahead without overshooting a curve. This game is very fun and has been on everyone’s “hot” list since it came out in 2022. Although the mechanic is a familiar kind of hand management, it seems to fit the racing theme of the game to a tee. Love this game!
3/23/2024
Review: The Wolves
Publisher: Pandasaurus Games
#AreaMajority
#GridMovement
#ModularBoard
#VariableSetup
Love, love, love this game. You play as a pack of wolves traveling around while creating/advancing your shelter, calling your fellow wolves, or growing your herd. A calendar marks the end of different rounds. Area control decides who gets points during the game. My favorite part is the tile flipping to take actions. Great game for people wanting multiple ways to score points.
3/16/2024
Review: Animalchemists
Publisher: Cardlords
#HandManagement
#PatternBuilding
#SetCollection
Take on being an animal that crafts potions. On your turn you will either gather ingredients or cast spells to gain points. The art is cute and the game is easy to explain to new players. I added this short, simple game as a "filler" we can play as a warmup.
So, don your wizard's hat, grab your cauldron, and let the magical fun begin!
3/9/2024
Review: Carcassonne: Star Wars
Publisher: Devir
#TilePlacement
This game came out in 2015 and is out-of-print. Just like in other Carcassonne games, each player picks up a tile and places it on the table, connecting the tiles by matching the images of any touching tiles to make a cohesive picture. Instead of creating whole castles such as in the basic game, this version creates asteroid fields for 2 points per tile. The orange trade routes are in place of roads that can be claimed for 1 point per tile. Faction symbols get you extra points. Planets are scored like cathedral (9 points if completely surrounded by other tiles). You'll roll dice to battle when faction symbols appear on planets (I didn't care too much for this part). This hard-to-find game is worth the search so try and play it when you can!
3/2/2024
Review: Azul: Queen's Garden
Publisher: Next Move Games
#PatternBuilding
#SetCollection
#TilePlacement
In this version of Azul, you each manage 2 boards--one gets you points, the other is a "storage" that can hold some tiles and cards until you're ready to place them. This game is more strategic than the other Azul's I've played. This strategic iteration demands heightened foresight as you navigate both boards, anticipating opportunities from storage and a dynamic tile supply. The round marker indicates a different tile that will get you extra points. Highest points at the end of 4 rounds wins.
While it's not a "Gateway" game, it's great fun for gamers who want more strategy. If you're looking for something more challenging, this could be the game for you.
2/24/2024
Review: Watergate
Published by Frosted Games
#tugofwar
#handmanagement
In this two-player game, one player is the press, the other is the Nixon administration. The press player is trying to make connections between people and events before time runs out. The Nixon player is trying to stall them. Game pieces move along a linear board in a tug of war. Once you reach a certain spot, your side has won! 2 players, takes about an hour.
2/17/2024
Review: DJ Icon
Published by Koalatie Games
#setcollection
#simultaneousaction
Players compete to gain fans as a DJ. The game board is a record. We played the demo at a convention on a real LP. How cool is that!? Use cards to put together your most awesome sets for the fans. Average 60 minutes, 2-6 players.
2/10/2024
Review: Tang Garden
Published by ThunderGryph Games
#setcollection
#drafting
#tileplacement
Players compete to make the most beautiful Chinese garden. Tile placement, decoration, and line-of-sight placement all play a role in earning prestige points. This is an elegant and beautiful game! It’s fun to take a photo of your garden when it’s complete. 1-4 players. Takes about an hour to play.
2/3/2024
Review: Chai Tea for 2
Punished by Steeped Games ltd.
#bidding
#dice
#pickupanddeliver
Use dice as workers to harvest and deliver teas to the ships. We played this at a convention and loved it! Two player game inspired by Chai. We ordered the kickstarter which sadly never shipped 😞
1/28/2024
Cartographers
Publisher: Thunderworks Games
#EndGameBonuses
#GridCoverage
#PaperAndPencil
#SimultaneousAction
#VariableSetup
As the royal cartographer, you are asked to map out a territory using various terrain shapes. Add the simple shapes to your map and gain points for precisely placing them and capturing that season’s bonus. One of my favorite mechanics was having insight into the combination for the upcoming season’s bonus—I could choose to draw a particular terrain next to (or avoiding) certain bordering requirements to get the extra points. This game will easily scale from solo to large parties. I like traveling with this game as it also takes up a small footprint. Great game for my game library!
