What Is A TCG?

A TCG, trading card game, is a game, like any other. The difference is that TCG’s have randomized packs of cards, often with different rarities. You’ve likely heard of two main ones with Magic the Gathering and Pokemon. Now you can also buy pre-made decks for the sets that come out, often for these, but they are going to be more vanilla versus the cards you can get in packs.

These games also generally have another element in common besides the distribution method. And that is that you play with a deck of cards. As I mentioned, you can play with a pre-built deck of cards. These often come in starter boxes for these games. Or you can build your own. And that is where it starts to get into it for some people, but we’ll talk about it.

Why People Avoid a TCG

There are few main reasons that people avoid a TCG. And I think some of them is kind of valid. One is kind of ridiculous because it’s not about the game itself. It’s about the methodology in which game is released. These games are released in sets and some versions of how you play, mainly in tournaments, care about when the cards are from, and the better cards and rarer cards become very expensive for the best decks.

This reason is dumb because no one is making you play the game that way. You can play any of the games casually. And you don’t need the expensive cards for that. As long as your group has a mindset of how they want to play, these games can be reasonable.

Now, it is important to know yourself and your groups tendencies. Is someone going to go all in on the game? Then a TCG is going to be a massive money sink and you’ll get an imbalance in the play groups. So know that before you dive in, but that’s a person issue, not a reason to avoid the game.

Better Reasons

There are better reasons to avoid the game. Though, the player reason of resources and group experience balance is a very valid reason to avoid it. Though, I’ll remind everyone again that this is a player issue, not a game issue. So don’t blame Pokemon for releasing too many sets, you don’t need to keep up.

Another reason is that they tend to have take that elements to the game. In Magic the Gathering, the blue cards often counter what your opponent is going to do. So that confrontational and negative interaction space might not work for your group. Granted, there are some other TCG that are out there which might work better because they don’t have. They also tend to be fighting games where you are either attacking the other player(s) or their creatures/characters.

Deckbuilding is hard. Now, I think that this is a valid reason if you have a group that is into that. Even if the power levels and money being spent are very tame, if you run a pre-built deck versus a cheaply built deck that someone has built, it’s probably going to be weaker. But let’s talk about deckbuilding more later on.

Why You Should Still Play

Are there reasons to play these games? I think that a good TCG is still fun to play and there are certainly good reasons.

The first one I can think of is that they offer such a variety of play and experience for the players. Are the games generally all head to head or attack another player, yes. But how you do that can really be tailored to what you like in a game. And with that comes a level of creativity that you can build your deck with. Even if you don’t want to build a deck, almost all of the companies who make a TCG offer you decks that you can just buy to play.

And like I said, I wanted to talk about the deckbuilding aspect of the game. Yes, it is not going to be for everyone as I’ve mentioned before. But when you get into it, I think that it’s a great way to stretch yourself and grow your ability to think logically. You need to puzzle out a deck and determine what is going to make that deck work and what cards make a sense to put in there. Either cards that you buy or cards that you already own. And I think that’s a good skill in general for people to have in life. So this is a fun way to get it.

Also, there is a theme for everyone. You want to play sci-fi, superhero, fantasy, gothic, etc. You can do all of that, and that is just in Magic the Gathering. Other games often give you a more specific theme, but we’ll talk about that and maybe which ones you want to try.

Which One Should You Play?

So, let’s just jump into that. What games should you play? I think that there are a lot of good ones. But it’s all going to depend on who you are as a gamer. And, in the rare care, if you want to play solo/cooperatively.

Magic the Gathering

Magic the Gathering is a great one to jump into if you want a game with a ton of different themes in a single system. You want to play Marvel, you can do that. You want to play Lord of the Rings or Final Fantasy or Doctor Who, you can do that. Or if you just want to play in their own world that is certainly an option as well.

But beyond the theming, it’s one that has the best support for playing in almost any area. You are most apt to find people to play it with and who play at different levels or different types of Magic the Gathering. And that should be mentioned, Magic itself supports almost any way you want to play.

Magic the Gathering is also the one that has the biggest variety in how you can play. Decks are going to feel very different across the different colors and factions. The downside is that if you get into it, there is so much coming out it’s going to feel very overwhelming.

Pokemon

I think that Pokemon is a great game if you are going to play with a younger audience. The decks are simpler, and the video games and TV shows clearly market it to that broader audience. You will be able to teach the game to younger players faster because they don’t need to know as much and deck construction itself is going to be easier, though, it’s going to offer less variety.

And that’s kind of the downside. But this game does have another downside. And this is where the model of how these games are released does impact the game. Pokemon is highly collectible. And that means that it’s very hard to find with lots of scalpers in the space. So it’s not as cheap and easy to play as it should be if you just want to buy packs.

One Piece

One Piece is probably going to be the most niche theme of all the ones with just one theme that I talk about. But I think the game play itself is very welcoming in how it works. Yes, you do attack and everything, but it does what Pokemon does in that it gives you prize cards. These are just cards from your deck that are set aside randomly. But it means that you are knocking down your opponents boss.

The complexity of the game play is also more in line with Pokemon. Now, there is more going on, there are cards that interrupt what your opponent is doing. So there is more challenge there. But it does what the next two games do well which is you can’t always play everything, in Pokemon you kind of can, but you are always getting what you need to play more.

Star Wars: Unlimited

Now, if you like Star Wars, this is going to be the one to go with. But it’s also the one that I’d recommend the most. It’s that balance of interesting deck building and being able to lean into synergies, without diving all the way into the volume and complexity of Magic the Gathering.

