Pitch Car | Nerdologists https://nerdologists.com Where to jump in on board games, anime, books, and movies as a Nerd Wed, 20 Aug 2025 15:41:46 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.2 https://nerdologists.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/nerdologists-favicon.png Pitch Car | Nerdologists https://nerdologists.com 32 32 Top 10 Sneaky Party Games https://nerdologists.com/2025/08/top-10-sneaky-party-games/ https://nerdologists.com/2025/08/top-10-sneaky-party-games/#respond Wed, 20 Aug 2025 15:37:53 +0000 https://nerdologists.com/?p=9771 What games are going to work well with groups that aren't the normal party games? I have a list of 10 to change things up.

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Okay, you want to play a game that is great for a party. But you don’t want to play a traditional Apples to Apples or Catch Phrase sort of game. What are your options? My goal is to give you a list of 10 games that work well as party games without falling into that traditional party game style of create an answer or guess something. Because, I think that those games can be fine, but sometimes you want something different. So here are 10 different types of party games.

Top 10 Sneaky Party Games

10. Criss Cross

First of only two roll and write games on the list. And both of them are pretty similar in some ways. In Criss Cross you want to fill in a grid so that you score the most points in your rows and columns. This is done by filling in symbols on two dice that are rolled. The more like symbols in a row or a column, the better you do.

The twist on the game comes in that each time the dice are rolled you treat them like a domino. That means that the two faces of the dice always need to be played adjacent to each other. If you aren’t careful you might lock yourself out of being able to completely fill in your board.

The nice thing about this one is that it’s a short and simple. It is the type of game that you are apt to play a few times in a row which is a nice thing for a party game.

9. Knister

Knister
Image Source: Nürnberger-Spielkarten-Verlag

Knister is a fair amount like Criss Cross. You want to basically create Yahtzee style groups of five dice in rows and columns and on the diagonal as well. And this is done by rolling two dice and you place the combination of two wherever you want on your board.

This one I put slightly above Criss Cross for a party style game. Mainly because while both of the games are going to work great in a larger group, Knister is a bit easier to teach. Though the game itself is a bit harder to come by. But more people understand the concept of creating runs and pairs with numbers than doing so with symbols or pairs and sets. Plus there is not the domino type rule that people need to internalize.

8. PitchCar

I might have put more dexterity games on the list, but I wanted to keep it away from just being a list of that for alternative party games. PitchCar is the one I picked. It might be easier to get two copies of Ice Cool and play up to eight that way, it’s cheaper for sure. But I think that PitchCar is easier for players to understand.

This is a car racing game where to race you car you just flick it along the track. If you fall off, you go back to where you went. And when there is traffic you might run into traffic and push someone forward or off the track or into a spot where they don’t want to be.

The great thing about PitchCar is how everyone is engaged. In between your turn sure you are chatting, which is great for a party style game. But if someone makes a great shot, or falls off the track for the fourth shot in a row, everyone reacts. Especially for a great shot.

And there is a ton of PitchCar stuff you can get. If you play it a lot as a group, you can add in things like ramps and jumps, narrower tracks, or even a loop. Of course all that adds up and makes it even harder to store.

7. Strike

Strike
Image Source: Ravensburger

Strike is an obvious one for the alternative party games list. Mainly because it’s nothing more than rolling dice and taking pairs. Now, this is a game that only plays up to five. But if you want to play with more you can do like I did and buy another set of the game.

But the great thing, like some other push your luck games higher on the list, this game is simple. It is all push your luck. How many dice do you roll to get a pair? Okay, you didn’t get a pair or set of dice with the same number. Do you roll again or pass and not risk losing more dice. It has that egging people on, and those moments where you clear everything out that is exciting, or those moments where you roll a bunch of dice and somehow manage to get no matches.

6. Unlock Games

This does not need to be only the Unlock escape room style games. I think that Exit games work well as well. I will caveat this a little bit though. If you pick an escape room style game, it should be for when you need a party game at a lower player count. This one makes it on the sneaky party games list because it’s easy to get to the table and everyone generally understands the concept of puzzles and escape rooms. It’s just at higher player counts not everyone can see everything as easily.

