AllPlay

Alibis is going to be a thinky party game. Not much more information on it. But it is one of AllPlay’s square box game. They also reminded us of a few that are coming as well. Plus Twinkle Twinkle which is going to be coming out at Gen Con. It was on Kickstarter in January. They expect to fulfill it in July.

The next one they are talking about is Sail Legacy. I need to play Sail. And I definitely think I’ll be backing this one. It’s cooperative trick taking which is great. So I hope that it’s a great Legacy game and one that I can enjoy a lot. It’s coming on Crowdfunding on July 8th.

Terrible Quest is a tiny game that is coming out at Gen Con. You are tearing out things from a sheet of paper and racing against the time. This sounds like a pretty fun gimmick to checkout. You need to tear it out exactly, plus you want to avoid curses that are hidden on the back of the sheet of paper, and get bonuses. The game play looks hectic and silly.

Bitewing Games

They are talking about their Mythos Collection. These are two player head to head games. Iliad and Ichor are the first two from the line and they are fulfilling or they just recently fulfilled. So there are more games coming in this line of games. Now being added to the list of these two player games Moytura and Azure which are coming in Q3 of 2025 to Kickstarter.

Board and Dice

This is a game that starts with the Letter T and is an ancient civilization. So we have Tianxia coming. This looks like an interesting game to me, in particular with the artwork of the game. It sounds like a game where you want work with others, but you only want to work so much because there is only going to be a single winner for this game. I like the theme where it seems to be building a wall to prevent nomadic attacks. It seems like a resource management but one that seems to have a lot going on with it.

CGE

They are talking about the new version of Codenames. Is there much new going on, no there isn’t. It’s mainly just a rebrand and reminder that a new version is coming. I believe that the new versions do add in a few more cards, but no need to run out and replace the one you already have.

Elzra

A new Catacombs game is coming. I believe that this is meant to be a good jumping in point for people who have been interested in this flicking and dungeon battling game. It’s a game that I’ve owned, well, not this version of Catacombs Alpha the Catacombs that I need to get played. Because I enjoy a good flicking game and this one seems like it’s different.

Phantom Division

I’m not sure if the game or company is called Phantom Division or both. This looks like an epic dungeon crawling experience. And it has some interesting terrain. It isn’t a big minis game, though, this is a game where all the monsters and troops are discs. But it also isn’t a flicking game, or at least not completely. There are flicking elements to completing some objectives which is really odd and interesting looking.

Phantom Horizon

See what I said above about Phantom Horizon as well. This looks like a big epic space game and that’s something that I might be lacking in my collection. This one looks a bit less alien than some of the games, though there are aliens. And while there is a ton going on with the board and upgrading. There are again no minis for the game, so makes me think it’s the same company as the one above. I definitely like the look of both of them a lot. And diceless combat which is going to mean that you can plan out more which is cool.

Okay, this one is actually called Solarion: Foundation of Empires and it’s coming to Kickstarter.

Direwolf

Lightning Train is going to be at Gen Con. The Direwolf release. Plus there is more coming to Clank with Clank Catacombs and the expansion. So can we all guess what this is going to be, yup, they are announcing Clank Catacombs: Underworld. This is going to be an expansion for Clank Catacombs, and this seems like a whole new level to explore in which is cool. But it’s going to make your game even larger. A Kickstarter pre-order it seems and then coming out this fall, so do you want it slightly sooner?

Plus the digital release of Dune Imperium Immortality. Plus some content coming there first which is going to be intriguing. They do plan on releasing physically eventually, but not right away.

Everbeasts

This is a smaller little game. It’s going to be a strategy card game. I don’t know much about it, but it’s from an independent creator for the game. I like to see when people talk about stuff like that. And it’s going to be coming to Kickstarter in July. And learn more about Everbeasts that way. I very much enjoy how it looks in terms of the artwork and I hope that it’s a good game. It seems like a combo building game. And you download a free print and play demo to try it yourself.

Grail Games

There are two little announcements. Firstly their medium size game like Snowcrest and they just kickstarted Night Soil. Now they have a new game coming Fantasy Brewer. I do like beer. It’s going to be an Essen game. It’s a worker placement style of game. Seems like a worker placement game, though, where some workers are stronger than other workers. So what you get after the worker placement depends on who was there first and how had a stronger worker.

And an announcement for Age of Civilization. This game that is already out and now it’s coming out with Grail Games. Bigger box and new art.

Justin Gary

15th Anniversary edition of Ascension a game that I like. This is going to be a lot of new promo cards. So if you like Ascension, this might be for you. And they are going to be introducing a new card type which is interesting. And you’ll be able to get everything for the game again. Plus all of the cards can be gotten in foil which is unique. And that’s not all, a bonus promo if you follow on Gamefound.

Off the Page Games

Corps of Discovery is being talked about move. It’s a cooperative game which is really interesting and I think it sounds more interesting to me than other games. And they are talking about expansions for the game as well. So there is a ton of stuff coming out for Corps of Discovery. I haven’t gotten Mind MGMT or Harrow County but this one actually is more interesting to me.

And it’s another new game. This one is called Design Your Destiny. This one sounds weird. There is a story element to it and you travel through time as the characters. You come across games but they are broken. So it’s going to kind of teach you or tell you how to design games. I think that sounds a bit crazy.

And the next Kickstarter game. Grendel is a 1 to 4 player competitive game. It’s an asymmetric game and area control it seems. It sounds interesting but I’m not 100% sure that this is the type of game for me. But there are some very unique events occurring in the game. July 1st for when it starts crowdfunding.

NerdLab Games

There are a few things from next month to next year. First off they are sharing some news on Mind Bug. They are doing a crossover thing with Iello and King of Tokyo. Sounds like the King of Tokyo creatures are coming into Mind Bug. Plus it is going to have some King of Tokyo like things which will come at Essen. Plus the online version of Mind Bug and a rogue like experience is coming for it. I need to play Mind Bug, it’s one that I think that I should enjoy but I haven’t gotten around to it yet.

The next thing is Agent Avenue which are recommended for the Spiele. And there is now coming a little expansion for the game. Nothing to show yet for the expansion and the target is Essen again at least to show the game.

And there is Final Titan. This game is currently on Gamefound and I think that this one looks fun. It’s a draft battler game and I want to know more about it. Right now I’ve held off on backing it, but it’s the type one that I think would work very well with me. It’ll come out to release late next year.

Mindwork Games

This one looks like a skirmish game. Paradise is supposed to be between a combo of miniatures game and board game. I believe that I heard them call it wastepunk, which if I did hear that, I think that sounds great. The artwork looks good and it’s supposed to be a fast game which is something that sounds interesting. Not sure it’s for me, but one that I’d love to try it before I buy it. It really does look mainly like a miniatures game.

Mighty Boards

So some announcements, Red North. This is a concealed bidding game which sounds interesting. It’s a Viking theme, which is pretty common for games. The game sounds like a bidding and bluffing game and I think that sounds interesting. It was at Essen Spiele last year but updated rules and artwork. The other game they are talking about is a better version or more prestigious version of Art Society. If you want to get the deluxe edition it’s coming to Kickstarter this summer.

Mebo

Pyradice is a pyramid dice building game. I think that it looks like a fun game. In the US it is going to be coming from Arcane Wonders. The game is two player game out of the box but you can get a second copy to play with more. You take dice that are free, aka, three faces that are open, and add them to your pyramid. I really love the look of this game and the simplicity of the action of taking the dice, but then strategy as you place dice into your pyramid to build it up and activate abilities. The skills and objectives vary throughout the game.

IV Studio

Realm of Reckoning is the new game coming to Kickstarter. It looks like there is a ton going on on the game board. The game is taking place in the afterlife. I need to try more IV Studios games. I am not a fan of Mythic Mischief. This one being a card drafting game and how you place the cards is interesting. I’m not 100% sold on this game but the them is something that I really like. And IV Studios is great at making great looking games.

Final Thoughts

So that’s everything. There is a ton of interesting things. If you were to ask me the ones that interest me the most, I really like the following, Pyradice, Final Titan, Corps of Discovery, Sail Legacy and Phantom Division sounds really cool. I mean, there are so many interesting games. So let me know which one is the most interesting to you and drop that in the comment section below.

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Why I Don’t Like Codenames

Let’s lay the groundwork. I expect that a lot of people like Codenames a lot. And for me, it is basically always a miss. I know, in fact, that my opinion is less than popular because Codenames sells really well, which means that people are trying it and buying a copy for themselves. Which, even though it isn’t for me, I like because more people are playing games.

But what is it about Codenames that isn’t for me? Firstly, it bills itself, or gets treated like a party style game. It really isn’t a party style game. There is a lot of downtime of people thinking and staring at the board. Either the spymaster who is coming up with their next clue. Or the guessers who are using the clue. And that doesn’t make for a party like experience. It is only even okay as a social experience or a lighter game that way. So first issue, there is too much downtime.

Secondly, you are either clever or wrong. Let me talk about this one a little bit more, but when you give a clue either you give a good clue and people get it. Or people mess it up, or you mess it up, and it goes wrong. In Codenames, which is already tight with your creativity, it is a game that can make you feel bad or make you feel dumb. This ties into the first issue, for a game that is supposed to be lighter, that doesn’t feel good.

