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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5 Small Box Games You Should Try

5. Ninjan

Ninjan, for me, needed to make the list, because it’s such a small box and there is a good amount of game in that small box, for a game that is rock, paper scissors. The twist on it is that you don’t play rock, paper scissors against another person. Instead you are playing it against the main board at the same time as other people are playing it against the board.

So how does that work? Well, cards go from 10 to -6 (if I remember my low number correctly), in each of rock, paper and scissors. Everyone plays out a card face down and then you reveal. The player with the highest value card, and in the case of a tie, say two players play 10’s of scissors and paper, the one that beats the other, is going to play against the center cards first.

That card that they just played out, then replaces the one that they just beat. And if they didn’t beat any, they add it to one of the stacks anyways. And now that card is part of what can be beaten. So it might change, for example, if the scissor can’t beat anything a rock, that paper would want to cover and get those points, into a scissors and remove an option.

Now, you might not want to win too. Why, because cards go from 10 to -6. And those numbers don’t just determine the order you go, they determine your points. So a -6 is negative points. And that adds some strategy into how you play.

4. Slambo!

Next up is one that I talked about earlier this week and that’s Slambo!. Slambo! is a sumo wrestling themed game where you are trying to knock your opponent out of the ring. This is a simple game where you have cards that are positive or negative in your hand. And you are playing on a stack of cards trying to keep it between 0 and 10. If you can’t, you are knocked out and lose a life, so to speak, once someone has lost two, the game is over and everyone else wins.

That’s the game, but how you manage your hand makes it a fun filler game. You only have a hand of five cards and you play all of those cards out. Some of them could be either a + or a – but they tend to be big numbers. Or it could be an equals, so you just equal the value of the last card played.

It’s really the simplicity of the game that makes it work for me. And again, it’s another one is a really small box. So it’s easy to take with you in a pocket and it doesn’t take up much room.

3. Trinket Trove

Trinket Trove is going to be one of the bigger of the smaller games on the list. Mainly just in terms of some of the space needed. But also in the fact that this is a bidding and set collection game. A lot of small games do one thing really well, and in this case, I think that Trinket Trove does two things in a fun way.

The game is pretty simple when you get down to it. You have a hand of cards. Those cards are going to score you points at the end of the game as part of sets. But those cards are also the cards that you bid for turn order. You can bid with as many of them as you want. The bids are pretty simple with how they work too. The first thing you look at is number of cards bid. The more cards you bid the higher you pick. Then the value of the cards, so if you and I both bid one card, the first card of the higher value goes first.

Then you pick cards to add to your hand. That can be cards the were flipped out, which is what you’re bidding to take. Or cards that other players bid. And I like that because sometimes you look at cards in your hand and you want to bid with a crayon, for example, but that crayon might give someone else a big bump in points if they get it.

Then all the cards go back to your hand and you do another round. You do a few rounds building up your hand and bidding each time. But the tension between, do I keep this card and hope to get more of it, or do I bid with it is a lot of fun.

2. Otter

Otter is another game that is probably a bit more complex than you’d think with a small box. In this game you are trying to get rid of your hand of cards. Not that uncommon the mechanism is known as card shedding. But how it does it, it’s a lot of fun. You are playing cards to three different otters and each otter has a specific rule to it. It might be the numbers must ascend, or be between 4 and 8. But not only that, they need to be a type of creature that otters like to kill, I mean hug.

Now, what happens when your cards don’t match that, or maybe they do. If they match both things, good news, you can keep on playing on that otter. And as long as what you play matches both those things, you keep going. But if it only matches one of those things, mainly it needs to match what the otter wants, so let’s say higher but not the right snack, then your turn is done.

But what if you can’t match anything, or it’s just going to get rid of a card but if it were descending you could get rid of more. Well, you can always draw cards to change the snack, or flip the ascending to descending, but you’re giving yourself more cards.

The game seems simple as you get started. But it’s got good strategy to it and just a whole lot more than I expected when I picked up the game. And while it’s not a wide release game, if you can get your hands on it, I think a lot of folks will like it.

1. Symbiosis

Finally is Symbiose. I think that this game will hopefully take off, especially if there is some solid word of mouth and it’s at Gen Con in just over a month. This is the type of simple but fun game that I think a lot of people are going to like.