1/21/2024
Beer & Bread
Publisher: Capstone Games
#Drafting
#HighestLowestScoring
#MultiUseCards
#ResourceGathering
#SetCollection
In this 2-player only game, you represent 1 of 2 villages competing in friendly-competitions in making the beer and bread from shared resource pools. I love the card management mechanic where you draft cards to be played for resources or for actions (the Fruitful year). Then gather only the set of cards you used for gathering resources and play that hand again while choosing to use them again as resources or actions (the Dry year) while the choosing from fewer available resources. Maintain a steady production of bread and beer because, at the game's conclusion, your score is the lower of the two scores. Aim for the highest final score to emerge as the victorious village!
1/14/2024
Review: Marvel United: X-Men
Publisher: CMON
#CoOp
#HandManagemet
#ModularBoard
#Team
#VariablePlayerPowers
In this cooperative game, you’ll battle against different types of villains from the Marvel Universe. Each player will get to take on the persona of a different hero (with a deck of cards unique to your hero) as your team battles one of the villains. There was an interesting mechanic of being able to create a storyline of connected actions by taking turns placing cards in one of the locations of the board. Basic and special actions unfold as you build your narrative, culminating in the activation of villain cards on the third hero card. Then you’ll place a villain card and those action take effect. I found this game easier than Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game and Marvel Champions. If you want a more family-friendly type of game, you might want to pick this one up.
1/7/2024
Review: First Rat
Publisher: Pegasus Spiele
#PointToPointMovement
#SetCollection
#spaceexploration
Cheese lovers unite! I heard the moon is made of cheese! Let’s go check it out! In this race to build a rocket ship and go to the moon! At least…that’s the plan for the rats of a particular junkyard. As innovative groups of rats, you’ll move along a track to gather items such tin cans, calculators for computers, and baking soda with vinegar for fuel to build your rocket and get to the moon. You can also choose to use apple cores to move along the nursery and add more rats to your team or pick up extra resources by spending cheese you collected along the way. This game has great humor and invites you to strategize on the fastest and best way for you to achieve your goals to gain the most points to win.
Takes about 30-45 minutes to play. This game was harder for me to find in stores—ask your FLGS to order this for you if you can't find it!
12/31/2023
Review: Trails
Published by Keymaster Games
#workerplacement
#setcollection
Hike back and forth in a trail made of tiles. Place your meeple workers to gather resources and earn points. Made by the publishers of Parks with simpler game-play. Takes about 30 min to play. Great game!
12/28/2023
Review: Cat in the Box
Published by Hobby Japan
Imagine a card game based on the theory of Schrödinger’s cat. The cards have numbers printed on them, but no printed suits (colors). When a card is played, the player declares which color they wish it to be. Then, that color and number is marked with a token and cannot be played again since it was observed previously. If a player is unable to play a card because no viable choices are left, there is a “paradox” which ends the round. Takes about 15 minutes to play.
12/17/2023
Review: Welcome To The Moon
Published by Blue Cocker Games
Based on the Welcome To… your perfect neighborhood game, in this flip n write players build a rocket to the moon, develop a colony and compete for control of space. Several personal player boards are used and each sub-game has its own story. Takes about 30 minutes to play. If you liked the original Welcome To, this version kicks it up a notch!
12/10/2023
Collect sets of cards to build train routes through Europe. This game is similar to the original TTR with a couple of additions: use of ferry routes to cross the water, and stations that will let you use one of your opponent’s routes. Fun game! Takes about an hour to play.
12/3/2023
Review: Letter Jam
Published by Czech Games Edition
#cardgame
#deduction
#wordgame
Players can see other players cards, held in stands. They cannot see their own card ( in a stand facing other players ). They try to come up with words using cards visible to them. You may be able to deduce what letter is on your card. Play 2-6 players. The more players the better as this is really a party game. It was a little lackluster as a 2 player game. Takes about 40 minutes to play.
11/24/2023
Review: Stop Thief
Publisher: Restoration Games
#CoOp
#HandManagement
#HiddenMovement
#PointToPointMovement
#VariablePlayerPowers
#NeedsApp
Using the app on your phone, you get an alert that a crime has been committed. Using cards, a bit of luck, and a bit of deduction, try and find the thief on the provided map to get the reward money. This is a simple game and I found the sound effects on the app truly add to this simple gameplay. While it is a co-op game, the true winner will be the one who collected the most reward money. Armed with cards, a dash of luck, and a sprinkle of deduction, you're on a mission to unmask the thief on the interactive map and claim that sweet, reward money.