In this game it also removes that one element of timing that you get in the One Piece TCG and Magic the Gathering. You don’t interrupt what your opponent is doing. In fact you take an action, which can be playing a card or activating an ability or attacking and then your opponent goes. No blocking, not turns taking a long time. This one balances that deckbuilding fun and then fast game play.

Lorcana

Finally is Lorcana which is for the Disney fans. This one is more complex than Pokemon, but not too complex, I’d say easier than One Piece or Star Wars Unlimited. For that reason it wasn’t for me, but it is for a lot of people and the theme is the most welcoming out of any of them. And an element I didn’t talk about, the communities for these games, this one is probably the most welcoming.

And some of that is because this is a game that kids are able to play, easily, though a lot of them aren’t that hard to play. But it’s also the least “violent” one. This one you are going for a goal instead of trying to knock down your opponents life/base/characters as much. Yes, that is still part of the game, but it’s not the whole game.

Do you play any of these, if so which is your favorite TCG?

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June Part 2

The Dwarf King

The Dwarf King is my type of game because it’s a trick-taking game. And it’s a good trick-taking game in that it does a little in terms of changing things up, but not too much. There is a special rule that might cost players points for taking certain tricks or cards. There are others that give you points if you win the last tricks or certain colors of cards. It’s not complex, but that little bit changing up each round works well for me.

Hegemony of Faith

Do you like big games and rock paper scissors, that’s kind of what this game is. You all play as different cults and are trying to be the one with most followers after the follower deck runs out. But the issue is that the deck doesn’t run out quickly, it just kind of putzes along and sometimes on a turn none even come out. Plus you can make others convert to you and work on a team, which I did with two of the other three players.

I think there are some interesting ideas in the game but the theme is not great. It’s done just to be edgy and dark and doesn’t really add anything. And the game is simply twice as long as it should be for what is basically rock paper scissors.

Cozy Stickerville

You inherit some land and you can build a village there. That’s the idea for this cooperative game. I call it a game because you do make some choices in it, but it’s more of an experience. How do you want it all to come together is the big question. It offers pretty simple choices and actions that you do on your turn, but it’s a fun time for what it is. And it’s one that really works well with a lot of people and ages. I’m playing through it with my wife and kid and while the kid complained they were also invested in it.

Iron Forest

Iron Forest is an iteration on Ice Cool. I say Iteration because it is still a flicking game with the nesting boxes. But it’s much much larger and you play missions instead of just the normal cat and mouse flicking. But that is an element to it as well. I really like how it works and it’s a fun two player playing of the game. Which I think that Ice Cool is okay at two, each controlling two penguins, but it’s not as good as this is.

Just Desseerts

Just Desserts is just a lucky game. You are trying to complete desserts based off of the ingredients that you have collected. But you might not be able to collect the ingredients that you want. Or the recipes that come out might not have ingredients. This game is mainly going to make you hungry instead of thinking, this is a good game.

Collect

Collect is a game that I hoped I’d find to be a fun filler. But it’s a game where it’s really lucky again. You draw blindly from two decks and add the card into your row. You want to either get cards of each type, in which case you win the round, or some cards have other goals. Because it is so lucky it’s probably better in person when it’s real time and really fast. But also, I thought it was okay at best so I don’t need to buy it to try it in person.

Lovecraft Letter

Love Letter, but with Lovecraftian themes and some twists on it. I think that it’s a solid game. It adds to what base Love Letter does and I’ve come to believe that is not a great thing for the game. I like how simple Love Letter is and how easy it is to play. Lovecraft Letter isn’t super hard to play, but in comparison it’s just not as much fun.

Pentaquest

Meh as a board game. Or I should say dice game. You are rolling dice, Yahtzee style, and trying to defeat monsters. When you defeat a monster it gives you an ability to use. But if you use the ability, it’ll cost you on an potential tie-breaker. Yes, the powers are nice in the game on the cards. I think that makes it more interesting, but it’s still basically Yahtzee and if you roll worse and have to use more cards powers, even if you tie, you lose, just because of luck.

Top 5 New Games from June

5. Cozy Stickerville

This one I like a lot because it’s a cozy game that feels cozy. But you also just have fun decisions to make. Most of them are pretty straight forward branching choices. Do I want the sawmill or a tinkerer? But when you pick one it locks off the other, so there is a bit of replayability there. And even if there wasn’t it’s just fun to have a game like this to play with my family.

4. Dice Throne: Vanguard

More Dice Throne. I write about it a lot already, so this is more of a thing that I already love. It’s not as good as some, otherwise it’d probably be #1, but it’s still a ton of fun. And if you want to play Battle Yahtzee, but with more going on than just that, this is a decent spot to jump in, though there are other sets I’d recommend before it.

3. FlipToons Season 2

Like Dice Throne this is just more of a game that I already like. FlipToons has great artwork and simple game play that I just find to be a fun time. It’s also a pretty friendly and easy to get into game. There might be some new concepts to more casual gamers, but even those more casual gamers have picked it up quickly when I’ve played.

2. The Dwarf King

I don’t think a surprise that a trick-taking game made the list. The Dwarf King is what I look for in this type of game. While I find Cat in the Box to be a fun trick-taking game, there is a lot going on. The Dwarf King is something I can sit down and teach to people who play trick-taking games in a couple of minutes.