In this game you have a two tall by four wide grid of cards in front of you. On your turn you take one of four face-up cards, and replace one of your cards. And you are trying to get the best scoring grid possible.

The twist to this game that I really like is that you score off the grids next to you. So when you look at your grid, the two cards on the right score based off of the player on the rights grid. Two on the left, the player on the left. And the four in the middle, that cares about your grid.

So there is this nice extra element of looking at what your opponents have and determining, do I want to score this card I’m adding off of their grid or mine. Or maybe, if I take this card is it going to give them more points than it gives me. All of this is done in a fast game that you’ll probably want to play multiple times in a sitting.

Final Thoughts

There are a lot of great small box games. And a lot of games that fit into this category of different types. I skipped over trick taking games, I might do a list of that, though a lot of them a relatively well known now. And I skipped over roll and write games. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t overlooked games on both.

But let me know what is your favorite small box game that you think is overlooked?

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5 Party Games You Should Try

This list is in no particular order. And it’s some games that you’d consider to be more classic party games. Other games on the list might feel a little bit different, but they all work well with larger groups and are easy to learn and play. The other qualifier that I have for party games is that they have to have fun moments in them. If it’s all serious, then it’s not on the list. That’s why I have trouble putting Codenames as a party game.

5. Medium

First, let’s start off with Medium. This is and the next one are the reason for the party games list. Medium feels like a party game with a twist on it. You both play out words, it could be something like bread and taco. Then you need to connect those two words with a word, that you both say at the same time. If you get it right, you get points. If not, you get two more tries, but you always connect your new words. Of course, bread and taco might be relatively close to start. But they don’t need to be.

What makes this such a good party game is watching people struggle to come up with a word. Now that seems mean, but everyone does it. So when you’re watching someone else match-up, you immediately know the connecting word. When it’s your turn you only know one syllable words, if you’re lucky. And that juxtaposition makes for fun times. And when you get two words that aren’t at all connected and you get it, it feels amazing.

4. Blank Slate

The most classic of the party games on the list, Blank Slate is the write something sort of game. And you get points for matching with people but you don’t want to match with too many people. If your word matches one other person, you both get three points. More than one other, everyone gets one point in that group. And if you match with no one, no points.

So the word you are writing is either a word that would go before or after a word. Basically fill in a blank. If the word is [blank] weight, for example, you could put in something like heavy, free, light, welter, or many more options.

This game is on the list just because it plays up to 8, it plays fast, and there are lots of fun moments of saying to someone, you should get what I’m putting down, or I can’t believe you didn’t write that. It also has the Medium thing where sometimes you just blank (all puns intended) on what word to put down.

3. Ice Cool

Now let’s talk about something completely different. But this is an eight player game, if you have Ice Cool 1 and 2. And they aren’t that expensive, so I recommend getting both. This is just a silly game of flicking your penguins around a board to try and collect fish and avoid getting caught by the hall monitor, other penguin players.

So it works because you’re invested in other peoples shots. And when someone has a great shot, everyone thinks it was amazing, which in all fairness it was. So you’re excited when other people do well and others are excited when you do well. The game is fast too, and it gets people up and moving.

2. Doodle Dash

Doodle Dash is my drawing game on the list. Drawing is another common thing when it comes to party games. I like Doodle Dash because being good at drawing can be a major advantage in a lot of games. In Doodle Dash, the faster you can draw, and if you do it just well enough, that’s what matter.

It’s one of those games where the person who is it is going to try and guess what has been drawn. But everyone draws at once, hidden. And then the first person to be done grabs a totem. The second person to finish starts rolling a die. And when that die lands on stop, everyone else stops.

Why does all that matter. If you are first and get that totem, the person guessing guesses based off of your image only. If they don’t get it, then off of the second image, and finally off of the remaining ones. And more points for you and the guesser if you are earlier.

The moment that this party game leads to is that moment when the first person, and often the second, flips over their image. Sometimes it’s amazing and everyone wonders, how did you do so well so fast. And sometimes it’s horrible, but the question is, is it good enough. And when it is, that’s great.