11/20/2023
Review: Flamecraft
Publisher: Cardboard Alchemy
#Contracts
#HandManagement
#SetCollection
#WorkerPlacement
While at Dice Tower West last year, I made 2 great discoveries. This young lady who wanted to create art for board games and loved the dragons on the Flamecraft box. This game is as charming as the art and we had so much fun interacting with the dragons as they went to the various shops and collected resources or activated an ability to fulfil the spells. This game's so charming, I'm not surprised it took me forever to track down for purchase. If you spot it, don't hesitate – jump on it like a dragon on a pile of treasure!
11/16/2023
Review: Cacao
Publisher: Abacusspiele, Z-Man Games
#AreMajority
#HandManagement
#Map
#TilePlacement
#chocolate
Well, first, it's chocolate/cacao--OK, I'm in. Then it's a tile placement game. Again, I'm in. Develop your cacao and gain the most gold to win. To do this, you place either your tiles that have workers depicted on the tile somewhere in the growing jungle map or a neutral tile that could provide a resource. (For each worker you have touching a resource, you get the resource. If it's a temple tile, it will count towards area majority at the end). You need resources such as cacao seeds so you can grow more crops then sell them in the market. Meanwhile you are looking for for water or temples or cacao field to increase your resources. You'll get points based on water supply and area majority at temple tiles. The game plays like Carcassonne with added strategy. I enjoyed this and would play again!
11/13/2023
This is an adorable game about programming your moles to move around a grid. For 6 rounds, players will draft cards from a market to form a hand of 4 cards that play in 4 phases. Each card will display an action to help you move along the bottom which creates piles of dirt collected on the top. In the next phase each player secretly plans/programs their moves for the following phase. In the last phase moles will earn points for each mountain they control (their color is at the top. Cards will help you plan your direction, topple mountains (not necessarily a bad thing), block opponents, or even move rocks out of your way.) Mechanics are simple and you can have light fun or dig deeper for your strategy.
10/22/2023
Players are trying to crack a secret code using deduction and the help of an analog computer. In the game this looks like slotted cards overlaid to prove, disprove, or provide no info at all on a theory. It’s a great introduction into the world of machine thought! Plays 1-4 players and takes about 20-60 minutes depending on the difficulty. Can you crack the code?!
10/16/2023
Review: Dead Man’s Draw
Published by MayDay Games
#cardgames
#takethat
#pirates
#pushyourluck
Draw cards and keep them for points, but if you draw two of the same card, you’ll go bust and get nothing on your turn. Each card has unique abilities affecting you or other players, or even retrieve one from the watery depths of the discard pile. Play til the deck runs out. Player with the most points wins. This is a very fun game , however it involves a lot of re-shuffling the deck during the game. Takes about 15 minutes to play.
9/28/2023
Review: The Fox in the Forest
Publisher: Foxtrot Games, Renegade Game Studios
Designer: Joshua Buergel
In The Fox in the Forest, a captivating 2-player card game, you'll use a stunning deck of cards to compete for tricks. If you're a fan of The Fox in the Forest Duet, which is cooperative, you'll find that this version adds an edge. Unlike the co-op experience of Duet, this game brings out the aggressive spirit in players. So, if you're more inclined toward competitive gameplay, The Fox in the Forest is a game worth trying for some head-to-head excitement!
9/20/2023
Review: Picture Perfect
Publisher: Corax Games
Designer: Anthony Nouveau
Love family reunions and a bit of challenge? Picture this: a game where your task is to capture a family photo, but with specific quirks about who can or cannot stand next to each other. You'll uncover clues in envelopes throughout the game, providing hints on how to arrange your quirky family members just right. You can even trade envelopes to gather more clues. The ultimate goal? Earn points for skillfully arranging your family based on their unique requirements. It's a fun and strategic way to celebrate family dynamics!
9/16/2023
Review: Crokinole
Step back in time to the 1800s and prepare for a fun game of Crokinole! Imagine shuffleboard, pool, and croquet all rolled into one thrilling, action-packed game. You'll be flicking wooden discs with precision and power, aiming to land them dead center or knock out your opponent's pieces. The closer you get to that coveted center hole, the more points you rack up. But here's the kicker – it's loud! The sound of wood-on-wood collisions adds to the excitement and energy of the game. While Crokinole boards might not be easy to find, if you ever get the chance to play, don't miss out on this exciting experience!