1. Bunny Kingdom Town

Finally the one that I’ve bought because I played it. I guess the same could be true for FlipToons Season 2. But I knew that I liked that game already. When it comes to Bunny Kingdom I wasn’t sure if I’d like it. And the same with Bunny Kingdom Towns. But this two player game is a lot of fun, and I like how you play on the same board as the other player. You can get in each others ways and it’s just a nice, fast, two player game.

It reminds me a bit of a game like Overboss Duel. Where that one is a mean game though, this one generally wants you to play it in a more friendly manner. And I think that works really well with a cute bunny theme.

Which of these new to me games in June is the most interesting to you?

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June New To Me Games (Part 1)

Fugitive

Fugitive is a pretty fun game of cat and mouse. One person is the fugitive, the other is the law. The fugitive player plays out cards to try and get from 1 to, I believe, 42. But they can only go so far, at least go so far without playing extra cards. The playing of the extra cards gives the law player an idea of what number they might be on. The law then guesses a or several numbers to see if they are right. But if you guess several you need to get all of them right. It’s simple, it’s fast, and it’s decent in terms of that cat and mouse. I think I’d like it better in person.

Bunny Kingdom Town

This is one of the games that I now own. Or I should say I will own, I have a copy waiting for me, this and Bunny Kingdom, at a local game store, just need to swing in and get it. Bunny Kingdom is great at more than 2, and Bunny Kingdom Town is the two player version. I like how simple it is, drafting tiles and placing them. But there is also good strategy as you try and smartly build out your town to get a large group and trigger the best point scoring options that you can.

Dice Throne: Vanguard

I love Dice Throne so I know I’m going to like these characters and I do. But after having played it twice, I’m not sure that the Vanguard characters are going to be my favorite. They do some very interesting things and offer fun puzzles to them. But mechanically I’m not sure that they are my favorite. The Forgemaster, for example, forges armor and that upgrades their defense and what they do each time attacked. But it’s at the cost of some other upgrades in the deck, so that’s fun, just not as fun as I had hoped.

YRO

This was a cool battling game that I was pretty impressed by. I’m not sure I’m going to pick it up, but I liked how it worked. You faced off against your opponents but as you did that, you get points for beating them and for how you have your team set-up. And then you keep on adding to your team, though you might lose some in the fight. I like it on BGA because it’s doing some of the bookkeeping for you. In person, I think I’d get it quickly, but it’d be a bit more of a learning curve.

Tinners’ Trail

Tinners’ Trail is an interesting resource selling game. You’re bidding on mines, mining them, and adding upgrades to them in an attempt to sell at the right time and get the most money and points. The BGA implementation is very solid for it, though I messed up on one part because it’s not very visually obvious. But I like how the game works, it’s not too complex, but there are good moments where you try and get your opponent to bid something up more, but that might mean you get stuck with it. One I want to play more.

P.I.

This is a game that should be better in person. Mainly because it’s a deduction game of trying to solve several cases and you need to guess right fastest to get the most points, but if you guess wrong you are losing points. The downside to this game is that it’s kind of long, at least on BGA. And the game doesn’t change from round to round, you just do the same thing three times. I think it’d be better in person, but it’s not a super dynamic deduction game.

Verdant

Verdant is the third game in the line of Calico and Cascadia. It’s another tile laying, those this time cards as tiles where you are trying to get your house plants in the right spot. It’s fun, but I like the others better. It is kind of in between how restrictive and tight Calico can feel, which I love that feeling. And how friendly and welcoming Cascadia is. For that reason, while it’s a lot of fun, I think that I don’t want it for my collection like I do with the other two.

The Bloody Inn

The Bloody Inn is a game with a great theme. You are running and Inn trying to make the most money you can, but sometimes the easiest way to do that is kill off your guest and bury them. Of course you need space to do that. It’s one that I have been wanting to play for a long time. And I’ll say, it feels like there is more going on than expected. But it was also my first time playing it, so I’m pretty sure I didn’t optimize my strategy at all. I want to try it in person just so I can spend more time with it and not have as much time between turns.

Taluva

Taluva is a game that I’d never have checked out myself, but because someone wanted to learn it I did. And I thought it was pretty fun. You are placing out tiles and layering them to try and get your temples, towers, and tribe played out faster than the other players. But you can only play out some of those fancier buildings if they are in the right configuration and on the right level. It’s not one that I strongly want to come back to, but it’s a fun puzzle as you play.

FlipToons Season 2

Finally for this section is a game that I really love in FlipToons and the second season of it. That just means that there are more cards and you need to figure out what combos work best with those. I almost didn’t put it on the list just because it’s more of the same thing to play. But like Dice Throne Vanguard, it is it’s own stand alone thing. You don’t need to play it with the original game, though you can and that is going to be fun to mix and match and see how different combos work.

That’s it for this part of June. I have more games to talk about as well which I’ll do tomorrow. Is there one of these games that you really want to try?

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I’m going to be fairly loose with the definition of what of a kids game is. I say that because Spot It! is a kids game and I have it rated fairly lowly, but it’s also an easy game to play with no gamers. So it could maybe be on the list, but it isn’t. Final caveat, I’m skipping the mass market games as well that could make the list.

5 Lowest Rated Games I Own

5. Lucky Numbers

This one is a fine little game of selecting a number at random and seeing if you can build up your grid. Your goal is to get a grid where it goes from high to low in both columns and rows. It reminds me a lot of Rack-o, but with little clovers instead. This is a fun little game, not one that I love, but one that works well for very casual groups because of that Rack-o feel.