1. Tacta

Finally we have Tacta. Tacta is a super different sort of game when it comes to party games. This one needs a big area, but only a big area on the table. Each player has a color of cards with dots and some shapes on it. You play out cards to the table and you need to overlap another card. That overlap needs to match one of the shapes on your card. So if I have a square, that square needs to overlap another square. The twist is that you can only overlap one other card. So as the table gets full, how can you find some clever plays.

So what is a clever play? A clever play is when you can overlap your points and cover up someone else’s. Because you can only ever overlap a single card, that means when you overlap points you lock them in. But it’s more than that, how can you protect your other points on a card as well.

And the moments in this game that make it work as a party game is when people find that great spot. But more than that, it’s when people just want a spot to work. So it gets tried again and again but it always is going to overlap that second card. But if it didn’t, it’d be perfect, so maybe the standard sized card that hasn’t worked 10 times before will happen to work this time. Spoiler, it never does.

Final Thoughts

There are so many party games out there that are good and bad. And while I think these are fun ones, there are a lot of other ones out there you could try as well. I want you, as you look at games, to consider what games might not always been on Target shelves, or don’t have the standard Apples to Apples/Cards Against Humanity look to them. Because those games are a dime a dozen and you don’t need 20 different games like that as you’ll find that you only play your favorites.

What are some overlooked party games that you really like?

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May Part 2

Double Seven

Double Seven is a meh game, that’s the best that I can say about it. This is a game where you are trying to collect multiple groups of seven cards. But each of these groups, or sets, you can add to them, trade them, and it’s basically draw cards and hope you get what you want. Granted, you get points some ways, but it’s not interesting ways.

Catopomp

Catopomp is a bit more fun than Double Seven. In this game you are shedding cards from your hand. Basically what that means is that you want to get rid of your cards first. Your hand is cards that are in or on their way to heaven, and then when you play out cards, you send cards to hell. Those cards that are sent to hell you need to get rid of as well as you play sets or runs. But if someone can’t beat what you played, you give them one hell card. Plus there are dice that you can use. The more I talk about it, the more I’m like, this game is fun.

First Giants

First Giants is kind of a remake of a game. I say kind of because it isn’t a direct remake, but there are a lot of elements that are similar to Elysium. In this game you are collecting different dinosaurs and then displaying them in a museum. But each dinosaur you get has an instant ability or an ability that stays that you use to build up a little engine. I like the theme, I like the artwork and I like how simple of a game that this is to learn and play.

Slambo!

Slambo is not a game that I should like as much as I do. This is a sumo wrestling themed game, but it is so simple that it just works. You have a hand of cards that you play out onto a shared stack. And you want to keep the stack from going below 0 or above 10. And you want to make it so that it’s hard for your opponent to do that. So your cards are positive and negative points, or maybe equal to the last one played. And whomever gets knocked out of the ring twice first loses and everyone else wins. It’s simple, but it’s fast, fun, and gives you some cool moments.

Ipso

Another one that I should just be okay on is Ipso. Ipso is a style of game that is really simple, but also a style that I kind of like. You have a pyramid of cards in front of you. Those cards go from 1 to 90, I believe, but you don’t know what you have because they are face down. On your turn, you take a card and put it into your pyramid, flipping up the card that way there. You get points for cards in a row of your pyramid being in ascending order, having stars on them, and all being the same color. That’s it for the game, simple, but just fun.

Top 5 New Games From May

5. Ipso

Let’s just stick with Ipso as it’s my #5 for the month of May. It’s simple, but I’ve played it a number of times and it’s always fun. Is it very lucky, yes, but you can still do well even if you don’t get all three of the scorings right. And sometimes you want a game that you can sit down and play quickly.

4. Catopomp

Catopomp is one that really grew on me and now I’m going to be playing more of it on BGA. Card shedding is fun, and games like DNUP and Scout are some of my favorites. Catopomp is a bit more complex than those, I think, just because of how it works, but one that I think is a good time still and offers strategy that is fun with it as well.

3. Slambo!

Yes, Slambo! is my #3 for the month of May. And out of all the games, while I want to get my top two, might be the first one I pick-up. This game is small and just a silly good time. The theme works for the game. And I like the feeling of playing cards in a clever manner. Is it really that clever in how you play them, sometimes yes, sometimes no, really you just want to get it as close to either 10 or 0 as possible. But I like Games where you can lock people into choices like that if you play smartly.