The other nice thing is that you can scale or tailor multiple things to your group. Some of it is scaling how hard the puzzle is. They generally give you an idea from easy to hard. But you also can pick a theme. If you know you want to do this with a more casual group but they like The Pirates of the Caribbean movies, there is a pirate themed one. Or maybe they love Lord of the Rings, there is an Exit Game with the Lord of the Rings theme. It will all depend on your group.

5. Deception: Murder in Hong Kong

Deception Murder in Hong Kong
Image Source: Board Game Geek

Now, a lot of social deduction games could go on the party games list. I think that most social deduction games are just party games without much actual game behind it. Deception: Murder in Hong Kong is going to give you both deduction and social deduction as you try and figure out who the murder is.

But this game has a great twist on the normal social deduction games. Each player has four murder weapons and four clues in front of them. And the murder is going to, during the eyes closed time of the social deduction part of the game, pick one murder weapon and clue in front of them.

So how do the players know, the players can figure it out, with deduction, kind of, through reports sent up by the forensic scientist. Of course, the report might lead them in the wrong direction because they don’t know who the murderer is, so everyone is now suspicious.

It’s a great game to get people talking and engaging with each other. Even if it is just in the game it’s simple enough to keep things moving and works really well.

4. Fiction

People like the game Wordle online or at least they did. I don’t think it’s that people don’t like it anymore, I think that it’s more a lot of people just let it fall by the wayside. Fiction, though, is a one versus everyone Wordle style game. And that works as a party game because you can rotate who is the one. That one person is the keeper of the word. And everyone is going to be the guessers of the word.

Now, does that sound like too many guessers? Yes, it probably does. But there is a nice little twist on the game. The person who is the keeper of the word can also lie. Yup, you heard that right, they can lie. But when they lie, they need to be consistent about their lie. So as you go you might be able to track down or figure out what the lie is in what they are giving you as a clue. then when you either win or fail, you pass that keeper of the word role along and keep playing.

3. Push

Push
Image Source: Ravensburger

The next two games are both of the same type. They are push your luck games. And both of them work well. I put Push slightly below the other one because the other one is easier to learn. But I think I like Push as a better game.

Why does Push work as a party game? I know there is an upper limit of six players, but I’ve played with more. So it works well for that larger group. And with a good party style game people need to be invested or engaged in egging others on or giving them grief. And with Push, you are invested. You want the player to stop if you might get something ideal for your collection. Or you want them to push because if they bust, well that is great for you.

2. Flip 7

Flip 7 has many of the same attributes as Push. But it is simpler in what you do. There isn’t the three piles, you just decide on your turn to draw a card or bank the points that you have. That is as simple as it gets. But it still has the same fun of egging someone on to draw one more card. And if they manage to pull that off, then do they push their luck again. And the same goes for your turn. It’s simple but it works really well as that bigger group party style game.

1. Ready, Set, Bet!

Ready Set Bet
Image Source: AEG

I debated about putting it on the list at all, but if it’s on the list, it’s #1. This is a betting game where a horse race is happening in real time and players are throwing down bets in real time. It’s a chaotic time and you would think that watching two dice being rolled over and over again would keep people engaged. But every time I play the game people end up standing and are highly invested in those two dice roles.

The reason it almost didn’t make the list is that it can have a bit more going on in it. There are prop bets that players can bet on and you need to know how those work. But if you don’t want to learn how those work, that’s okay, you can do great by betting on the right horse at the right time to win big.

What Are You Playing?

Now all of these games are going to have different results for you. So I think you need to know your group. Some of them are going to be better for different player counts as well. But all of them will move you away from those more traditional party games.

Is there one that stands out that you’d love to play with your group? Let me know that down in the comment section below. Or do you have a game that you go to that aren’t traditional party games when you need a party game?