I basically gave away why it is staying in my collection, at least for now. It’s so simple to teach and play that it works well with family groups. I will say the solo mode for the game sucks, it’s basically a puzzle mode and a completely different game. I played it on Malts and Meeples, so you can checkout that video to see what that is like below.

Grade On BGG: 6.5 Solo: 2

4. Quiddler

This one is kind of a mass market game. I say kind of because yes you can buy it at Target. But not that many people do. Quiddler is a word game where you are drawing a certain number of cards and trying to make your best word. Then you draw more cards the next round. It kind of has that Kings Crown or Phase 10 vibes to it, but a word game.

I keep this one because it is a word game and there aren’t that many word games. Now, I own First Class Letters, so that might cause the game to leave my collection as I own a word game I like better. But that one is different and has a time pressure on it.

3. Ito

This game is just a meh party game for me. Mainly because it feels too jankey in what it does. It’s a game with only a little bit of structure as you try and put cards in numerical order blindly. It’s not blindly but you are giving your clue of how good or bad something is based off of the number. And everyone’s scale is different. It’s an icebreaker game that kind of expects you to know the people some.

So why is it staying, it stays because my group likes it. And while it has more of that activity/icebreaker vibe to it, I don’t dislike it enough to not have it in my collection. For games that I really hate, they leave even if others like them.

Grade on BGG: 6

2. Lure

Lure from Allplay is one of their little square box games. This one is a fishing game where you are rolling dice and trying to catch the fish that are swimming by. The game is really simple and while it’s not a bad game because of that, it’s just not that exciting when it comes to games.

This one sticks around because I like having these little square boxes from Allplay. I realized that there are a couple that I need to order or get back just so I can have them all. That’s a dumb reason to keep them, and I’ll probably get rid of more of them as time goes on, but right now I enjoy having them.

Grade on BGG: 6

1. Sword Art Online Board Game: Sword of Fellows

This is kind of a Yahtzee style game where you are rolling to defeat boss monsters. As you defeat them and go up levels you unlock new powers. You also get to switch like they do in Sword Art Online so that is a way to avoid enemy attacks. But the rules on this game are not that clearly written. And the combat is really lucky.

So why is this one staying my collection, and what did I rate it? It’s staying in my collection because I love Sword Art Online and there is no other SAO game out there. I wish there was a good one or a big campaign one where you play in that death game. But there’s not, so this one sticks around because of that.

Grade on BGG: 5

Do you have a game or games that you own that you don’t love?

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5 Games That I Want To Start Streaming

5. Too Many Bones

I own so much Too Many Bones, and I like the game so much. For that reason, it’s one of those games that I want to stream. The tricky part with streaming Too Many Bones is that it’s not a sit down and stream a whole session in one night and have an easy saving point. Now, the simple way around that is to use the recessed part of the table.

The other thing that is keeping me from doing it is that I need to refresh myself on the rules. I remember them generally, but generally might not be enough to really get me started on the game. If I could just pull it out and starting playing the game, that would be one thing.

4. 20 Strong

The next one on the list is another Chip Theory Games game, I could have gone with four games from Chip Theory that I want to get played. 20 Strong, though is a smaller game to put on the list. And that is nice because it means that it’s going to be easier to get to the table.

The question with 20 Strong is where do I dive into the game at? There are four different options for me to jump in at with Chip Theory Games’ own IPs and then the one made for it with Solar Sentinels and the one that came after Tanglewood. I haven’t heard the best things about Tanglewood, but it’s also the theme that is going to be the most interesting for me at least off the bat.

3. Motor City/French Quarter

Now for another two small ones, so yes, there are 6 games on the list. But these two are kind of a pair, and I could even add in a third. I have played two roll and write games by this team/company with Fleet the Dice Games, which I believe that I streamed, and then Three Sisters. I really like both of those games, not sure which I like better.

So two more games in that line. Motor City I’ve heard okay things about. It’s a car game where you are building up your muscle car, I think and kind of going through the whole process of construction and everything to get the best car. Then the other one is about the French Quarter. Honestly, I have little to no idea as to how that one plays, but it’s from the same group so I’m interested.

2. Dragon Eclipse

Now we’re back to a huge box of a game with Dragon Eclipse. Honestly, it and the Trove Chest for Too Many Bones are about the same size. But Dragon Eclipse is going to be a game where you are taming dragons, kind of Pokémon style and they taking them out so that they are fighting for you.

This game is huge but mainly huge because I have all the dragon minis. And there is a little story and campaign that you can do as well as play against other players. But I’d be doing this as a solo game and I really want to give it a try. I played a version of it on BGA and I thought it was okay. I think it’s going to be better in person and non-PVP. And while I haven’t played it in a while, I like Dragon Eclipse a lot as a video game

1. Witchbound

Finally is Witchbound. This game I really want to play. I think it’ll be the first one I got with for multiple reasons. The first reason being how simple it is to get to the table. And it is easy to take out and put back away. And it’s an easy game to learn. While all the other games on the list I’d need to spend more time with the rules, this one it’ll be some rules learning and refreshing but fast to the table.

The other reason is the theme and some of it is the anime I’ve been watching. A girl learning that she has magical powers and become a witch, that’s awesome. I want to see how the story unfolds because I only got a little taste of this cute world. Plus I’m watching Witch Hat Atelier right now as it’s coming out and that has the same vibes.