9/4/2023
Review: Mountain Goats
Published by Boardgametables
Players are goats trying to get to the top of various mountains (columns of cards). Players will try to knock down other goats on their way to the top. Playing with the wooden goat pieces was fun! It’s a total “take-that” kind of game as players fight to get to the top. It’s a great starter game or waiting for food to arrive game. 2-4 players; Takes about 20 min to play.
8/31/2023
Review: Shakespeare
Publisher: Ystari Games
I had heard about this game and was so excited to play at Dice Tower West. This out-of-print game is hard to find and it's well worth the effort if you can find it. You get to put on a play in 6 days/rounds and need choose how you use your actions--do you want to build/improve your sets? Do you want to get costumes? Do you want to rehearse your actors? Meanwhile you take colorful tokens that represent your actions and place them on your player board that looks like a stage. Depending on where you choose to place tiles will help determine your points. I found this game price at about $125. While I loved playing the game, I think I'll keep looking for a more affordable copy. In the meantime, I'll borrow it from the Dice Tower West game library!
8/24/2023
Review: Ticket to Ride: Marklin
Publisher: Days of Wonder
Fulfilling a tradition at Dice Tower West, we played a Ticket to Ride game that is new to us because we think it's funny that we can't find the cities that are in a language other than English. This time we traveled around Germany. For the first time we got to play with Passengers. In this case you got to move a Passenger along a continuous route which was really helpful to get to a destination that was hard to reach. I really liked this game and will pick it up if I see it in a friendly, local game store. Game would take about as long as regular US Ticket to Ride.
8/17/2023
Review: BaristaCat
Publisher: Tiny Wolf Productions
We found this filler card game where you get to claim customers by fulfilling drink orders using ingredient cards you collect. The value of the orders varies based on ingredients and difficulty of order. The end of the game is triggered when someone has 10 customers. Winner is the person who made the most money (points). It's a very simple game and if you like cats and coffee, this might be the...wait for it...cat's meow! (ouch, sorry).
8/10/2023
Review: Trekking the World
Publisher: Underdog Games
#HandManagement
#OpenDrafting
#PointToPointMovement
#SetCollection
This was a fun game that I played at Dice Tower West this year. You'll have a simple player board where you advance colored cubes to mark your collection of victory points in your collection. To gain points, travel to different cities around the world and collect souvenirs. Try and collect region or souvenir bonus tiles for extra points. The game is simple enough for beginners who are used to moving a marker around a board while whetting the appetite of a gamer who likes a bit of strategy. I recommend this game for anyone who enjoys a "travel" theme or wants a great family game to add to your collection (it took us about 1.5 hours for 4 of us to learn and play the game at the convention. I would guess that if we knew the game, it might take about 45-60 minutes to play.
By the way, loved the message written on the inside cover of the box (see Facebook for photo)
8/4/2023
Review: Escape the Castle
Published by NorthStar Game Studio
#coop
#Deductions
#Expansion
#Wonderland
Escape the Castle is a set of 6 modules that provide more variety and challenges to Paint the Roses. In addition to still needing to stay ahead of the Red Queen as you guess which color of roses or shape of hedge your other players are planting, the Wonderland characters provide different mechanisms to find keys to help you unlock the gates so you can escape the Garden. We were able to fit the expansion into the base game box and the different mechanisms add a great twist to the game. I highly recommend if you are into puzzles! It took us about 30-45 min for us to play each module.
7/16/2023
Review: Fog of Love
Published by Hush Hush Projects
Fog of Love is a two player game. Players are randomly assigned a card with a character who has certain requirements for falling in love. You try to obtain your own objectives by going on dates and strengthening certain attributes. So you are not only trying to satisfy your own requirements, but also trying to satisfy your partner’s. Will it be “ happily ever after” or a “tragic break up”? Liked this game that has elements of story-telling and role-playing. Takes 1-2 hours to play
7/4/2023
Review: Smash Up Disney
Published by The Op
#cardgame
#handmanagement
#takethat
Disney factions like Frozen and Big Hero are combined to fight for control of locations (also from Disney movies). Get enough cards and the player scores that location. 2nd and 3rd place sometimes gets some points too. First player to get 15 victory points wins! Fun game, easy to play. Plays 2-4 players. Scales well for two players. Takes about 30 minutes to play
6/17/2023
Review: Mille Fiori
Published by Schmidt Spiele
#workerplacement
#patternbuilding
#setcollection
Players take on the role of glass makers. Play a card, place a tile, get some points. You can concentrate on several areas to build patterns and gain point. This is a lovely game! The colored player tiles are see-through, so you can see the icons underneath as you build patterns. The great thing about this game is there are multiple ways to win; takes about 90 minutes to play.