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Back or Brick: Castle Feud – Hydra https://nerdologists.com/2021/12/back-or-brick-castle-feud-hydra/ https://nerdologists.com/2021/12/back-or-brick-castle-feud-hydra/#comments Wed, 29 Dec 2021 15:55:05 +0000 https://nerdologists.com/?p=6524 Build your castle, hurl fireballs, and take down your enemies walls and troops until you are victorious in Castle Feud from Vesuvius Media Ltd.

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Build your castle, hurl fireballs, and take down your enemies walls and troops until you are victorious in Castle Feud from Vesuvius Media Ltd.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/vesuviusmedia/catapult-feud-hydra?ref=user_menu

Pros

  • Light Game
  • Toy Factor
  • Price Point
  • Retail Version

Cons

  • Kickstarter exclusives
  • Light Game

The Page

This is a really nice game. Vesuvius Media Ltd has a very good brand going for this silly little game with the artwork and everything. And I call it little, but it’s not that little it’s more light. The game is just using the catapults to launch balls and knock down your opponents troops. This is going to fall into the category of games that will be fun every time they get pulled out, but might not get pulled out as often. But that’s getting into the game. The aesthetic of the game doesn’t hide the fact that it’s going to be light though.

The page is laid out well, and they have a lot to show off on it. I wish that some sections were easier to find, like stretch goals, pledge levels, and reviews. But they have so many images, it is just a really big page. And while it is all really cool, this is a page that would be great on Gamefound where there is navigation and hard on Kickstarter because there isn’t.

The Game

I’ve already said, this is a really light and silly game. I can imagine in two years or so playing with my toddler and really enjoying the game. It might be something even before playing it as a game we can just play around with it. Because it’s as much a toy as a game.

This game, like I said before, is going to be one that will be fun every time it is pulled out. I think that most people will find it that way because there isn’t a chance to strategize, it is just meant to be silly fun. It reminds me of PitchCar and Ice Cool like that. A downside is that it’s primarily a two player game. You can play with more if you get more sets, but I’ll be curious to see how that might work. I feel like it’ll be best at two players when you can fire straight on the enemies catsle.

Back or Brick

You might have an idea where I am leaning already, mainly because of Point of Order not too long ago. This is going to be a back for me. I haven’t even played the game yet, but I really want to. I might set it up and play solo, once the Christmas tree is down, and the room is a bit more open. I might even just build up a massive castle with all the pieces and just bombard it.

I also think that this is a game that won’t leave my collection, at least for a while, because of the toy factor. Even if I’m done with the game, as a game, eventually, this is going to be a toy that the toddler can play with. It is going to be so simple that the toddler can pull it out with a friend and play it as a game. And I can see spending a lot of time building cool castles and then blowing them up.

How about for you, is this game a back or brick?

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Point of Order: Where is my Board Game Shelf Space? https://nerdologists.com/2021/11/point-of-order-where-is-my-board-game-shelf-space/ https://nerdologists.com/2021/11/point-of-order-where-is-my-board-game-shelf-space/#comments Thu, 18 Nov 2021 19:18:26 +0000 https://nerdologists.com/?p=6329 Do I have enough room on my shelves for another board game? And since I just didn't get a board game so I have enough for all of them?

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Yes, I am running out of shelf space and as I do that I cycle games in and out. But I still have a bit more room, so I’m at least good for now. But what new board game is taking up my shelf space? There’s a number of them that have come in recently, such as Sleeping Gods pre-order, but what are some of them that I haven’t talked about because, well, there are a number of them.

Eagle Gryphon Games Order

This one happened today. I normally wouldn’t have done it, but I got an e-mail from Eagle Gryphon game that they have their Black Friday sale going on, and there’s even extra off when you hit $50, $100 and $200 I believe.

PitchCar Expansion 8

One of two expansions that I don’t have. This one is cool in that it allows you to split your road. You can create two paths. If you think about games like Mario Kart or often Need for Speed games, there are a lot of the time shortcuts that you can take. Or the board game Downforce has tracks that split as well.

Well, now I can do that in PitchCar. And I’m probably never going to say no to even more PitchCar. PitchCar is just so much fun, and it’s in some ways easier to get to the table than Icecool, which does something similar with flicking penguins instead of cars. Racing is just a theme that people understand better than penguins in high school. And this I want to create that shortcut, or maybe a long cut.