The App Is Better

Downtime

The app fixes a lot of these issues in a lot of ways. Firstly, let’s talk about that downtime. The great thing about an app is that the downtime doesn’t matter. How does it not matter, like almost every app you expect that there is going to be time between when you take your turn or action and when you can play again. Apps always teach us that, there is a timer before you get another life or attempt in other games. We know you can’t just sit there and wait with an app.

Plus, downtime is less of an issue when you have five or ten games going. And it is easy to play that many games. Again, why? Because Codenames is a game where context doesn’t really matter. I need to know the word you give as a clue and how many guesses I have. That’s going to be it. If I missed one the previous time or sometime before, I look at the history and see that. I don’t need to hold anything in my head. So when I check, I play a few different games.

Finally around this idea of downtime there are solo challenges as well. Somethings that you play, either giving clues to a group of others or trying to solve those clues yourself. But it’s a one off, get the clue solved and call it good and that’s it. Nice quick hits that you can play. They refresh even more slowly, but it’s a filler activity between game play, or can be the only way you play the game and you know your exact timings.

Cleverness

I think that the app also encourages some more cleverness. Let’s start with the solo challenges. When I play as the spymaster, I get rewarded for giving more answers for the one clue I give. So it encourages me to push for some risky clues and guesses. And that is great because it takes away the pressure of winning all for the sake of winning. Yes, that sounds odd, but I don’t have feedback across the table of people thinking it was a dumb clue.

This then spills over into the regular games as well. I play with real people in those games. But there is no one sitting across the table from me. There is no immediate feedback on if I did a good job or not. And if I make a mistake, it’s easier to gloss over it because I am playing a bunch of other games. And because there wasn’t five minutes of me sitting in front of people only to give a bad clue or only to make a bad guess.

It takes away that human element from the game. Now, normally I find that to be a bad thing. On BGA (Board Game Arena) it is often a bit of a miss. Things take so long and you lose context and reads on people for games that might need them. But here, it’s easier to just brush it off and move onto the next thing.

Final Thoughts on the Codenames App

I expect that there is more that I can talk about this game. There are likely going to be more features that I can talk about. And there are even some elements, like getting words and unlocking certain modes of the game that I didn’t talk about. A lot of that falls into standard app stuff. And I mean that in a good way.

But in terms of what it feels like to actually play the game, I really like it. I think it is a much more preferable way to play the game. And I hope that I laid out why I thought that well. I realize that your milage might be different because you might like Codenames a whole lot more than I do. But even if you do, I think the app will scratch an itch that gives you a similar feeling to playing it. I don’t think it’ll have people getting rid of their copies, but playing it alongside and if you don’t like the game that well, like I don’t, it might help you enjoy it more.

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Dice Tower Summer Spectacular Publisher Mega Announcements!

Motor City Gameworks

Three Sisters Essential Edition

Solo mode, campaign mode, and more added to Three Sisters. So it’s going to be still the same game, just added modules. A game that I need to try still, I believe that the group worked on Fleet: The Dice Game as well which I enjoy a lot. So this one is on my radar and gives me a great reason to make sure that I get my game played of Three Sisters to see if I’ll want to get this Essential Edition. Oh yeah, new sheets, new bits, new cards, a lot of different new things. Coming to Kickstarter around spring of 2025.

Allplay

They spent a good amount of talking about the games that they have coming out. Lure, Rivervalley Glassworks, and more that they’ve been talking about.

Things and Rings

It’s a party game where you’re trying to get rid of things into a Venn diagram in the right way. But only one person is going to know what way. This sounds like an interesting idea for a party game and is coming to retail soon. To me, this mean I hope I get to demo it at Gen Con and maybe pick it up there because in theory, it sounds like an interesting idea for a game.

Fairy

Allplay is bringing out a smaller line of games, even smaller than the Lure, Big Top and that size of box. Fairy is going to be a party game where you try and predict the next card coming up with hand gestures. To me, this doesn’t sound that fun, but it probably will be a good game for a lot of people and good goofy time when it is played.

Panda Panda

You’re trying to create a perfect hand of cards. At the start of the round if you have that hand that you need you say Panda Panda. Not much information on how you are building up or curating your hand, but it sounds like an interesting filler.

Rainbow

Another hand management game, this one sounds like a lot of fun to me. You’re playing out cards in sets and runs to get cards from the middle of the table. Those cards you get are going to be your scoring cards. But the twist is that the cards you play out, those are now going to be the next batch of scoring cards. I like this a lot as it gives me the feel of Scout and Mind Up! Two games that I’m having a lot of fun with.

Prey

Trick taking game alert, for me this one sounds interesting and again, I’ll reference Scout. In this one your hand goes two ways. You play out six tricks with the predator and then with prey. And you play out a hand of twelve cards, so it’s going to be knowing which direction to lean into. Do you want to spend your better cards as prey or predator to win tricks? And to win, you need to win an assigned number of tricks, so this sounds like an interesting puzzle.

Plus Partner Publishers

Allplay is helping out with a lot of companies for shipping and stuff like that. So they are talking about all of them as well. Definitely checkout their site as well because I think it sounds great.

Godot Games

Foxpaw

This game sounds like it has a lot going on. Prisoners dilemma and resource management and more. This definitely has a look and feel of something like Kiki’s, My Little Witch Academia, and Harry Potter. So you’re going to be trying to be the highest or best graded student from the sounds of it. And the artwork on the game looks great, as well. There are a lot of different locations on the board to take actions which should make for an interesting puzzle of a game. It seems like there is some take that in the game, which I’m never convinced about. It’ll be on Gamefound in January 2025.

Iello

King of Tokyo Duel

It’s a two player version. I like this idea a lot and it’s coming in Essen in October. This is a great thing in my opinion even if it isn’t a game that I’ll pick up. King of Tokyo out of the box is a multiplayer game, I’d probably say it’s at four minimum. So to get a two player version of the game, that sounds like a good plan. It’ll make it more accessible to more people who might not have that larger group. And the simplicity of King of Tokyo is a great selling point as well. This looks like more of a tug-o-war which is interesting.

Blue Orange

Next Station Paris

Another game in the next station game. This is a game that I really need to play as I think I have one of them in my collection. So expect me to try and get it to the table soon. Next Station Paris is going to continue in that line with obviously a new map of Paris and it’ll be available at Gen Con.

Link City

This is a cooperative city building game. You’re trying to expand the city but it’s about guessing where buildings should go and trying to figure out the plan of the person in charge. This sounds like an interesting party game or activity, but one that you might not want to take too seriously. Also it sounds like a solid option for people who don’t like traditional party games but want to come across better filler games. The game seems very loosey goosy, which I’m not sold about.

Shadow House Masquerade

This is a card bluffing who done it game. This again feels like it’s pretty light in terms of a game. This feels like a social deduction game and possible deduction as well. I need to know how much of it is deduction because I like deduction. But if it’s social deduction I’m not interested in that. So it’s one that I’ll look into. All of these Blue Orange games should be at Gen Con.

Odd Bird

Allplay did the video for them. A lot of it is about the games that are already out from Odd Bird. Feudum and Fled were the two games mentioned which I haven’t played either. So I can’t really comment on either of them. But good for Odd Bird getting the word out about their games and where to buy them at.

Wulfhorn

Rise of the Wastelands

This is going to be a 4x game that is currently on Kickstarter. The aesthetic of the game is amazing looking. You’re going to be exploring, exploiting, exterminating and whatever the last X is. This game definitely looks interesting to me but one that I’d love to get to try a demo of. It’s supposed to be a shorter 4x game, but how much shorter does that mean. And will it play only well at four or can it go down to two or not? I have a lot of questions but the game looks intriguing.

Till 5 Am

Qu’arz

This is a capture the flag game which sounds interesting. I like the pictures and again that aesthetic. It’s going to be competitive but I expect it’s going to be a very in your face game. That is what I expect from a capture the flag style game, which to me is going to be fun in some situations but not all of them. And that should tell you that I’m intrigued and interested in trying the game.

But I would 100% need to try the game before I’d buy it. I do see a lot of words on cards though, so I wouldn’t expect this to be a very light game. It’s going to be on Gamefound at the end of October.

Vesuvius Media

Jurassic Feud

This is going to be another game like Catapult Feud where you are trying to shoot things at the opponents pieces and knock them down. But now with dinosaurs. I have a ton of Catapult Feud and soon I’ll be ready to play it with my kid. But even as an adult it’s a fun game to play, so I’m curious to know if Jurassic Feud is going to add much more to the game. I hope not because the simplicity of this game is part of what makes it great. This is going to be on Kickstarter July 23^rd. This looks like it could be mixed pretty easily into Catapult Feud which I’m there for.

Benki Games

Pizzachef: The Next Generation

One that is already out. I don’t know about the game at all. So it is going to be one that I want to know about. And there is going to be a new version of the game, Pizza Chef: The Next Generation. I really don’t know what type of game it is, but I like the artwork on it.  And there is going to be an expansion for it as well. Pizza Chef: The Mean Chef. To me I’m worried that it’s going to be a take that game. Or at least the expansion might be. I’m not sure how I didn’t know about this one. But it sounds like a lot of fun potentially and one that I could like if there isn’t too much take that. And as they showed the game and there is definitely take that, but maybe not too much. This is coming to Kickstarter, the new version, August 5^th.