Which of these games so you think I should try first?

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New Board Games to the Collection

The Networks

The Networks and the one below were impulse purchases. Now, I normally don’t do impulse purchases anymore, but it was at a local game store which is only online now. And I had another game I had preordered from them and some used games I was trading in.

The Networks is a game that I’ve been wanting to play for a while. It’s a game about building up your best television network, and I think that sounds fun. It is also going to be silly because of the shows that you create. I also like that the game is over time. What I mean by that, you play and launch a new show. But over time that show is going to draw in less money. So you sunset that show as launch others instead all to make the most money/points.

Misfit Heroes

Misfit Heroes is the other one that I picked up. This is a game of card creation as you create wild heroes who then are going to go on missions, so to speak. I don’t think it’s really a mission, more that they are creating some powers and combinations that are going to give you points. I call it card creation, probably more card crafting.

Is it going to be a great game for me? I think it’s probably going to be one that I find fun. But when I’m looking at games, it definitely drew me in as a lighter game and one that is going to be more appealing to some folks I play with.

Fortunes of Scoundrel Bay

Now, this is the game that I was going to pick up when I ordered Misfit Heroes and The Networks. Fortunes of Scoundrel Bay is from Chili Fox games as company that I tend to enjoy this games, at least the ones that I’ve played. And I like pirate themed games as well.

This is a bigger game than some of theirs that I’ve played. But it seems very cool with a detailed map that is a track which you work your way up. And you are upgrading your pirate ship and crew as you go. Overall just seems like a theme that I like.

Stardriven Gateway

Honestly, I’d forgotten that I’d backed Stardriven Gateway. Now getting it shipped out to me wasn’t a disappointment though. When I got to play it at Gen Con I had a really fun time with it. It’s an interesting game of space exploration, completing missions, and fighting off enemies. But it’s not just a big space game, there is more to it.

And that element of more is what I would say caused me to back the game. You have all these different ship actions and you have crew. You spend the crew into the actions to do them. But if you match up actions with the right crew they are going to do better and more for you. That management and when you reset your ship and crew board are really fun.

Witchbound

Witchbound is one that I got to preview for the crowdfunding campaign. Now, I don’t back all of the games that I crowdfund. I, for example, got to preview Chronofiends and while I had fun with it, it wasn’t going to displace other games in my collection. But Witchbound is a solo point and click, for lack of a better way of describing it, adventure game. You are a new witch in a land that hasn’t had witches for a while.

This game has a lot going for it. Simplicity and solo play are two of the big ones. That doesn’t mean that it’s an easy game, but it means that as you jump into it, there isn’t a big lift to learn and play it. Plus the artwork on the game is amazing.

Tend

Tend is a game that I almost regret buying. I say that because I haven’t gotten it to the table and I’m not sure when I will. I like my roll and write games and Tend if a big one of those. That is why it hasn’t gotten played. I really thi9nk that I’m going to like it a lot when I do play it, but when will that be. I already have other big roll and write games to play. Maybe that’ll be a goal of mine over the next month or two to get some of those played.

This is also a roll and write game where you just have a lot of options as to what you can do. You can tend, hence the game’s name. But you can mine, log, fish and more in this game. Do you need to do everything, maybe, but I think you can specialize some in what you can do as well.

Shards of Creation

One of two trick-taking games on the list. I love trick-taking, which I know everyone doesn’t. But Shards of Creation kind of came out of nowhere for me. I think I’d heard of the announcement for it, but then it was just there to order a while later. I hadn’t heard any hype or build up for it.

There are two reasons why I bought this game. The first is the mentioned above, I like trick-taking games. But the other is that it’s based off of Brandon Sanderson’s works, The Stormlight Archives. And I love that series. So I’m excited to get that one to the table and see what it is like. I need to find a group of trick-taking loving friends and get together and just play those games.

Azul

Azul is a classic game at this point, but I hadn’t played it until this year. I bought it because I like it a lot on BGA. And I think it’s one that a lot of folks I play with will like. The game play is simple though offers really fun choices. And it’s a game that you can play in kind of a mean way, trying to stick you opponent with negative points. Or you can play in a nicer way and be really focused on your getting points. You probably do both, but I like that for the game.

Origin Story

Origin Story is the other trick-taking game on the list. The obvious reason for backing this one is that I love trick-taking games. I guess not backing, pre-ordering it. It is here now so it counts for the list. But the second reason is that this is a super hero themed game. It is your origin story as a hero.

And as you play through hands in this game you level up as a hero. You start to develop that origin story and get your own unique powers. But it isn’t something where you get so many powers and it bogs down the game. Instead, you have to spend to use them and you only get a few. So you need to be smart about when you use your powers.

Horrified: Dungeons and Dragons

Final game on the list and I know I’m missing some, we have Horrified. Now I went with the Dungeons and Dragons version because I love Dungeons and Dragons. Horrified is a cooperative game where you need to complete various missions before the game beats you. They have it with Universal monsters but also then Greek Mythology and Dungeons and Dragons.

The one really cool element of the game is how you scale difficulty. So while you’re trying to complete these things against the various monsters, it might be getting the bride of and Frankenstein’s monster to the same location in the base game you decide how many of these missions you want to do. The more you do, the harder it gets. Which I think will be fun to try at different difficulties, and scale well depending on group.

Which of these games do I need to play first?