Pitch Car
Image Source: Ferti

Fleet: The Dice Game

To hit the point where I could get a bit more off I added a roll and write game to the list. For a lot of YouTube people I watch, The Brother’s Murph and Dr GloryHogg on the GloryHoundd YouTube Channel, they really like this one. It is a roll and write with a number of combos, but it is also a roll and write that it heavier. It’s one that has been on my radar for quite a while, it’s just been hard to find. So already on sale for Black Friday and pushing me to get 10% off, I’ll add it to an order.

All Systems Go Purchase

This is from a couple of times of going to ASG. The last game on the list I actually got when I finalize selling my RPG stuff that I talked about last time, which I talk about why I sold a lot of RPG stuff here. Buying stuff this last time with store credit I had left and paying for what was leftover pushed me to the point where now I can get a free $100 game with their rewards program. I just need to figure out what.

The Crew: Deep Sea Adventures

This is one that I might have talked about before, but it was a pre-order that came in. I didn’t actually realize it, but they rang it up when I was in the store even though I’d already paid for it. They caught that not me, so now I have store credit to use on my next purchase, which I’m glad they noticed. It’s something that could have easily been missed.

But onto the game, this is a trick taking game. It’s a cooperative one and that’s different. There was already another version of it that I own as well and need to get played. You’re limited in how you can communicate, and you need certain players to win certain things. I might need to win the trick with the red four in it, for example. And to go with that, you might be allowed to only win one trick. So it’s an interesting puzzle that I want to dive into.

Marvel Champions: War Machine and The Mad Titan’s Shadow

Marvel Champions
Image Source: Fantasy Flight Games

This is just more Marvel Champions. I say that like it’s not a big thing. The Mad Titan’s Shadow was delayed for ages because of the shipping crisis, at least in getting to the US. Well, it’s here now, so if you want to play through a Thanos focused campaign, you can do that now. And War Machine is another character to add into the pool to play with. I’m excited to play with them, and really, I need to play more Marvel Champions, I’m so far behind on the content.

Dinosaur Island: Rawr ‘n Write

If you’ve been watching my Top 100 Board Games (of all time) 2021 Edition, you know that there are a ton of roll and write games on the list. Well, here is another roll and write game. This is one from Pandasaurus who is known for a lot of different games but I love Sonora that they’ve done and they have games called Dinosaur Island and Dinosaur World. This one is a roll and write version of that first one.

And All Systems Go backed the Kickstarter. So this is the Kickstarter version of Dinosaur Island Rawr ‘n Write. I’m not sure what that adds in extra, but there are extra things in the box. That is just a fun bonus for me, because I’d have been fine with retail.

XenoShyft: Dreadmire

This one I picked up when I finalized my trade-in. Going back to my Top 100 Board Games (of all time) 2021 Edition, you’ll know from yesterday my #11 is XenoShyft Onslaught. It’s kind of tower defense deck building game with bugs. I call it Starship Troopers the board game because fighting bugs in space. I already know I like the system, this one adds in weather I believe to maybe make it even more difficult, and this game is already difficult. But I want to get it to the table, and it was used but NIS (new in shrink) at the same time which is fun.

Miniature Market Anniversary

Miniature Market does a good job of getting you to buy stuff. For my birthday month they gave me $10 credit to use. Anniversary month, I think for me making my first purchase but maybe theirs, $10 credit. Of course, I’m not going to let money to to waste, or since I already wanted these games, might as well make it cheaper on myself.

Land vs Sea

This is one that I blame Quackalope for telling me about, Quackalope is a board game YouTube channel, very good and highly recommend after Malts and Meeples. But they really loved this game, and to me it sounded interesting. Land vs Sea is kind of an area control game as you are building out areas of, well, land and sea. But depending on how you put stuff out, it can let you score even more points. And, this is key for me, you are building out a map, there is no set board. I have Carcassonne that does this, but I want another, well, I have one now.