Phase Shift Games

Aetherspire

3D strategy games with a purpose. That’s the new thing that they are doing. They’ve done games like Dungeon Drop before. And they’ve done some abstract games before. But Aetherspire is going to be a 3D game where that 3D matters. It’s coming to crowdfunding, I believe Kickstarter in the fall of 2024. This is going to be a cooperative tower defense game where, obviously, it’s 3D and that is going to matter. But it’s not just tower defense you are going to be building it up as well. This looks like it could be fun, I hope it’s not just a gimmick, but even if it is, it’s a good looking gimmick even in prototype form.

CGE

Snatch It!

CGE is distributing it in English. This is going to be a game all about being frogs and gobbling up all sorts of tasty bugs. But you got to go fast before  others get them or steal them from you. This looks like a very light family style of game that will look perfect on a shelf at Target. Or it might be one that you give to the family who might not play board games but they have a kid who loves bugs and frogs just to introduce to them what non-Hasbro games are. I don’t think that this is going to be one for me, that said, I wouldn’t say no to trying it. First copies will be available at Gen Con.

Codenames App

Yup, there is going to be an app for it. If you love Codenames this is going to be a new way to play the game. I don’t love the game, so it’s not going to be for me. Unless it changes the game some way it’s probably not for me. It’s already out  for Czech players to test it out. And there is some single player content as well. There are some other new things as well which does make it slightly more interesting. It’s launching September 5^th. It’s just a one time purchase on it.

Fireside

Zoomies

This game has you being a dog walker. This looks like a pretty light game, which is how a lot of Fireside’s games have been. But not so simple that it’s just a kids game. I should say that the game seems simple more than light because you’re doing tile laying kind of like a Kingdomino but from your hand to optimize your point scoring. So this one looks interesting to me and it’s going to be at Gen Con. But it’ll be released this fall beyond Gen Con.

Rock Manor

Stardriven Gateway

I’ve already written about this one in the Feast. I’m going to be demoing at Gen Con as well so I’m super excited to try this one out.

Reprint Campaign for Seas of Havoc and First Mates Expansion

This is going to have another campaign coming up. So if you missed out on this one the first time, definitely check it out. This is another one that I own that I need to play. I in fact won  a copy of it through Board Game Revolution over on Facebook when it was on Kickstarter and it was the big Kickstarter version. So I really should get it to the table.

Disco Heist Laundry

You’re scheming kingpins and you need steal and launder your money. It is still in development at this point. But it has tableau building, area control and a 1980’s look. This one is also going to be able to be demoed at Gen Con. Though, it’s not one that I’ve signed up to demo.

Merchants of Magik Expansions

These are crowdfunded already. But with shipping happening now, they are going to be available to pick-up at Gen Con which is exciting. Another one of those roll and write games that I own and now I really need to get played.

Matagot

Kemet Rise of the Gods

This is an expansion to Kemet Blood and Sand. Kemet is not a game that I’ve played but I know it’s well liked. There are some interesting things about this game which I’m sure that I’d enjoy. But I’m not 100% sure it’s a game that I’ll get played that often. It’s coming to Gamefound on July 2^nd.

Kyoto no Neko

This is going to be a lighter game. And yes, it’s adorable for those wondering. It’s going to be taking on the role of small kittens roaming through the city of Kyoto. If you needed to sell me on the theme, say no more, that’s done the trick. You’re trying to be the first one to complete objectives of things that cats do. So the whole thing is going to be very cute and I’m hoping accessible to play.

With a theme like that, I don’t want much in terms of rules overhead. And the artwork is really cute on this game, and the kittens are adorable. It’s going to be an Essen Spiele release, and I’ll be seeking it out when I can.

Incredible Dream Studios

Callous’ Lab

This is going to be a game that debuts at Gen Con and is going to be available in retail in the later part of August. Though unless I’m mistaken, this is one that I already have that I bought through their site. So it is possible that it’ll be getting a wider release. And it’s part of the Kinfire Delve line. I probably don’t have that one but another two.

And to go along with that, a playmat for Kinfire Delve as well. The playmat looks great.

Broadway Games

Lifeboats

I’m pretty sure that this is a reprint of a game where you’re on lifeboats. Of course, not all can survive, so you need to try and keep your people on the boats. Because if they’re voted out they’ll drop into the water. This is going to be a pretty quick playing mean game. I don’t think it’s for my group, but if it’s for your group and you want to invite me over, I’d be cool with that. But I might be wrong and it might be fun if people don’t take it seriously. Possibly pre-order and pick-up at Gen Con, but I’m not sure.

This Bed is Mine

You are doing basically area control to see who can cover up as much of the bed as they can. This is going to be an abstract game, but not one that really is that interesting. I think a lot of people will like and enjoy it, but I tend not to like these very abstract games. Possibly pre-order and pick-up at Gen Con I’m not sure.

Floodgate

Hedge Mage

You’re a hedge mage building a hedge maze. This seems interesting, but not one that I’m going to be backing. It’s on Kickstarter right now. Probably one I’ll try and demo at Gen Con.

Landmarks

You’re trying to get your team to go to the right places, avoid traps and hopefully find, well, landmarks. This one looks interesting to me as well. The game play is simple but giving one word clues, I’ll be curious to see how it works as you try and help your teammates know where to navigate. This is going to be a Gen Con release, and Floodgate always has a lot of copies and fun around new releases like this one. It can cooperative or team versus team. And it’s a fast game as well, they are saying about 20 minutes.

Board and Dice

Minos

Board and Dice is knowing for doing a lot of big euro games. I am not the biggest euro game fan, so probably not for me. The aesthetic of the game is amazing. And it’s dice drafting  in it as well. There looks like there is a lot going on in it. Honestly, this is going to be one that I’m curious about the more they are talking about it. Can you build up the best society leading into bronze age. Plus , that dice drafting looks interesting. It’s going to be a Essen Spiel 2024 game.

Living Forest Duel

Nothing more on that one just know that it’s coming. If you’re a fan of Living Forest but maybe don’t think it works the best at two, that might be changing with this one.

IV Studio

Brink

It’s a worker placement set in the Moonrakers universe. There is a lot of stuff going on in the game. And it’s coming to Kickstarter in July on the 2^nd. I’m intrigued by it because IV Studios makes beautiful games, but I have yet to find a game from them that I really love. I know that isn’t a popular opinion on Mythic Mischief but that one wasn’t for me. Aesthetically, though IV Studio does make their games look so tempting. But I think that it’s going to be an easy pass for me on Kickstarter because, like most worker placement or euro games, I want to play them before I’d consider buying it.

Final Thoughts

This is a ton of things for sure announced on the Dice Tower Summer Spectacular. I am curious on a lot of them. Minos oddly enough is one of the ones that is towards the top for me. Some of that is because not too many of these announcements are those epic adventure sprawling games that I generally go towards. Of course, that said, there is Prey as well which to me looks like my type of jam. So I’m hoping that I’ll be able to demo a lot of these or spend more time finding out more about them because this certainly was very mega in terms of the size of the announcements.

Which is the one that stands out to you from the Dice Tower Summer Spectacular? Will you be trying to seek out any of them to demo or buy at Gen Con, or maybe be seeking out if you go to Essen Spiel, which I’d love to some year.

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Board Game Holiday List – Top 12 Group Games

12. Hues and Cues

Hues and Cues might be a little bit more group dependent than some of the other games. It’s about giving one and two word clues to guess a color. Let me start out by saying that this is not at all colorblind friendly, so that is some of the reason. The other is that coming up with a one or two word clue for a color can be hard at times.

But when it works, it’s a ton of fun. Because what does baby blue mean to you? That is a fun question to ask and answer. But it is also a fun game. The scoring is good for Hues and Cues as well. If you get it right, it’s 3 points and then around the spot 2, and around those 1. But as the clue giver, you score points for people being close, but only in those 3 and 2 point ranges. So it encourages everyone to try their best.

11. Cross Clues

Cross Clues is a very fun party game as well, less group dependent than Hues and Cues. In Cross Clues you have a grid, I generally play 5 by 5. The columns are letters and rows are numbers. And each column and row has a word assigned with it. You draw a coordinate, for example A2. If the ‘A’ word is “brick” and the ‘2’ word is “wolf”, you might give the clue “pig”. Then everyone else discusses where they think it might go. And your goal is to get as many right as possible. If they don’t, well, they don’t know what they missed.

What I like about Cross Clues is that it can make you think more than just what word works best. Because while “pig” might be a good clue for “brick” and “wolf” it might also work for another pair of words, and now which one do people guess. So there is an element of being clever in what you pick.

10. Medium

Medium I talked about already. You can see it on the Stocking Stuffer list, it and the next one Similo. Medium has some of the same things that Cross Clues does, trying to link two words. But instead of it being on a board and everyone guessing where, you and the person you are paired up with, you are trying to match the difference between your two words. So it might be “brick” and “wolf” still, and I might say “pig”, but I need to hope that the person I’m paired up with also says “pig”. If not we try again two more times, each time from the last words we said. Light and good for laughs.