2. First Giants

First Giants is a blast of a game. I like engine building. And while First Giants has pretty light engine building it’s a ton of fun. And while I know people who just are going to keep Elysium, I don’t own that game, and I’ve heard that First Giants streamlines a little bit. So I really want to get this one as a fun and friendly game.

1. Darwin’s Journey

And then finally we have Darwin’s Journey. This is easily my favorite out of all the new to me games this month. This is a tight worker placement game where is goes by so fast it feels like you can’t do nearly all that you want to do. I need to get another game of this going because it’s just so fun. Do I play it well, certainly not, but I have a very good time with it.

Which of the games from May sounds the most fun to you? And are there any that you’d like to get a full review of? Let me know which those are.

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May Games (Part 1)

7 Wonders: Architects

There are a lot of games in the 7 Wonders line. Some of them are good and this is one of them. I think I prefer 7 Wonders Duel, though I replaced that with Lord of the Rings Duel to 7 Wonders Architects, but I might prefer this to base 7 Wonders. You get a simpler open drafting system and you all feel like you can build up your wonder. Simple and fast game to play but a lot of fun.

La Famiglia: The Great Mafia War

Giant game of area control as you play as Mafia families in this team game. It’s interesting that this a team game, but at the same time, I don’t know that it helps the game. I think it’d have been better to be separate players and maybe change up the winning condition to account for that. Because being a mafia family doesn’t feel like a team activity, at least with another player. And this game just has too much going on it it.

Spots

Spots is another meh game. In Spots is a rolling dice and taking them to get spots covered on your dogs. Then you can bank them. But it’s basically pure push your luck and there are busting mechanisms that aren’t that fun. I like push your luck, but I find that I’m pretty selective when it comes to which ones I like best and there are better games out there.

Spooky Tower

Spooky Tower is another light game. This one is about digging through piles of cards to try and find ghosts and the player who can get to five first wins. I love the artwork in this game, it’s a lot of fun. And the mechanisms are simple but work well. I don’t want to be that negative on this game, because I rated it a 6, but it’s not one that I’ll pick to play. It is a game that I won’t mind playing though.

Quetzal

Quetzal is a game where you are collecting treasures and then trading in sets of treasures for points. It’s an okay game. I don’t mind what it does, but there are elements, like flipping out your meeples to see what side they land on and that limiting your actions, it doesn’t fit with the game. This could be a nice clever worker placement game, and in a lot of ways it is, but they give it something silly. It’s a shame because I wanted to like it more.

Kumata

An abstract tile stacking game. I like element of this game. I think it’s clever in that you need to criss cross tiles, you can’t fully cover one. And because of that, you can lock points in. You want your numbers and your color to show at the end when looking down. But as you play, you build up and you cover tiles. I think I’d enjoy this one more in person, but it reminds me of Pyramido in some ways, which I like a ton, and I’m not sure I need to play both.

Alhamabra

Alhamabra is a classic sitting building game. But it’s not a city building game that I enjoy. The balance of gaining money and then trading in money and the money needing to match the spot but not the tile you get. Plus you want to build out a wall around your city and how that can lock you into how you can play tiles. This game restricts a ton and there are better city building games out there that restrict less and are more fun.

Pachisi

Classic game and it’s a classic game for a reason. Mainly because it’s old, we’re all probably familiar with how it works because of games like Sorry. But meh, it’s not good and I’m fine with it being not good.

Roll’n Bump

Roll’n Bump is another meh game or worse, I’d say. Mainly because in this game, you roll dice, you get lucky enough to place them, well, someone else can roll it and bump you off that spot. It’s a game of seeing if things will come around to you so you can score them. But because it’s dice, it’s all luck. Not a good game.

Darwin’s Journey

Then about as different as you can get. Darwin’s Journey is a bit worker placement game where you are trying to study and find fossils, send them back to museums and kind of follow Darwin’s journey. There is so much going on in this game, but it is so good. One that I want to get a copy of, though it’s a big euro game so how often will I play it not on BGA. But like Galactic Cruise and Pirates of Maracibo, I know I want to own it.

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