The Dragon Prince Battlecharged
Image Source: Brotherwise Games

The Dragon Prince: Battlecharged

I love The Dragon Prince. If you haven’t watched this show on Netflix, stop reading articles after this one on the internet, and go watch it. It’s from some of the same creators (or maybe all) as Avatar: The Last Airbender show. I personally like this one better.

The game takes the main characters from the show, both good and bad, and allows you to create teams. You draft them or pick them thematically and then fight. So it’s a skirmish style game. I don’t always love skirmish games, Super Fantasy Brawl being an exception, but the theme of this one I love. If nothing else I want to give this one a try and see if it is one that works for me. If not, it can move on from the collection, because I got it $10 off.

Crowdfunding Backing

Mythwind

I won’t talk about this one much because I’ve already talked about it a lot. If you’re just looking at this post, Mythwind is like Animal Crossing or Stardew Valley but as a board game. That is, it is a game where there isn’t a win condition. You are just seeing how well you can do and how big a town you can build. It’s an interesting concept and one that I’m sure some people will love. I think that I might love it as well. But if not, I can always sell it for what I backed it for most likely.

Boy Band Builder

This is one that my wife backed a while ago and just showed up. Guess what the game is about, that’s right, building a boy band. I think it feels a little bit like Marrying Mr Darcy, where it’s almost a take that sort of game, but really you care more about building up your boy bad to complete gigs and get as many points as you can. I want to play this one because I think it’ll be good for a laugh.

Too Many Bones: Unbreakable

And this one is from Gamefound. I haven’t gotten any Too Many Bones before, even though I work within a mile of Chip Theory Games, might be a mile and a half now. Too Many Bones is kind of a tongue in cheek with weird characters little fighting game. There are no minis for the fighting, though, it’s all done with poker chips which is weird and cool.

So, why did I jump in now? This expansion wasn’t a bad price, and it’s a standalone expansion. To go with that the characters seem more interesting. One is kind of a weather manipulating character, and I forget what the other one does, but some of the earlier ones are closer to your more standard fighter, cleric, etc. that you expect to see in a fantasy game. If I really love it Chip Theory Games does a solid job of keeping stuff in stock.

Bullet Star
Image Source: Level 99 Games

Level 99 Pre-Order

Almost forgot about this one, but it’s a pre-order so will come in eventually.

Bullet [star] and Wood Pieces

From what I can tell, this feels like an app game. You are trying to blow up different patterns of stuff, and it’s just hard to explain. But it looks cool. It’s real time too, which isn’t something I always love, but if I can play it solo and real time, then I might be more interested in real time.

The idea is that you are playing down cards to destroy bullets that are coming towards you. And you are different anime style heroines, I think each with how their own powers. You are trying to do some pattern matching so that you can destroy those bullets but you only have a certain amount of time. And I got the wood pieces because they just look cooler.

Alright, that’s it. Which one of these games that’s coming in or that I already have would you want to play?

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365 Days of Board Gaming: July Recap https://nerdologists.com/2021/08/365-days-of-board-gaming-july-recap/ https://nerdologists.com/2021/08/365-days-of-board-gaming-july-recap/#respond Mon, 02 Aug 2021 15:04:52 +0000 https://nerdologists.com/?p=5979 How am I going on my board gaming target of 365 plays in a year? Was I able to keep up in a busy July?

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July was a really busy month for me, but not for board gaming. I unfortunately wasn’t able to keep pace, but that’s fine. My goal is to get in 365 plays, but if that doesn’t happen, that doesn’t happen. And I did finish up July very strongly with 12 games played in the last 5 days of the month, so let’s see what all of the games are. I hope that August will be better, I’m planning on setting up a bunch of gaming for my birthday this month.

So let’s see what got played in July.

Tainted Grail – 4 Plays

No shock here that Tainted Grail is again towards the top of the list. It’s the campaign game that I’m playing quite often. And we got into Chapter 9 now, which is exciting. The story is still amazing and it’s progressed in some interesting ways. This is still a really tough game and if you want to see why you might want to buy it or not, I did a video on that.