9. Similo

Also on the stocking stuffer list, like I said. Similo is another small party game that you can play. In Similo one player is the clue giver trying to get the other players to eliminate cards based off of a card that is either similar or not to the chosen card.

It’s simple to play, but what makes it work is that I have a deck of historical figures, and I need to think, is John F. Kennedy more or less similar to Genghis Khan? But then you can also mix sets together. So now is John F. Kennedy more or less similar to a ghoul? And they have a ton of decks from historical and mythological figures to spooky monsters, woodland creatures, or Harry Potter.

8. So Clover

So Clover, continuing the list of party games, really, but there is what I’d consider a non-party game or two on the list as well. Like other games So Clover is a clever game of trying to find the connection between words again. So like a Cross Clues or Medium that way. But instead of just doing it once, you are doing it four times.

You have a four leaf clover which holds 4 cards in a square. And on each leaf you need to write down a clue for the two words that are facing that side. So back to the example, “brick” and “wolf” for “pig”. And you do that on all four sides. Then you add in a fifth card and everyone tries to put back together how your cards were on your clover. It’s a ton of fun and a good cooperative game.

7. Blank Slate

It’s word matching again, but different this time. Instead of coming up with a connection between two words, Blank Slate has you filling in the blank. So it might be ________ “cream”. You need to fill that in. And you want to match with others. Because if you match with two or more people, you all get one point. But, you really want to match with just one person, because then you get three points.

So in the example, “ice” might be the most obvious word. But “heavy” or “whipping” or “whipped” all could match with someone. Or “moisturizing” or a lot of different options. So what is most likely to get you points, but also isn’t going to match everyone. A good fast game that is just fun to sit down and play.

6. Scattergories

To flip the script we go with a classic game of Scattergories. Scattergories you don’t want to match with other people. If you can avoid it, well, then you get points for your word. If you can’t, you both cross it out.

In Scattergories you get a list and a letter. Then in a time limit, everyone writes down answers for the list, starting with that letter. You want to be unique so you don’t match other people. But sometimes, being too unique, well, if someone thought the same way you did it, you cross it out. Or, maybe you can’t think of anything unique. But if no one else puts down “grape” for a “fruit” that starts with ‘G’. You get the points. Or if only one other person did, you block them from getting points.

5. Wits & Wagers

Wits & Wagers, not as old as Scattergories is another is another classic party game. And it’s a trivia game that works because it isn’t about how knows the most. All of the trivia questions in Wits & Wagers are number based. So everyone writes down a guess and the “winner” is the closest without going over, like The Price is Right.

However that is just trivia where someone knows the most. Wits & Wagers fixes that issue by then letting people bet on what they think the right answer is. So if you know more about cars than I do, say the question was what year was the first Model T produced, I might bet with your answer if I have no clue. So it’s about knowing the people you play with as well as knowing the answer.

4. Deception: Murder in Hong Kong

Now for a non-party game one, Deception: Murder in Hong Kong. Now this sounds like a big game, and it’s not, it’s again pretty simple to play. But it’s a game of hidden roles and a murderer. The goal is to figure out the weapon and clue from the murder to know who the murderer is. But as detectives, we know it’s one of us, and we only get clues from the forensic scientist who is sending up reports, which may or may not be useful.

I don’t like social deduction games, and Deception: Murder in Hong Kong has that element in the game. I don’t like them because often you are just guessing about what is happening, especially early in the game. But with Deception, you start talking you have information from the forensic scientist. So it blends in some deduction to go along with that social element of trying to point people away from you if you’re the killer or even if you’re not because you know it’s not you, but do others believe you?

3. Codenames Pictures

Back to more of a party game and this one I know a ton of people love it already, so someone might have it to bring to the holidays. Or one of the many versions of Codenames. Codenames or any of the versions, are a game where you have two teams trying to guess all their cards before the other team can. And this is done by a clue giver giving a clue and a number. It might be “Taco 2”, there are two words that pertain to tacos that you need to guess. The first to get all of theirs wins.

Now, I put down Codenames Pictures because that is the version that I prefer. The original version is just words on the cards. And sometimes you can combo words together but often times, you’re down to basically doing “synonym one”. And that isn’t that exciting.

Pictures gives you more chances to be clever, because the pictures are generally two things. It might be a cat shaped like a donut in one picture. A building with a fish coming out of the chimney in another. I like that better because it’s more chance to give clever clues and to make a light game that you’ll likely want to play again go faster.

2. Just One

We now have another game that kind of blends some of the other party games together. Just One is a guessing the word game where one person is it, and they get a word. But they don’t know what the word is. Instead, everyone else writes down one word clues and then the guesser needs to guess their word off of that.

Now that isn’t too difficult, but if I overlap my word with someone else, both of those are cancelled out. And we hide them and the guesser can’t see them. So now maybe a clue that would have made it really obvious has been cancelled out.

For example, in a game I played, the word was Karate. I wrote down “style” and my wife wrote down “discipline”. So far so good. The other two people wrote down “kid”. Those two clues cancelled out and the poor guesser had to guess “karate” from just style and discipline. Or the word was “Cookie” and two of us put down “Snickerdoodle”. So you can end up with situations where you can get it from a great clue, or where you’ve lost too many. It does that balance of wanting to go obscure but not too obscure.

1. Sushi Go Party

And finally we have Sushi Go Party. You could put in Seven Wonders as well where. Both are drafting games that play a pretty high number of players. But I prefer Sushi Go Party because for me the theme is more fun.

In Sushi Go Party you are drafting cards to create the best meal you can. Really, you are doing so to score as many points as you can. And you do that over three hands. Each type of card scores in a different way. So some cards just score a set number of points. Others, if you have more of them, they score more points. And some you want to have two, exactly two, or they are worth less points.

And Sushi Go Party offers a good amount of variety to the game. While you have one type that you need to keep in the game. You can swap around the rest to make it higher scoring, lower scoring, meaner, or however you want it to be. Or just so that you can swap stuff out again and play with a whole new set of scoring objectives.

Final Thoughts on Group Games

There are a lot of them out there, and a lot of not so great ones out there. Or a lot that just go for a different audience than works for me. Social Deduction games, for example, play well with a high player count. But I don’t like social deduction games, nor does my wife, so I don’t have them in my collection or on the list. But they might work for you.

And there are a ton of party games out there that I didn’t mention. I didn’t put down games like Apples to Apples or Cards Against Humanity, but there are a plethora of games like those two. And while I did pull in two from the stocking stuffer list, I didn’t from the roll and write list. And a lot of those games can play higher player counts as well, like Welcome To… , Trek 12, and more.

So what are the games that you bring to play when you get together with family or friends around the holidays?

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May Board Gaming

Paper Dungeons – 10 Plays

This one you can watch over on Malts and Meeples and I’ll put the last video down below. But a dungeon crawl roll and write game. I really like it, and I want more. I want a bigger story, I want different sheets to play off of, more monsters to play around with. And just a few more things to change it up.

Biblios – 4 Plays

Biblios is one that I want to play more of. Four plays were fun and I’ve played it at 2 and 3 players. I want to try it at four sometime. It’s basically a set collection game where you try and get majority in different colors. I like it for that, it has some good choices but is mainly a filler game.

Village Green – 4 Plays

Another one that I believe I played on Malts and Meeples solo in an attempt to “fix” the solo mode. I think I came up with a good way to do that. Mainly, having cards fall off the rows so that the rows change up more as you play the game. Otherwise the solo experience is a bit boring.

Icecool – 3 Plays

Icecool, a game that I am always down to play. I brought it in to work one day and we had fun messing around with it. And all the players had a fun time with it. It’s a nice one as always to just sit around and play and have a laugh with.

Matcha – 3 Plays

Matcha is a fun trick taking game and set collection game. What is really interesting about this game is that some tricks it based off of number and some off of the suit that is played. And the fact that you can win by not winning tricks enough times is interesting. The game plays fast and it’s a solid two player trick taking experience.

Tainted Grail – 2 Plays

Oddly enough, I don’t think that there is any Tainted Grail for June, or there might be a play. One of the players bought a house and has been busy with that. But as always Tainted Grail has been a fun experience of exploration, fighting monsters, and finding out the story. Really it is for the story.

The Quacks of Quedlinberg – 2 Plays

Got to play Quacks of Quedlinberg again, and it was fun. We swapped up the ingredients powers which made it a different game in a good way. Obviously it’s set-up for that, and I’m glad that it does make that difference. I like the push your luck element to it and the catch-up element. I really want to try with more than two player, though it won’t make a massive difference to how I play the game, but it’s just a fun one I want to share.

Quadropolis – 2 Plays

New game off the shelf with Quadropolis. Though, it is one that was published a while ago by Days of Wonder. I really like how it works to put out places onto you board and the placement rules for it. And I think that while the game is pretty straightforward, there are a lot of good decisions that can be made in it. And how you take the tiles and place them just works well. Accessible but thinky is a good way to describe the game.

Incan Gold – 2 Plays

I want to find a push your luck game that I really like. I’m not sure that Incan Gold is going to be that, though I did have fun with it. I think that push your luck is a bit group dependent. Some people are too risk adverse so will drop out early. Others it’s less fun for because they push in too far. But I had a good time with it.