6/17/2023
Review: Meadow Cards and Sleeves pack
Published by Rebel Studio
#expansion
#cards
#setcollection
This is a mini-expansion with 6 new cards to add to the base game. Also 300 clear plastic protective sleeves for all the cards. Meadow is a great game so more fun is better! Also nice to protect the beautiful artwork. Take about an hour to play.
6/3/2023
Review: Isle of Cats: Boat Pack
Published by The City of Games
#expansion
#tileplacement
The Boat Pack is an expansion to the base game. Instead of having the player boards all the same, they are now all different. 6 new boats included. The boat pack adds some variety for players who have played the “regular “ boats. Each of the new boats is slightly harder than the original. Overall, it doesn’t seem to add or subtract from the enjoyment or replayability of the game. If you like cats and like Tetris-style puzzles, you will like Isle of Cats but the boat pack is not a must-have feature
.png?width=320&height=322&name=image%20(4).png "board game Yak displayed")
5/27/2023
Review: Yak
Publisher: Pretzel Games
Designer: Michael Luu
#ResourceManagement
#Matching
The goal of the game is to get the most points from matching connecting stone colors or collecting unused resources of milk, bread, and meat. You pay the resources to get the colored stones from yak cart that visits you. The game is simple to learn, and strategy can go deep as you plan your timing for the actions you take with your resources. The art and simple setup are a big draw.
You assemble the yaks and cart which normally is fine (the box insert holds these items well. Be warned--the horns on the yak are not easy to insert. We found the holes for the horns were not cut correctly so I contacted Pretzel Games and sent them pictures. Within a couple of weeks someone had contacted me and shipped me replacement yaks with the horns already inserted. Someone with skills in drilling or more strength than me might have found another way. And yes, the game is playable without horns, and I was so in love with the yak I was able to fully assemble that I really wanted all my yaks. I am very impressed with the customer service I received!
I really love and encourage everyone to buy this family-friendly game.
.png?width=320&height=323&name=image%20(5).png "board game Carcassonne displayed")
5/20/2023
Review: Carcassonne: Expansion 10 - Under the Big Top
Publisher: Z-Man Games
Designer: Klaus-Jurgen Wrede
While at my Friendly Local Game Store (FLGS), I picked up this expansion to Carcassonne, the tile-placement game. The goal of the base game is to add tiles to a shared area and expand the map of the city. By claiming and adding tiles to build out your road, land, or city, you'll score points.
This expansion brings a circus to town. You gain extra points by stacking your meeples in a meeple-pyramid. Or you might gain points after revealing the face-down disks after the circus tent moves to the next part of the city.
I highly recommend the expansion. I think this will be in each game we play moving forward.
.png?width=320&height=321&name=image%20(6).png "board game Mint Cooperative displayed")
5/13/2023
Review: Mint Cooperative
Publisher: Five24 Labs
Designers: Jonathan Gilmour and Brian Lewis
#AreaMovement
#CoOp
#DiceRolling
#VariablePlayerPowers
This is a game where you'll add mints to the freshness track of the different cities and try and, as superheroes, resolve all the mayhem in the cities before the panic reaches level 27! After rolling the dice, use the reference card to execute the designated action. You might be removing panic, adding freshness, using your superhero stunt, or some other option.
This game was a tough one for us to beat. We failed more than won and if you like a challenge in a tiny tin, this game is for you.
.png?width=320&height=161&name=image%20(7).png "board game Next Station London displayed")
5/6/2023
Publisher: Blue Orange Games
Designer: Matthew Dunstan
#FlipandWrite
#LineDrawing
#RouteBuilding
#PaperandPencil
This game is about designing routes to visit different sights around London with specific instructions set by the city. During a round, you'll use one of the provided colored pencils (blue, green, purple, or pink) as cards are revealed to create a route in a continuous line. Visit different terminals, sites, or go under the Thames to gather as many points as possible. After 5 "station" cards within the deck are revealed, the round is scored. Cards are shuffled again and each player will select a different colored pencil to create a new route around London based on the same set of cards. After 4 rounds, the highest score wins.