Aeon’s End Legacy – 3 Plays

The other game that I streamed comes in #2 in terms of most plays. Starting Aeon’s End Legacy has been a blast. I love Legacy games and I really like Aeon’s End. You can see my playthroughs over on Malts and Meeples YouTube channel. I really like deck builders and I think that Aeon’s End Legacy works really well for a cooperative deck building game.

Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition – 2 Plays

This was a new game into my collection and a new game to get played, obviously, this month. I am bummed I didn’t back it on Kickstarter for some of the nicer pieces. But I am glad that I picked it up at Target. It’s a pretty big game for a card game, in terms of the combos and game length, but so much fun. You can find my thoughts for it in a TableTopTakes.

Dice Throne – 2 Plays

Dice Throne is always a blast when I play it. I got to play head to head once and three player king of the hill another time. I really like it head to head, but king of the hill works well. Mainly, I like that it incentivizes you to attack the person with the most health. There is no ganging up on a single player, which just normal 3 player could do.

Image Source: Board Game Geek

Hanabi – 2 Plays

This was one that I hadn’t played in a long time but it was fun when I got it back to the table. We did okay in both of our games, but I like the concept of this one. You play with your cards facing away from you and are giving clues to other people as to what cards they have. Still need to get a perfect game on this one, but that might take a while.

Fruit Picking – 2 Plays

So, this one isn’t new, but it was the first time I played my copy. In 2020 I played this digitally for GenCon and I had a lot of fun with it, probably the second favorite game I played after Night Cage (which came in). Playing the physical version was a lot of fun. It’s a nice simple game in what you do, but there is strategy to it as you play. I like big games, but also simple games with good decision space.

Point Salad – 2 Plays

Another game that is simple. Now, I don’t think the decision space is as good on this one but still fun. Point Salad is a great drafting and tableau building game, especially with two players. I play it really fast at two which means two plays in a sitting. I also like that even with the same set of cards if feels different when you play it. Good filler game.

A Gentle Rain – 2 Plays

Two plays of this solo game while watching the Olympics. I should pull it out some more and get it played that way. I really do like this game as a relaxing game and a mind clearing and refocusing game.

Similo – 2 Plays

Another new game for me, this one I picked up from Horrible Guild recently. It is a really nice party style game. I really like mixing sets together because it’s fun to use animals to try and get people to guess a mythological figure or the other way around.

Calico – 1 Play

Calico
Image Source: Flatout Games

And yet another new to me game. This one I didn’t buy recently, but I hadn’t played to this point. The game play is a ton of fun in this one. It is in the category of games that are simple but have a great decision space. No full review of it yet, but if you want to see Beyond the Box Cover on it, I did write about that on Friday.

Icecool – 1 Play

Game night game and I am so glad to get this back to the table. Icecool is just a game of silly fun and flicking penguins around. Had an amazing time playing it as I always do, and with eight players it is just a little bit hectic and crazy. If you want a simple and cheap dexterity game, Icecool is it.

PitchCar – 1 Play

On the other side, this is a simple and expensive dexterity game, but also a ton of fun. We had 7 players, I believe, flicking our cars around in this game and it was a blast. The look for it is amazing and so much fun to play with. I loved playing it with more people as compared to two or three. Everyone was just having a great time and I want to get it out again soon.

Yearly Stats

So, like I said, I didn’t get as many plays in as I wanted to. I am at 191 plays which isn’t bad at all. But to hit my target it would be 174 plays in 151 days, which is doable for sure. I’m over 50% of the way to the goal. One cool thing is that it tells me what % of my collection I’ve played. 20% of the games that I own I’ve now played. And six of those games I’ve played 10 or more times.

So which of those games would you want to play from this past month?

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Bringing Back Board Game Nights https://nerdologists.com/2021/05/bringing-back-board-game-nights/ https://nerdologists.com/2021/05/bringing-back-board-game-nights/#respond Mon, 03 May 2021 14:28:28 +0000 https://nerdologists.com/?p=5615 Things are getting back to a normal slowly but surely. That means I'm thinking about more board games to be played, what will that look like?