PitchCar – 2 Plays

More dexterity gaming with PitchCar. This one was fun because a couple of kids were playing as well. And they had a solid time with it. Also it was at the GameZenter so we had people coming over to see what we were doing.

Qwixx – 2 Plays

Qwixx is a nice filler roll and write game. I like how simple it is and that element of pushing your luck in hopes to be able to fill in more works well. I think I prefer it at two player just because closing off a row is so powerful, with three or four, whomever doesn’t close something off can’t win, it seems.

Deception: Murder in Hong Kong – 2 Plays

My favorite social deduction game. Won’t say much more on it, but it’s the only one that gives you something real to start talking about from the get go. I’m always down to play it, will hesitate to play any others.

The Table Is Lava – 2 Plays

Another game off my shelf of to be played. This is a silly game of sliding or throwing cards to score meeples. I really enjoyed the play of it, though. Another one of those games that is just a good time and some good laughs as you try and knock over meeples.

Similo – 2 Plays

Similo is a fun party style game of deduction. I like that it is cooperative, so while one person is playing the clue giver, everyone is on the same team. It almost has a little bit of a Codenames feel to it, but because it’s pictures, I think it’s more fun. Plus how do you give a clue if the Little Mermaid is like or not like a Ghost?

Destinies – 1 Play

I want to play more Destinies. I just did a two player game of the introductory scenario. And I loved what I played. The story element is fun, the app integration is slick and adds in good story and adventure to it. And I want to get into the bigger thing where it is all one giant story, with different characters, throughout 3 different parts.

Atlantis Rising – 1 Play

Atlantis Rising yet another one off my shelves for the first time. This one we got a rule or two wrong with it, but got the basic concept of the game right. I really liked it. Firstly, it looks amazing. But also the push your luck element of the worker placement, how far you place out, works really well. And I can see this being a cooperative game that I’d pull out before Pandemic a lot of the time.

Drawn to Adventure – 1 Play

I barely made it through a game of this. Drawn to Adventure, unfortunately, did not impress me. I think it’s cool to do an dungeon crawl or exploration sort of game. But it’s just too limited in what you can do. I wanted more decisions to make and it felt like the game almost played itself. Plus it isn’t a fast game either.

Terraforming Mars – Ares Expedition – 1 Play

I still really enjoy Ares Expedition and want to get it played every now and again. I do want to try, sometime, more than two player. But two player moves so fast, not that more would slow it down much. The card play in this game just works well for me. And once those expansions hit retail, I’ll probably pick up one or two.

XenoShyft Onslaught – 1 Play

XenoShyft is a deck building game that I really love. Again, did not beat the game, but got close. I am not sure if I’ve ever beat the game, maybe once. But I keep on coming back to it because we always get close. And getting close is enough for me to want to try it again and again.

Canvas – 1 Play

Canvas, another one that I’ve played a few times now and at a few different player counts. It’s such a pretty game and while it is very simple, I find it a lot of fun. I can see why some people want to just make the prettiest painting, and that is an option but won’t help you win. But even when going for the best score, it is fun and you get good artwork to look at as well.

The Fox in the Forest – 1 Play

Another trick taking game, this was playing with a different player than the first few times. I need to start adjusting my strategy because I keep on making moves too soon. But I really like this as a fast little filler two player game.

So Clover! – 1 Play

So Clover, amazing party game. Highly recommend finding this one if you like cooperative party games. It’s higher than either Similo or Just One for me. Mainly because while it’s not too hard, there is just a bit more going on with it.

Just One – 1 Play

Speaking of Just One, also got that one played. Back to back with So Clover actually. I still really enjoy Just One. The game play makes it very easy to play with basically anyone. And cooperative, for me, puts less pressure on. Though I know for some people with guessing the word the fact it’s cooperative adds pressure.

No Thanks! – 1 Play

Finally, No Thanks! got played again, and one of the people who played it I believe picked it up to play with her family. It’s a fun game and definitely a different bidding feel than sometimes I’ve played it. The players set the market for taking a higher value card lower than sometimes. And it paid off big time for one player.

Year to Date

So, I’m going to keep this a little bit shorter this time. Mainly because, well, I’m going to be doing this again next week. So all of June’s stats are mixed in now. But 8 new for me games were played in May. And 52 plays overall which is more than I thought there would be. May started out slower with plays, I believe, but then ended strong. So I am well on my way to 365 plays for the year.

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Group Games Rankings

45: Cards Against Humanity

Cards Against Humanity, or CAH is one that I enjoyed the first couple of times that I played it. But it is not that great for two reasons for me. One, the humor is hit or miss in the game. And I know that it’s meant to be this dirty humor and I appreciate some of that, but it gets boring. And secondly, whenever someone wants to play it, it goes on too long. CAH is a game that works if you play 6-7 rounds. After that the jokes and terms have diminishing returns. And I feel like most CAH games go twice as long as that.

44: Guesstures

Guesstures is a game that I grew up playing, and honestly, I don’t remember it too well. Which says something about it. But charades, meh. That’s where I’m at with it. It’s an old party game and one that I don’t want to go back to.

43: Concept

If you watched my video on games that I dislike that I’m probably wrong about, Concept is an obvious one. But for me it didn’t work. Like I said in that video, it just feels like it’s a lot of staring at the board. And because the word can be anything, it just feels too broad and sucks the fun out of what is a cool idea. Concept is better in concept than it is on the table.

42: Magic Maze

Already on another list quite low, it’s even lower here because I think it suffers with more people. It’s a real time game which is a strike against it in my opinion. Plus, there is no communicating, and you’re working cooperatively. So if someone misses that they are the person who needs to move a figure, it just gets frustrating. Plus, real time games are just too stressful to be that fun for me, and too stressful to want to play them all that often.

41: Catch Phrase!

This one maybe should be lower, I’m very done with Catch Phrase. the concept is not too bad in trying to go fast and get people to guess words. But like a lot of party games the variety was lacking in what you did. I know we played it enough growing up that you’d almost memorize the cards and take reduces the fun even more.

40: Tsuro of the Seas

Tsuro of the Seas again isn’t a bad game in concept. I like the game it’s based on more and it’s higher on the list. Tsuro of the Seas promises to add in more by adding in dragons. And those dragons move around removing tiles and changing up the map and you need to avoid them and the other players. The issue is that it takes a pretty fast and simple game and makes it longer. So while I wouldn’t say no to playing it again, I would prefer to play the original.

39: Spot It!

Spot It! is another game that I’m probably wrong about. Granted, Spot It! is a very simple game. You have a card and you want to be the first to match what you have on your card to what is flipped. It’s a fast little filler that works well with almost all ages. And I think there are other ways to play as well. I wouldn’t tell anyone not to get it, it’s just not for me really.

38: Apples to Apples

Apples to Apples is CAH but clean. So, this again falls into the category that it sticks around too long. But it’s a bit more fun for me. And I think if you can cut it short so that you only play so far it can work. The rules as written, it takes it past the length a good party game should go, as most party games have a problem with. Plus this one you can play with anyone and there’ll be some good laughs.

37: One Night Ultimate Vampire

We’re coming up on a run of social deduction games right here. And I know that I like them less than most people do, so take this part of the list with a grain of salt and know your group. But One Night Ultimate Vampire was the most disappointing of them that I’ve played. It’s fairly basic, and it gives you the least information to go on, it feels, because it’s only one night. So stuff happens while people’s eyes are closed and then you just accuse randomly after some random talking, so there’s no real point. I’m sure people find more strategy than I do, but it doesn’t work for me.

36: Secret Hitler

Another one, like I said t here is a run of them here. Secret Hitler is better, and in terms of mechanics, it is one of the more interesting. One person gets three things, could be fascist laws or liberal laws to enact, they pass two to another player and that player picks one of those two. So it’s a double blind sort of thing, and then people discuss who is lying and who the next chancellor should be.

But for me it’s the theme, the theme kind of works for the game, but it isn’t needed for the game. You could have picked something better, and then they made it possible to be political in the US, which works, but also just isn’t what game nights are about.

35: Werewords

This one I like better than some but also disappointed me more than most social deduction games. I watched a play through of the game and I thought, this might be a social deduction game that works for me, it has more than just accusing randomly. But it is still pretty random. Yes, you can see how good the questions someone asked were, but it’s fairly random still. And the addition of twenty questions, it’s just okay.

34: Donner Dinner Party

Now we go back to more traditional social deduction. Donner Dinner Party is about cannibalism and it’s an odd theme. Who is the cannibal is the game that’s basically going on. But it does some decent things where the party leader adds in a random card, and everyone puts in the food they found blind. It works for hiding information but still giving something to talk about. But still, if you and I both claim we put in the squirrel, one of us is lying and no one knows whom. So sometimes just keeping a mouth shut is better or it’s still very random.

33: The Resistance

The Resistance and this kind of includes Avalon, though I like the Resistance “theme” better is a nice simple game. I feel like it distills a lot of what many social deductions games do, but it keeps it simpler. I like the speed that this one plays, and people slowly talk more about things. And I like that this one doesn’t expect you to start talking with little information at the start like a lot of them do. I don’t love this game by any means, but it’s the best of this group.