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Almost Backed Crowdfunding Games

War of the Dragon: Wheel of Time

The reason why I almost backed this one is really easy. I really like Wheel of Time as a series. I need to go back through it sometime soon. And the game looks interesting. Now, I will say, I saw the Dice Tower playthrough, or at least the partial playthrough, and I was less excited for it in terms of mechanisms.

But that is not what it is keeping my from backing War of the Dragon on crowdfunding. The game is primarily a two player game. I say primarily because they are adding a solo mode into the game. And it is a big and pretty intensive two player game. So I know that as much as I want the game I’m not going to get it to the table all that often.

Plus this crowdfunding campaign and game are being made by Dire Wolf, who did games like Clank, and I expect it to come to retail. If it does and I see that the solo version will work well for me, I can pick it up then.

Slay the Spire: Downfall

More the Slay the Spire, how do I not back it? The reason I didn’t back it is that I only play the base game so often. I do have a game of it going right now. But when I looked at the cost of that crowdfunding campaign and I considered how likely I am to get to that, I’m not sure it is the right one for me. I think I might get it later, but we will see.

If you aren’t familiar with Slay the Spire, if it is a rogue-like deck builder. That means that you take a character through a climb of the spire, die, and then try again. But as you play you unlock more things. The board game is like the video game in that way and both are great. But I still have a lot to unlock in the base game. Yes, I know what it coming, but it’s still a fun time.

20 Strong: Nemesis, Tainted Grail and Etherfields

Chip Theory Games combining with Awaken Realms to use Awaken Realms IP on a Chip Theory Games game is interesting. And I own the Tanglewood stuff and the original stuff for 20 Strong. But I know I don’t need more of this game. Why is that, I have yet to play the game. I think I am going to like it a lot. But until I play it, I don’t know that. And I certainly don’t need more of it.

But this is a solo dice driven game. Each of the themes, whether it’s Tanglewood or Solar Sentinels or Too Many Bones is going to be unique to that deck. So it gives a bit of a plug and play feel for the game. You need the core box and then you can swap in the setting/theme that you want to go with. And they are going to play a little bit differently. It reminds me of Final Girl in that way where it has that plug and play aspect.

All of that to say, though, I am getting better at not getting everything for games that I haven’t played.

Mythwind Herbalist and Shepherd Expansions

Firstly, another game that I already down stuff for. And it is a game that I’ve played and I like. But I like it and I haven’t played everything in the game. So while each new character is a new puzzle, I don’t need it all. If I want it later, I likely can get it. But when it comes to this game, there is a lot just in the base box, plus the extra that I already own.

If you’re not familiar with the game, checkout my video below.

Final Thoughts

These are just some of the games that I passed on backing. I wish that I could back all of these crowdfunding games. But there are just too many crowdfunding games out there, and that’s even with it having slowed down. Is there a crowdfunding game that you wish you could have backed? Let me know what that game is in the comment section below.

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Crowdfunding Games I’ve Backed in The First Half of 2026

Dungeon Crawler Carl Unstoppable

This one caught my eye for two major reasons. First is the theme. I’m going to write an article coming up here on Dungeon Crawler Carl but I love the series, at least what I’ve read of it thus far. If you are not familiar, Dungeon Crawler Carl (DCC) is LitRPG where Earth becomes a dungeon crawl through crazy circumstances. As they say as a tagline: “The Apocalypse will be televised.”

The other thing about this one that made me want to back the crowdfunding game is the game it is based on. Before this came to crowdfunding I knew about Unstoppable. This solo game, now two players, that people were really liking. I considered just buying that, but with the theme, I knew I wanted to get this version and see what it’s like.

Jisogi: Anime Studio Tycoon

Jisogi is another crowdfunding campaign that drew me in because of theme. Now I’ll say that this is the second campaign for this game which helped as well. That helped because I knew people who had played the game. And while it sounds like a very crunchy and in depth euro style game, it does have a good theme.

The theme, as the name says, is running an anime studio. And I love my anime. You know that because I can rank all of them that I’ve watched. But now I get a chance to run a studio and turn my tired overworked employees into happy workers.

Aeon’s End: System Overload

Is this campaign just more Aeon’s End, yes it is. Did I back the one last year that gives me even more that just delivered, yes I did. Do I own all of Aeon’s End, probably missing a few promo cards. But I love Aeon’s End. I got to play it twice again recently and it’s just a good time. I like how the deck building works and the battles. Just everything with the different mages and nemesis and market make the game feel unique each time.

The real question is, do I need more of this game. No, I do not. I don’t know when I’m getting to the next Legacy campaign of it. I might stream that as I figure out streaming schedule. But overall, I love this game so I knew I wanted more.

Lands of Evershade Expansions

This is why I pledge for more Lands of Evershade:

But beyond that, let’s talk about what drew me into this one originally. This is a big box game from Awaken Realms and I love Awaken Realms games. But in this one, you are playing a story driven dungeon crawl RPG of a board game. And that combination works well for me. In the playthrough you can see how much story there is, and I’m excited to dig into that.

While the story is likely going to have you end up in the same chapters, in some ways, how you get there is going to be different. And just the in depth nature of the game and simple but not simplistic combat seems like a great game for me.

Hell of a Deal

And finally, one more video, to really highlight why I backed this game on crowdfunding:

This game just looks like a lot of fun. I already like games like Balatro on the computer that offers a twist on poker. And then I own board games that I really like such as Ace of Spades and The Gang that are cooperative poker as well. Hell of a Deal, though, seems to do more and offer more game to it than some of the other ones do. The other ones are just poker with a little twist, this one has a big twist to it.