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In the state of Minnesota, we are at about 50% of the state having at least one dose of one of the various Covid-19 vaccines. And that is amazing, whatever normal is going to look like going forward, we are getting closer to it. And one of the things is that gaming is going to be be coming back for me, at least, in a big way. Or at least in an often way. And who isn’t ready for a board game night?

I already have done 10 games that I want to play post Covid. And I am sure that there are way more. For that list, it was a lot that were focused more on board game nights. I still stand by that, but there are so many other games that I could think about as well for playing.

But let’s talk about the first game night that I’m going to be planning.

When

This was the first question that I had to ask myself. Now, like I said, Minnesota is getting to about 50%, and my friend group, probably is about at 70-75% vaccinated at this point, at least for the board game night crowd. But I wanted to give people a really good chance to get vaccinated. I really want to have as close to 100% of the group vaccinated as possible. So when thinking about it and just about schedules, I decided that July would be when I had my first one.

What also went into consideration was just people getting comfortable being in groups again. For some people, like myself who is an extrovert, getting together in groups again is going to be amazing. For other people, who are introverts, like my wife, it is going to be more stressful. So it gives people time to start getting out and doing more with family first.

Any Extra Procautions

Honestly, not really, though, I did kind of think about that with the games I have to play. I will ask that if people are planning on attending that they be vaccinated. However, I am only going to do that in July. Why, because I don’t want to be a stickler about it, against by July close if not 100% of the friend group who don’t have a medical reason not to be vaccinated should be. But also because it’s not going to be a big group either. At most one person, or two people from a family wouldn’t be vaccinated. But obviously, we do want to encourage people to get vaccinated.

Otherwise, no masks required, no bring your own food, but the games are going to encourage some distancing. Depending on the temperature, I might throw open some windows so that there is better air flow. But with our furnace setup the fan is running all the time so that should keep air circulating and keep on bringing in new area as well for ventilation purposes.

The Games

Image Source: Brain Games

So, the games that I picked are more so because you can’t play them not in person. But I do want to think about things that will keep people more comfortable. So the two main games for the night are going to be Pitchcar and Ice Cool.

Both of these games are dexterity games. So how do these help with any extra precautions. Well, you are not just sitting at a table with the same group of people for hours. You are getting up and moving around the table. Sure, you’ll be close to people a fair amount, but it won’t be sitting across from someone breathing at them.

But really, the main reason for both of these games, I couldn’t play them otherwise. Sure, Kristen and I could play them, or the one person who has been coming over to game with me could play them, but it’s not the same. Ice Cool is best at four or more if you have the expansion. I haven’t played Pitchcar yet, so I might do that before hand just to set it up and try, but again, seems better with more. You want to have that group around so everyone is getting excited when they make a great shot or when someone else does as well. That’s what really drives those gaming experiences to the next level.

What About Food And Drink?

So that is the only thing that I haven’t mentioned. And again, since everyone is going to be vaccinated, I’m going to feel very comfortable doing the normal potluck/sharing style that we do. Now, if we have chips, maybe I’ll throw a tongs into that so people aren’t touching everything as much. I can put out some hand sanitizer for people who want it. But most of the things, you are touching one items to put it onto your plate.

What Should You Do?

I think that is the question that everyone is asking themselves. I know a lot of people who are excited to get game nights going again and what does that mean for everyone it is going to be different. For us, I know the people I game with well, we do it in a home, so I can limit and control a lot of variables. If you play at an FLGS, it is going to look different than in a house. If you have people who can’t get vaccinated for a medical reason, that is going to look different as well. So I guess the advice that I can give is start small. No need to play games with twenty people, start playing with three or four and as things improve, go from there.

When do you want plan on your first big game night?

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Point of Order: Pitch Car and More! https://nerdologists.com/2021/04/point-of-order-pitch-car-and-more/ https://nerdologists.com/2021/04/point-of-order-pitch-car-and-more/#comments Fri, 09 Apr 2021 13:00:39 +0000 https://nerdologists.com/?p=5544 More games are on their way into my collection, let's see what board games I've picked up and why, from Pitch Car to more!