32: DICEcapades

I just got rid of DICEcapades, and I kind of miss it. It’s odd, but it wasn’t one that I was going to play again. I like the random challenges it made you do like stacking dice, or adding up dice really quickly, or stuff like that. But then there was a trivia section, and the trivia is bad. Not that it’s too hard, it often isn’t, but it’s a you know it or you don’t. Everything else is silly and fun, that part is just boring.

31: Farkle

Farkle is a nice beer and pretzel style of game. By that I mean you can take it to a bar and not pay that much attention and have something to do. As a bigger group game, though, it just takes a long time. The rules are simple and push your luck is fun, but when people just bust over and over and over again, or there are a bunch of people between your turns, it’s less interesting.

30: Bring Your Own Book

One of the earlier games I backed on Kickstarter, I thought the concept of Bring Your Own Book was interesting. You basically play Apples to Apples, but with picking something from a book. The issue is not all books are made equal. Having a computer programming text book sounds like a funny thing but it isn’t as good as a novel. And you need to know your book. Otherwise, you are just flipping too randomly through it. Good sounding idea, turned out to be just okay as a game.

29: Cthulhu Fluxx

Fluxx (and the versions of it) are a lot of people’s gateway games, or one that they play early on. It’s a fun little game that has one thing I don’t like about it. It can be a great time as you play it quickly, or it can take forever. If the game could last 20-30 minutes, it’s great, when it goes longer, it becomes boring. Though, there are ones that are fun themes and plays on the rules. Cthulhu Fluxx also adds in a way for everyone to lose, which is actually okay.

28: Codenames

Now, this is another one I’m likely wrong on, at least according to most people, but I do have a version of this I like better. The concept is good, and I’ll gladly play it, giving clues to get people on your team to guess words faster than your opponent can. That’s a simplification of it because it’s done in turns, but the word one I don’t love. Mainly, it’s too quiet, and you just don’t feel clever that often as the clue giver.

27: Telestrations

Telephone Pictionary is how I originally knew abut the game. Telestrations is just a version of a game that existed and was turned into print. It’s a fun game as you go back and forth between writing and drawing and see how close or far from the original phrase it was. It’s not really a game, but it’s a great party activity. Play a round of this with a bigger group or as people who up, it’s a good time.

26: A Fake Artist Goes to New York

Another drawing game, didn’t plan on having them back to back, but A Fake Artist Goes to New York is another social deduction type of game, kind of. One person doesn’t know what to draw, everyone else does. So the one person is trying to fake their way as they add to a picture. Concept is fun, and it’s an enjoyable time, but also one of those that seems to stick around too long for me. I’ll gladly play two or three rounds, but I don’t need more.

25: Zombie Dice

Zombie Dice is kind of Farkle like in that you’re pushing your luck as you try and get brains. All the time you’re trying to avoid shotgun blasts. This one I like better than Farkle because the end game is faster and then bad luck that happens is kind of funnier. Pushing your luck with no shotgun blasts and then rolling three on green dice sucks, but it’s also absurd. Just giving the concept a theme is fun.

24: Balderdash

Again, I have two similar games right next to each other, though Balderdash is nothing like Zombie Dice. Balderdash is a game where you make up what a weird law is, what an acronym stands for, what a definition might be, or more things. And then you try and guess the right answer and hope people guess yours. This generally doesn’t end as a game but devolves in a fun way into in jokes for that session and a lot of laughing.

23: Liebrary

Liebrary is very similar to Bladerdash. Instead of a definition or an acronym, you’re given the plot of a book and need to write the first sentence. It’s again really goofy and while it’s easier to know what the right one is a lot of the times, it can provide so many good laughs. And then when everyone things that a line is too crazy and it turns out to be true, that’s even better.

22: Unspeakable Words

Unspeakable Words is a Cthulhu themed spelling game where you are trying to make as big words as possible but you might also be going insane. Though, if you go insane, now you don’t have to make real words anymore. It’s goofy and simple, one that I played a bunch and then moved on from. But it’d play it again as a good little filler.

21: Flapjacks & Sasquatches

Another one that kind of falls into the filler category is Flapjacks & Sasquatches. You are trying to cut down trees and playing out different things to do that. There’s some take that, it’s kind of in that weight of a Munchkin, which isn’t on the list because I don’t consider it a big group game or it’d be very low, and Fluxx. This one I feel like is just more enjoyable and less in your face take that. Though, when it does have that, it is in your face. Plus just sillier in a different way, where Munchkin doesn’t feel that unique.

20: Tsuro

Now we’re onto Tsuro. I had Tsuro of the Sea lower, and this one works better. Firstly, the timeline is set. There are only so many tiles and it’s unlikely you’ll play all of them. Plus there is more strategy in the game while still being lighter. You just plan out how you are going to do move and nothing will break that up. But you also can manipulate it so that you might be able to take out another person. Though, now I’ve played it enough that it’s low on my list to play again, it is one that’s unlikely to leave my collection because it’s so easy to play.

19: Second Chance

Like Tsuro, Second Chance is another one that is super easy. I’m not going to remove it from my collection because it is easy, but I’ve played it enough that it’s not one I gravitate towards. It’s basically fitting Tetris shaped pieces into a board, it’s a roll and write, and then trying to end with the fewest open spots left. It’s very lucky, but it is also a relaxing game to play.

18: Coup

Coup is another bluffing game, but it’s not social deduction really. People can claim that they have whatever role they want and then take that action. But will someone call them out on if they truly have that role. If you guess right and they don’t, they lose a role, if you are wrong, you do, and the goal is to be the last one standing. Though, if you don’t ever call someone out, I think it’s that you can collect points to win. Clever game, and simple enough to play.

17: Scattergories

Another classic party game, Scattergories is one that I enjoy a lot. It’s a good one in that everyone probably has played it, because it is a classic. Though, maybe newer gamers haven’t. And it is a party game that led to others on the list. You’re just trying to come up with an answer to a prompt that might be a boys name or thing found at a beach and they need to start with the letter J. And you just don’t want to overlap. So do you take the obvious one in hopes that other people will avoid it, or go with something more out there?

16: Criss Cross

Another roll and write, and one that I still quite enjoy, but because of it’s simplicity it’s just dropped a bit. But it’s a great one, because of it’s simplicity for a bigger group. You just need to be able to see the dice. And you are trying to get the same symbols adjacent to each other in rows and columns. But you also need to put the two dice rolled right next to each other. So it’s a bit of a puzzle as you fill in your board. A good one, just one I’ve played a lot.

15: Codenames: Pictures

Now, the preferred version of Codenames for me, Codenames: Pictures. I like this one better because it gives you more of a chance to be clever. The images are so weird that you can come up with interesting ways to exclude some images or to connect others. And people discuss it more around the table. Can still suffer from silence sometimes but generally it plays with more energy.

14: Stipulations

And now another game that I’d put in the same category as Liebrary or Balderdash. The pick something and create an answer. But it also has some Apples to Apples where someone is picking their favorite answer. This one is more fun though because you have control over it. You write down a stipulation for something like the dream job of being a baker, but everything you bake is poisoned, some stipulation like that. It can overstay it’s welcome, but I try and keep that from happening.

13: Hues and Cues

Hues and Cues is a party game all about colors. In it you try and get someone to land on your color and get a lot of people close, as the clue giver to score points. And as the guessers, the closer you are the more points you can score. It’s a clever game where you give a one word then two word clue and then reveal the location. And it is one that works pretty well via Zoom.

12: Wits & Wagers

Wits & Wagers is my favorite trivia game, maybe the only one that I like. The main reason is that you don’t need to know the answer to do well. You just need to know who might know the answer and bet on their guess. Because it’s Price is Right rules, closest without going over. And all the numbers are numeric, so generally people can ballpark it. This one just works for trivia and plays fast and everyone is playing the same game, no one is putting down the right answer because it’s their turn to.

11: Not Alone

Now, we move away for a moment from party games. Not Alone is a one versus all game. The one is a monster who is trying to stop the crashed astronauts from getting off the planet. And everyone else is those astronauts waiting for a ship to pick them up. They can go anywhere they have a card for and can even discuss it, but the planet or monster is listening all the time. The idea is clever, the game play is pretty simple, and the whole thing is fun as the monster or the astronaut.

10: Medium

Now we’re back to party games. Medium is about matching words with your partner for that round. But to do that you both put down a card with a word on it and you try and say a word linking them and match up. If you don’t match, then you do it again with the words you just said. And if you don’t again, you get one last chance, and hopefully you’ve narrowed it in. It is good for laughs and everyone is thinking of the word that they’d have said as well.

9: Just One

Just One is a cooperative party game, not the last one on the list. It works really well with almost any group because the concept is simple. One person is it and they pick a random word from a list that they can’t see. Everyone else writes a one word clue. But if any of those clues duplicate, both copies of it are gone. Then with the remaining clues the person who is it needs to make a guess. There are rules to make it trickier, but generally we play it simply so that you feel like you can guess. I’ll let you find out on your own what the actual rules are.

8: Sushi Go Party!

And away from party games, Sushi Go Party! is a card drafting game. And a set collection game, or a set not collection game but mainly a drafting game. I really like it with larger groups because it doesn’t change how fast it can play. And it feels like there is more substance, because there is than a lot of other bigger group games. It’s one that won’t ever leave my collection because of how simple it is to get to the table and play and the variety it can have.