I love flip-and-writes and this is a fun game. One thing to watch for is that the pencils were not the best quality. No erasers and it was hard to see the green unless you tried very hard to make a really bold line. I would buy my own set of colored pencils next time.
.png?width=320&height=160&name=image%20(10).png "board game Prosperitea displayed")
5/4/2023
Review: Prosperitea
Publisher: Mentha Designs
Designer: Al Gonzalez III
This is a truly lovely game about collecting ingredients to fulfill tea orders and gain points. We also have the opportunity to gain tokens by helping each other build their recipes. Besides really us loving the game, what impressed me was the care and concern that Al demonstrated in keeping Kickstarter communication continuous and the love he showed in how he packaged the game.
This game is a gem and a must in our collection.
.png?width=320&height=156&name=image%20(8).png "board game Wonderland's War displayed")
.png?width=320&height=160&name=image%20(9).png "board game Wonderland's War close up displayed")
5/3/2023
Review: Wonderland's War
Publisher: Druid City Games
Designers: Tim Eisner, Ben Eisner, and Ian Moss
#AreaMajority
#BagBuilding
#DiceRolling
#PushYourLuck
#VariablePlayerPowers
I'm a big fan of Alice in Wonderland so when I heard about this game I had to try it. The goal of the game is to gain the most points by controlling areas in Wonderland and completing quests.
The game is created in 2 parts:
Part 1: Join the Mad Tea Party and move around the table to acquire meeple warriors, Wonderland characters to fight for you, or chips you will draw out of your bag that will give you certain abilities to add strength to your army. Along the way you may be rolling the die to gain insanity shards which result in negative points.
Part 2: Draw chips out of your bag that will give you certain abilities such as gaining levels on a track or gain insanity and lose meeples. At any point you can hold your position and hope that someone else busts and loses all their control in an area giving you an edge to win that battle.
The game has a lot of parts to it and it took us a while to get the game play down (usually we need to play twice before we remember how the game goes (you did get handy player aids and a genius flow chart for those linear thinkers). Love the art and the variable player powers you control. The only thing I wish was that the board would be a bit smaller--warning--it is a table hog and it's worth it!).
.png?width=320&height=317&name=image%20(11).png "Board game Hack & Slash displayed")
5/1/2023
Review: Hack & Slash
Publisher: Steve Jackson Games
Designers: Samuel Mitschke and Philip Reed
This is a light game where you'll commit a group of adventurers (your meeples) and roll dice equal to the number of adventures on that quest to see if you achieve your target and gain points (and/or an extra adventurer(). If you fail the quest, you lose your adventurer(s). You can commit additional adventurer(s) to reroll your die/dice and "save" your adventurers. Play continues until one of the players is out of adventurers then total up your points to determine the winner.
The game is very quick and luck based--great way to even a playing field with new gamers or kids.
.png?width=320&height=318&name=image%20(12).png "board game Deadly Doodles displayed")
4/30/2023
Review: Deadly Doodles
Published by Steve Jackson Games
This is a fun and easy game for 1-4 players. Flip cards and connect monsters, weapons, and exit doors on your individual play sheet to score points. All the hack-n-slash of a dungeon crawl without the heavy rules. Takes about 15 minutes to play.
.png?width=320&height=320&name=image%20(13).png "board game Paint the Roses displayed")
3/25/2023
Review: Paint the Roses
Designer: Ben Goldman
Publisher: NorthStar Game Studio
#CoOp
#Deducuction
#HexagonGrid
#LimitedCommunication
#TilePlacement
In this beautiful game of deduction, we try to stay ahead of the Red Queen as she chases around the scoreboard on the perimeter of her rose garden. Each time our Gardener markers pass a white rabbit, the Queen speeds up.
Using cards that have colors of roses and/or bushes in the shapes of card suits, players will select tiles and place them in the garden to create patterns to match what is on the card. Using cubes to signify to the other player how many attributes are similar, the player helps the other players try and figure out what is on that card. (Example: I might have red rose and a yellow rose and will select a tile with a red rose and put in the garden next to 3 yellow roses--3 matches of my card = 3 cubes as a hint to other players).
We found examining what was selected and where the tile was placed is as important as seeing what was NOT selected and what was NOT selected for a tile location. Love, love, love this game.
.png?width=320&height=159&name=image%20(14).png "board game Pandemic displayed")
3/19/2023
Review: Pandemic