The post Point of Order: Pitch Car and More! first appeared on Nerdologists.]]>
Yes, I know what you are all thinking, more board games have been bought, but most of the things I got were expansions (that’s more of an excuse than a reason). Part of why more games have been bought is that my trade at my FLGS (friendly local game store) went through, so I had store credit. Some of it is that Miniature Market has an up to 80% off sale going on, and some of it is that a new expansion came out a week ago for Marvel Champions. Let’s see what I got.

From the Miniature Market Sale

Aeon’s End Expansions

We’re starting with something that wasn’t even on sale. This is just more of the small box expansions for Aeon’s End. I love this game, and I think it’s going to be one that I just start playing through all the content I have here coming up soon. The cooperative card play and deck building is fun. All the different mages are really good. And the Nemesis can play so differently.

Aeons End Buried Secrets
Image Source: Indie Board and Cards

But I got a lot of different expansions for it:

  • The Void
  • The Depths
  • Shattered Dreams
  • Buried Secret
  • Into the Wild
Downforce
Downforce
Image Source: Restoration Games

I’ve been enjoying racing games and the concept of racing games recently. Downforce has actually been on my radar for a long time, because it’s a different type of racing game. I have Formula D which is a big racing game with a lot of dice rolling. I have Camel Up which is a light racing game, and Downforce is more like that. In Downforce you bid on cars that are your car, but you also bid on other cards during the race. What is interesting about the race is that you spend your cards to move all of the cars, not just your own. So I play a card that moves green and blue forward five, red forward three, and pink, purple, and brown forward two (all colors are made up). It’ll tell me what order to move them forward in.

And you bid multiple times during the race. The better you do early, the more points you get at the end. But with the cards in your hand, you know some of what is going to happen. So you can manipulate it potentially to your advantage. Seems like a fun, light, different type of racing game.

Not Alone: Sanctuary Expansion
Not Alone Sanctuary
Image Source: Geek Attitude Games

This is a a one versus all game that actually works well with a large number of players. The person who is the one plays as the planet and monsters on it that the all have crashed on. They are trying to survive long enough to get off of the planet. I am not totally sure what the Sanctuary Expansion adds. More locations is the most likely thing. This game is just fun, and I love the cooperative planning that can happen. It doesn’t always happen, but the all can talk about where they want to go. They must talk in ear shot of the one, but as much discussion as they want is allowed. Really excited to try some of the new expansion stuff for variety in the game.

From My FLGS (All Systems Go)

Marvel Champions: Galaxies Most Wanted

I love Marvel Champions. The game is just a ton of fun and offers so much content already. This is the second campaign box that they have put out. The first, Rise of Red Skull is a pretty simple and straightforward campaign, but the Guardians of the Galaxy focused one, with Groot and Rocket is supposed to be more complex. I am really excited to see everything that is in it. And I am really excited for the Guardians of the Galaxy to be coming to Marvel Champions.

Galaxys Most Wanted
Image Source: Fantasy Flight Games
Pitch Car

Finally, we have Pitch Car. This game has been on my radar for ages, and I was glad I was able to find it used. Pitch Car is not a cheap game, especially with expansions, because it’s all particle board and nice quality. Pitch Car is another racing game but really different from Formula D, Downforce, or Camel Up. In Pitch Car, you flick your car around the track. Everyone takes a turn flicking, trying not to fly off of the track and do amazing shots and jumps, banking off the walls. And what I picked up wasn’t just base Pitch Car.

The person had traded in three expansions as well. So I also got the long straights, the More Speed More Fun expansion, and the Stunt Race expansion. This is enough to build a pretty massive track. This will definitely be one of the first games that I get out for in person gaming. A lot of games work via Zoom, but dexterity games not so much. Pitch Car and Ice Cool will be two that are going to be a lot of fun when playing in person again.

Which Would You Want to Play?

Let me know in the comments below which you’d be most interested in playing. For me, I think that it has to be Pitch Car right now. The prospect of gaming in person is just so exciting after it being so limited for over a year. And Pitch Car, the concept and the tracks just seems like a ton of fun. It might even be a game that I take to a board game store and let people know when it is going to be there to come try and play.

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