7: Cross Clues

Cross Clues is the second to last party game on the list and second to last cooperative one. This is kind of like just one, but instead of guessing one word from a bunch of clues, you’re trying to get people to guess a combination of two clues with just one word. I really like how this doesn’t have turn structure as well, whenever you have a clue for your intersection card, you can give it. Makes the game faster and keeps everyone involved at all times.

6: Similo

The final party game on the list, Similo is a blast to play. It might drop over time a bit, but when you have a lot of sets you can get a lot of weird things. One person is a clue giver who is trying to get people to guess their card from a group of 12. But they can only say if it’s similar or different from a card they play from a hand. And everyone else must eliminate one, then two, then three, then four, then one to win. It’s not too bad when you’re using animals to eliminate animals, but animals in hand to eliminate historical figures, now that’s interesting.

5: Welcome To…

Welcome To, the second highest roll and write on the list though I just realized I forgot Cartographers, is a great game, so is Cartographers for a big group. Each person is using the same poll of flipped cards and going for the same scoring objectives. So all you need is to be able to see the cards. And game plays differently every time because of how things come out. I need to play with more of the maps though.

4: PitchCar

One of two dexterity games on the list, this one is a racing one where you and up to 7 other people, maybe 9 if you get an expansion (so 10 total) are flicking cars to race them around the board. It’s silly fun as cars fly off the track or bank nicely around curves. And when someone has a good shot, you cheer. Grand old time and a silly game but in the best way.

3: Railroad Ink

Finally roll and write is Railroad Ink, and this is a bit of a cheat, as is my #1 because you technically need two sets. Thankfully Railroad Ink or Railroad Ink Challenge were released two boxes at a time. So you can play up to eight if you get both of them. It’s a route building roll and write, and with the challenges it just adds that little bit more. But I like challenges better for that more, it gives you direction when you don’t know what you want to do.

2: Deception: Murder in Hong Kong

And super high on the list is a social deduction game. I love Deception: Murder in Hong Kong, why, because you aren’t just guessing randomly at the beginning. A murder has happened and everyone has four clues and weapons in front of them. The murder picks on of each of their own and the forensic scientist knows what they are. But no one else does and the forensic scientist can only send up reports. But with that first report you can start guessing, because it’ll be meaningful, and that’s immediately when the game starts. So great and always memorable accusations.

1. Icecool

Finally, Icecool. This is a bit of a cheat, like I said, because you need Icecool and Icecool 2 to play with 8 people. But when you do, it’s a blast. Flicking the penguins around is great. And the whole racing away from the hall monitors who are out to catch you and get through the doorways to get your fish, it works. Like PitchCar when someone makes a great shot everyone is excited. And you can sometimes plan a great shot.

Final Thoughts

Big group games are interesting for me. I often play them because we have 6-7 people on a game night, but generally they aren’t my favorite. Of those 45 game that I’ve played, plus Cartographers that I missed, maybe 14 are in my Top 100. That’s a lot, but also there are 45 games on that list so I’ve played a lot of them as well.

I think it’s that a lot of the party style ones aren’t that interesting, or try and copy other games too much. And I think it’s also because I don’t like social deduction that much. I’ll play those games but I won’t pull them off the shelf myself.

But what are some of your favorite big group games?

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The List

This list was a little bit tricky to put together. I think I have generally valid reasons for not liking these games, though some more than others. Or often, I know that they are solid games but they just aren’t the game for me. I did leave a few off the list that I feel like I didn’t give a fair shake to, or something like Cards Against Humanity which I liked as a fine game. It just has a very limited life to it.

1. Concept
2. Codenames
3. Dominion
4. Forbidden Island
5. Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game
6. Red Dragon Inn
7. The Resistance: Avalon
8. Spot It!
9. Tsuro of the Seas
10. Dr Eureka

I’m sure that I have some on that list that you really like. Dominion, Codenames, The Resistance: Avalon, Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game, and Concept, I know people like those a lot. And, I think I do have some valid reason for them, though you likely will disagree with them.

The Beer

The Key Lime Supreme from Surly Brewing in St. Paul, Minnesota. This is a really enjoyable beer. It’s what I’d call crushable. I can get through three or four of those pretty quickly if I wanted to. They are especially good for a hot day. It also isn’t too tart, it’s more like drinking a nice tart lemonade than something like Duchesse where it has almost more of a vinegar flavor to it.

Upcoming Streams

So, I will try and get all of these onto the calendar so you know what is coming up. But I want to, I think next Monday, do the follow-up Top 10 to this past one. 10 Games that I like that I’m probably wrong about.

Wednesday, 8 PM Central, I, of course am playing more Aeon’s End Legacy. I’m excited to dive into the next chapter of that game.

And I talk at the end of the video of wanting to do a Pub Meeple Ranking Stream. The idea for this would be to stream, probably on a weekend, and just chat with people while I go through and do my Pub Meeple rankings for my played board games. To be determined when this would happen, probably a Sunday evening would be my guess.

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The advice in this article, hopefully, will help people be able to decide what to buy in a more responsible manner but also decide what to keep. As when I cull games, I often consider what group I’ll be playing it with as well as other factors.

The Premise

I talk about this from time to time about how I have multiple board game groups. I play with a game night group. There are times I just play with one or two people. I play with a board game club group and a campaign group. And, I play board games solo. Plus, I often play games with my family as well. So I play games with six different groups, counting solo.

Not every game I own works with every group. I wouldn’t pull out Gloomhaven and try and make that work at a board game night. First off, 8 people can’t play Gloomhaven at once, at least not well. You’d be sharing duties on a character or house ruling everything. On the flip side, I can’t play Codenames Pictures with myself. But, both games are in my collection, because they work for groups I play with.

What Are Your Groups?

So when buying, or selling, a board game, I think it’s useful to think about first what your groups are. Do you play games mainly solo and with a significant other, except for holidays? Do you have a regular gaming group? Or is playing at parties and get together how you mainly game?

By defining the group(s) that you play with, you can start to define what types of games that you might want to get or keep. Now, there is something to be said for groups growing and dynamics changing over time, but that doesn’t mean buy everything and wait for that to happen so you can play those games. Most games will be available to some extent for a long time, whether it’s new or cycling through used. So start by defining your groups.

Let me demonstrate:

• Board Game Night Group – party games, bigger group games, sometimes light to medium games if we split into groups to game
• One or Two People Group – generally games that can be played a few times in a night, a chance to pull more off of the shelf that I don’t normally
• Board Game Club Group – big thematic games, generally not campaigns but heavier ones that don’t get played during game nights, also longer games
• Campaign Group – campaign games that’ll be played over multiple sessions
• Family Group – light games, card games, and party games
• Solo Group (aka me) – campaign/thematic games, and smaller games with solo modes

Using That Information

Once you define your groups, you can start using it to decide what games to buy. You can see some things, light games on the list twice, campaign games and thematic games show up, group games and party games show up. So when I go out do I look for those types of games in particular?

Well, kind of. I won’t ignore any game when I am searching because what groups I game with isn’t everything. But when I look at a game, let’s say I were to pick up Gloomhaven off the shelf knowing nothing about it. I’d look at it and see that it is a big campaign game. So I’d ask myself, will my campaign group get to this any time soon, will I get to it solo anytime, should I put this giant box down while I think about this? And it might be that my campaign group and I won’t get to it for two years, and I still might pick it up.

Or, let’s give another example, Isle of Cats. That game is fairly light, but not light enough for family gaming. But the theme is a lot of fun So I picked that one up because I love cats, I can maybe play it with the board game club or the board game night groups, but for sure can with the small group when those happen. But that’s only one of my groups, so is the value there for me? Well, because I love cats and because I can get it played once in a while, yes.

Not Using That Information

There also are times where I don’t use that information. Tannhauser which I picked up recently is a great example. That is a complex game that is going to take some work to get to the table. I don’t know that I have a great group for that right now, or I have one person who would probably want to sit down and learn it with me. But it’s a game that I really want to play, so I grabbed it when I could.

The question to ask yourself then is, am I willing to put the work into finding a group? Do I want to try and track people down to play this game. That is going to require work on my behalf and am I willing to do it. There are going to be some games, like if I can find Battlestar Galactica at the right time and right price. I probably have a few people who I can play it with, but to get a group together will be effort.

Really, what I would be doing is creating a new gaming group. It would be a group that I could add to the list. Those people who like one day epic games. Some overlap maybe with the Board Game Club Group, but not fully. And everyone likely has a grail game that they want to get. And those games, especially, I don’t think need to fit into a group.

Right or Wrong

So I bring this up that this isn’t a hard and fast rule. Some of this question came up because the person who was asking has a game that they love but they don’t have a group for. It might not be the right time for a game, so get it and keep it if you want. And it also might not be the right time to try and make a new group for gaming that would play it.

But, for a lot of gamers who really like to buy games and try new games. I think it can be a useful exercise to think about your groups. I said use it for buying, but I’ve used it for selling as well. Cosmic Encounter just this week is one that I sold not because I didn’t like the game, I do, but because I don’t have a group. So when looking at your shelf, consider the groups you have.