I really like the sounds of the powers in the game. And I like how you can make deals with the devil to win or get advantages, but it’s costing you some as well. One last cool thing is that this game is going to be delivering soon. It is really more of a pre-order than a true crowdfunding campaign, though it was on Kickstarter. So I can’t wait to get my hands on it and try it. They did have a setback in terms of production recently, but nothing major.

Which of these games would you be most excited to play?

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5 Big Box Games You Should Try

5. The Reckoners

Let’s start out with one that has an IP behind it, but not one that is massively well known. I find it a bit odd that it’s not better known because people know and love Brandon Sanderson. The Reckoners is his take on superheroes or I should say Epics. Epics, they all have amazing powers, but the powers always turn them evil. So you play as The Reckoners who are out to take down the Epics.

This is a very cooperative game with a Yahtzee like mechanism of rolling dice, saving some and then rerolling twice to get the actions that you want. You do all of that at the same time. Then also at the same time you spend your dice to research the weakness of these epics and do damage to them and take them out.

The huge challenge of the game is that they are wiping out the population and getting closer to finding your base. But you can’t just take out all the little epics you need to take out the city boss epic as well. And as far as you know there is no real way to do that, at least until you can figure out their weakness. So you need to be spending resources on that as well.

I like, also, in the game that you are building up your characters, spending money to get more cards that give you special powers that you can use. So as the game timers tick down further and further, you get closer to being able to win because you are more powerful.

4. Deranged

Now we move onto the least known of the games on the list. And this is a game that is one for all but can have a lot of people get close to winning.

The theme is the element I really want to hammer home on this game. In Deranged you are all cursed. And you only have until dawn to get rid of your curses and escape this town. If you fail to do that, you find yourself stuck there forever.

Of course, getting rid of a curse isn’t that easy. Now, it isn’t that hard, but you need to avoid the monsters. And when the clock strikes midnight, one or two are going to become deranged. That means that you turn into a monster. That isn’t game over for you. It is just a curse you need to take care by taking out another player. When they die, don’t worry, they come back but with another curse to get rid of.

This game is not the cleanest game when it comes to game play. I think that a second edition could streamline it. But, at the same time, I love the game. The theme is amazing and that bit of a jankey feel at times almost makes it feel more thematic. It definitely gives it more heart. So probably not for everyone, but should be for more.

3. Xenoshyft

The only good bug is a dead bug.

I love deck building games and Xenoshyft is a fun one where it’s a cooperative tower defense game against some bugs who are out to kick you off their planet. You just want their wonderful resources from the planet.

But this game does two things that I love in it. Firstly, depending on the level of bug you are facing, the game gives you money. The higher the level, wave, that you are facing the better the money. This means in terms of deck building that you can always buy something. Along with that, this is a bonus one, it let’s you trade in your lower totals for higher, for three ones for a three, to keep your deck lean.

The other element is how cooperative this game is. When you buy a card and are setting up your defense, you can give a card to another player. That is part of their deck now. So if I get a discount on armor, let’s say, I can give you armor if I have too much same with troops. Or when you are fighting your bugs on your side of the base, I can play grenades, healing, or drop in a paratrooper to help you. You truly work together in it and I love that.

2. Detective

Why haven’t more people played Detective: A Modern Crime Board Game?

This is a game that actually did pretty well when it came out. And the core box is amazing. Even the Batman box is a lot of fun. It’s cases that you solve between interviewing people, sweeping crime scenes, and putting information into the computer, and Googling things in real life. All in an attempt to actually crack the case.

Of course, there is a timer on it so you can only do so many actions and take so much time. And you don’t know for sure which leads to follow. So that is what drives the challenge of the game, because it is a tough game. And at the end of the case you need to answer questions on the case, which you might not have seen the answer to.

The story in the core box is great. The story in the Batman box is really good. And it’s such an experience of a game. Again, rough around the edges at points, but that is what makes it feel like a great crime and deduction game as you try and solve who done it.

1. Stars of Akarios

Finally is Stars of Akarios. And some of why this one is on the list is because it was Open Owl’s first game, or one of their first. And it is their first big campaign style game. Stars of Akarios is not without it’s wars but at the heart of the game it is amazing.

This is a game with three different elements as you play through a massive story. The first element and least popular is space exploration. This is pretty simple and mainly just fiddly. It doesn’t add much to the game.

The second part, and the part that is good but not the best part, is planetary exploration. This is kind of a puzzle of a map as you explore and you lay out cards for locations. Those locations are going to do unique things and offer story and interaction points. Often times they are going to give you missions and kick off more story as you go there. Or the planet itself might be the mission.

The third part is this amazing tactical space combat. It is such an interesting puzzle to figure out as you maneuver your ship, try and get off shots and flank your enemies while not being flanked yourself. There are times it’s an escort mission. The are other times it’s just survive long enough, or maybe it’s two groups of enemies that will fight each other and you.

The story is fun, and the game play is great.

Final Thoughts

I knew I wanted to get one campaign game on the list. And Stars of Akarios is probably the one that people have played the least or talk about the least. Mainly because there is that space exploration which is not that fun. But what other bigger box games do you think people should try? This category has so many and so many that are talked about.

Even as I look at some of my favorites like Dice Throne, Aeon’s End, and Lost Ruins of Arnak they are all well known. So it’s trickier, in some ways to come up with that great hidden gem, or at least I felt so. And that might be because these bigger games feel like more bang for their buck so more people pick them up.