I’m actually going to do an exercise, as I go through and organize my board games again soon, and put in my notes on Board Game Geek what group the games are for. That is more for me, so if I find one that doesn’t have a group and I’m not that excited about, it can be one to sell.

Do you consider who you play with when you buy board games or sell them?

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Let’s see what all got played in the month of March.

Tainted Grail – 4 Plays

The campaign game that I have rolling now and will have even more plays of starting on Friday when I start a second campaign. I love this game and the stories that it tells. Trying to track down a giant guardian monster to fight. Going in a completely different direction than before and finding out things about the grail, and the world I hadn’t seen before. There is so much story and so much lore to unpack that I’m excited to dive in and see more of it. The game is tough, but it is really so worth it.

Super Fantasy Brawls – 3 Plays

I picked this one up and I blame GloryHoundd YouTube channel for it, but I am really glad that I did. This is a skirmish game that is based around card play. Your play with three different powers basically and you play one card of each power per round. So it makes for some interesting combos and pushes you in what you do while still being really simple.

The game also works because it’s not just rush in and smash stuff, there are goals to complete as well which gives you points. And if you ever have a character knocked out, they can come back in, so it isn’t like you can get locked out of certain cards. Really fun game and I’m excited for more heroes with the Round 2 that wrapped up on Kickstarter.

Ganz Schon Clever – 3 Plays

This one will be on the list a lot. I just like the game. Ganz Schon Clever is a nice puzzle game and a good roll and write for people who don’t know roll and writes that well. Always fun to play and works well enough via Zoom.

Railroad Ink: Deep Blue Edition – 3 Plays

Another roll and write game, this one is about route building. I need to play this with expansions because I like the base game a lot, but I think the expansions would add in even more. I will say, it is not easy making a good route. But it is fun trying to make the best one possible. Also played via Zoom and it worked pretty well, I will say. It is nice that so many roll and writes one person can have the dice and it works. You just need to print off the sheets.

Hanamikoji – 3 Plays

I played this one at work most recently. I know I love the game, but it was fun to get it back to the table, because it is such as simple yet thinky game. The four actions that you can do give you so much to think about. When do you play them, what cards has your opponent hidden away and how can you make the play good for you but not help your opponent that much. We knocked out those three games really fast after the new player learned the rules. My favorite two player only game.

Twice As Clever – 2 Plays

More roll and writes and more that I’ve already played a number of times this year. Like Ganz Schon Clever is is just a fun roll and write game. And it is good over Zoom.

Metro X – 2 Plays

This one I need to play on Malts and Meeples, I thought I had but apparently not yet. It is a run route filling in game that is challenging. Unlike Railroad Ink where it has you connecting things, here you are just filling in predefined routes. That sounds simpler, but the rules for how you can fill in the routes makes it very challenging. And the cards you flip, in this roll and write game, never come up quite the right way. Definitely a good one and it comes with dry erase boards.

Codenames: Pictures – 2 Plays

It had been a while since I played any form of Codenames. It generally got pulled out once or twice a year. But it was fun to play again. We did it via Zoom so Kristen and I were the people giving clues. We messed it up some, but it was a blast and works well via Zoom. I still stand by my thought that Pictures is the far superior version to words because you have way more chances to be clever. I remember games of Codenames Pictures for the game, I remember regular Codenames for where I was.

Clever Hoch Drei – 1 Play

What, more roll and writes. Well, we had to play through the trilogy of Ganz Schon Clever, Doppelt So Clever and Clever Hoch Drei. This one is interesting to teach. But I like it probably the second best. It gives you a lot of confusing things to do but once you get them down, they make sense.

Marvel United – 1 Play

I’ll let my videos do the talking:

Marvel United is a great simple cooperative game. And now I have way more with the expansions. I’ll be playing one tonight, as I said above, at 8 PM Central time, so join me then.

Marvel Battleworld – 1 Play

Let’s be fair, I play Marvel Battleworld for the thrill of busting open something to see what little Marvel figure I got. Will I ever play it again after I open up the characters, I mean, I have, but it’s not high on my list to play again. This is a game with massive amounts of toy factor to it and that collectors itch as well. Marvel Battleworld is not a great game, it’s extremely simple and very random. That’s a big knock, but did I mention the collectors itch that it gives you as you break into a blind pack?

So many games played, but still not quite on track. Which of these games seems the most interesting to you to play?

Yearly Stats

Just as we get into the year, let’s see how we are doing stats wise, this will include what I’ve done in April thus far as well.

85 Plays with 16 different people.

The game played the most with 12 total plays is Deadly Doodles followed by Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon with 9 and then tied Ganz Schon Clever and Metro X with 7. In total there have been 24 different games played. And 9 of the games are roll and write games.

So it’s looking good, and I love to see that I am playing board games a lot. Honestly, playing a board game and letting my brain think that way versus thinking about work or a work problem or something like that is one of my favorite ways to de-stress.

Well, I’ll be back next month with all the new plays.

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Solo Or Not

The first thing to think about is if you’ll be playing games with other people? If I’m going camping, I probably will be going with friends or my wife so I’ll have a second player. If I’m going on a work trip, there’s no guarantee that’ll be the case. So I need to think about who I’ll be playing with that what player count I’m needing.

Where Am I Going?

This also matters, if I’m going camping, I don’t want something with too many pieces, if I’m going to a gaming convention, that can also be the case as well. If I’m going to work training and have a hotel room, I can leave something set-up or potentially have more room to work with so I could pack something with more pieces. This also, though, depends on how many days I’m going to be somewhere, what suitcase or bag I brought along.

So What Games Pack a Good Bang For Their Buck?

I’m generally looking for small games that are a bit punchy, by that I mean that aren’t just filler, but give you some choices as well. I will point out where some of these games work better as some of them might be a bit much for a camping trip.

Criss Cross

This one is a little roll and write game that would work well almost anywhere. Yes, players have their little sheet of paper, but it’s one little sheet of paper that you have to keep from blowing away, otherwise it’s dice. Super easy that way, this game is generally a bit more of a filler game but does offer a few choices as you try and maximize your points. It also isn’t a game that doesn’t have you thinking, you need to score in both the rows and columns as you’re filling in your sheet, and that requires some thinking and tracking of things. The box is also tiny, it’s one that you could even stick into a backpack on a hiking trip and have no added weight from it.

That’s Pretty Clever (Ganz Schon Clever)

The last roll and write game that I’m going to put on the list. This one is a whole lot more complex, but still limits what people have to a piece of paper and a pen and then the dice. Another good one for taking almost anywhere. Ganz Schon Clever gives a whole lot more choices though as you try and optimize your scoring, get as many bonuses as possible and get a big score. The other two games in the series, Twice as Clever, and Clever Hoch Drei both would work as well as the premise is the same and the amount of stuff is the game.

Onirim

The two above can be played solo just fine and also be played in groups. Onirim is the entry on the list for purely a solo game. This one I don’t know would work as well camping, because you are putting out cards, I guess in the tent, but it’s a great hotel room game, or even an on the flight game. You are trying to pay out cards in a certain order and way so that you get three of a color in a row, they just have to be non-repeating symbols, in order to find doors to escape from this dream world with nightmares trying to stop you. It requires a bunch of shuffling, but I don’t mind that, and it’s a nice game that has enough going on to keep t interesting, but not so much that you can’t pay attention to anything else.

Silver Amulet (Coin, Bullet, or Dagger)

The Silver games work well for small box games that pack some interesting choices. And you could probably get all of them into a single box if you wanted to give you a lot of game to take along. In the game you are trying to get the village with the lowest points. You do that by swapping in cards to your face down village, the trick is that you only know what two of your cards are at the start. So the cards have powers and you can use those powers to see more cards, swap cards with an opponent, or more. Eventually someone will call for a vote, and if they have the fewest points, they get zero and everyone else scores their points. If they don’t you get 10 additional points, lowest after four rounds wins. If you were to stick it all in one box, you’d have tons of different combinations to play which means even for a longer trip, this game has a lot of bang for it’s small size.

Claim/Fox In the Forest/The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine

I’m lumping all three of these together because they are all trick taking games that come in small packages. Fox in the Forest is specifically a two player game, so won’t work for every trip. The Crew is a cooperative trick taking game, and Claim is an interesting game where you play through twice, and the second time is when you score, the first time is building your hand for that second time. But trick taking games are nice, and obviously you could do things like Hearts as well with just a deck of cards, but that’s certainly a good option as well. These all will feel like a bit of a step beyond your more standard trick taking games while still really using the same mechanics.

Codenames Pictures

Final one on the list, and there could be a whole lot more, but Codenames Pictures works really well for a game with a little bit larger box. The downsize is the box is a bit larger, the upside is that you can play with almost any number of people, you just split into two teams, one clue giver from each team and everyone else guesses when it’s their teams turn to do so. While I don’t love Codenames in general, I think that pictures works well and shortens a game that feels like it should be a party game but often plays quieter than that. Pictures helps keep the energy level higher, but really any version of Codenames would do. It is also nice because it isn’t too large. The downside is that you are laying out cards on a table, so while it might work some places, give it a bit of a breeze and you might be running around trying to pick-up cards. But good for gatherings where you are going to be indoors.

What are some games that you take when traveling? Do you have a favorite that you’ll always grab?

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