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5 Medium Box Games You Should Try

5. Super Squad High

I’m going to be the champion of this game, I think. For me, it’s a fun game of playing a high schooler superheroes. And of course, that means you need to balance classes, wash your super suit, fight crime, and all try and keep a social life going. That’s a lot in the box but it works well.

It’s a game that also does a couple of different fun things. Firstly, there is this dating element that is really more of a deduction element. Because you need to figure out who is the villain. And it’s going to be one of your classmates. But it’s not going to be someone you romance, if I remember correctly, so you need to piece together the clues as to who that might be. And that is going to vary based off of how the classmates are set-up.

The other thing is this timed worker placement. It’s something that you see in Rock Hard 1977 as well. There are different phases of the day. So when it’s daytime, you’re at school and you take school actions. When it’s the evening you can go on dates. But at the same time, you need to be fighting crime. So it’s trying to balance all of that out and being limited in what you can do.

Another element I like is that it makes you study. If you don’t study, you start to do poorly in classes and now there’s more work to be done and it limits how you can interact with the other parts of the game.

So Super Squad High has a fun theme and a lot of fun in it’s mechanisms. It’s one of the games that I hope gets a second printing, but who knows as it’s a crowdfunding game.

4. Ancient Knowledge

I’m not sure how much Ancient Knowledge has really flown under the radar, but when it comes to engine building games, I don’t hear it talked about as much as I’d like. This one is is a game where you build up your civilization to grab point cards and generate points in different ways. But every bit of knowledge has a cost that you need to deal with. And you need to deal with it before it falls off your player board and into the past.

Now, the past is good because some of the scoring is based off of the cards you have in your past. But it also means that your engine is changing. Because the cards in your past aren’t part of that engine anymore, they aren’t going to give you powers.

And the other element I really like is the hand management. You can draw cards, spending them from the past, or other other mechanisms. But that’s one of your two actions. So when you draw cards you want it to be really strong and get you a good hand of cards. But sometimes you just run out of cards if you aren’t careful and now you need to just draw one card to try and get the engine working better.

3. Homebrewers

Homebrewers is another engine building game, I really like engine building. And this one is a theme that I love. I love brewing and drinking beer.

In this game you are homebrewers, someone who brews beer at home, who is trying to brew the beers that will win you points at Summerfest and Oktoberfest. You do this by following the actual steps of brewing beers and adding in interesting flavors and ingredients. These flavorings and ingredients are how you build up your engine. When you add them to a beer it’s going to do something, like give you money or raise the value of that beer you’re brewing faster, or one adjacent to it.

It’s not a complex game and it’s a friendly game in that you use dice to determine your actions but then you can trade dice. You might not end up with the actions you exactly want, but if the die rolls land that way, everyone can have a strong turn.

I don’t know why this one didn’t take off more. I think that the theme is fun, and one that people should find interesting. And the mechanisms aren’t too complex, so I think a lot of homebrewers could enjoy it as well. So it’s one that I’ll keep on talking about.

2. Astro Knights

This is probably the biggest name when it comes to games on the list. But it’s more so because Astro Knights is the follow-up to a game that I love Aeon’s End. I don’t think it’s quite as good as Aeon’s End, but it’s still really good and I’d probably teach Astro Knights first.

Now, while Aeon’s End is a bigger box game and kind of intimidating to get into because there is so much now, Astro Knights gives you a bit more streamlined experience. This is a boss battling deck building game. You are space heroes who are fighting against these crazy monsters and you do it by buying cards, prepping attacks and then on the next activation releasing those attacks against the boss or their minions.

I like that each hero you can play as a little bit different and has their own powers. And each boss is going to be different as well. The game is easier to teach as well and more variable because it doesn’t have a fixed market. I find that fixed markets often create this imbalance in s game between players, but that variable market helps it a lot. And the fact that this is a cooperative game.

1. Trailblazers

Finally on the list is Trailblazers. I think that this game has sold pretty well but it’s one that I wish more people would talk about because it’s such a fun time. In this game you draft cards, but those cards don’t score you points, at least not directly.

You draft your cards and then you use those cards to create different nature paths. Whether those paths be biking, hiking or kayaking. And you need to go from the starting spot, trailhead let’s call it, and get your route back to there. Now that doesn’t make sense for rivers and kayaking, I know, but it works well in the game.

One of the fun twists on the game is that you play it over four hands. Okay, that’s not the twist, the twist is that each of the first three hands you add in another type of path that you can do. So on the first play you play out one of your hiking, biking or kayaking trailheads. But you only get one out that first time. So you can build towards routes of the others but you can’t complete any then. The next round you play out another connecting it to your grid, and the third round the last of them.

This simple thing of adding what you can build out helps keep the game from feeling too heavy in terms of decision making. It also makes the game different for players. Yes, we could all start with hiking and go to kayaking and biking. But the next game only I might start with hiking. So it a bit of strategy on later rounds as you try and pick things that people might be drafting less of.

Final Thoughts

Just a few of these medium box games that you could checkout. And all of them are a lot of fun and worth checking out. I think that when it comes to medium box games, the trick for gamers is knowing how heavy it is. Companies like Devir pack a ton into their medium box line of games, maybe even too much. Others, like Trailblazers from Bitewing Games (originally) offer a pretty light game in that medium sized box.

Which of these games do you want to try?

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