How to Play Biblios

Biblios is played out over two phases. The first phase is the gift giving phase. In that, a player takes cards off of the deck one at a time. With each card they decide to add it either to their collection, an auction collection, or face up for the other players. Once they have done that for number of players plus one, doing each action once, or once per other player, the other players take face up cards in turn order. You go through all of the cards in the deck that time. This builds up the players hands.

There are three types of cards that you might get. Firstly there is money, that is used in phase two. Next up item cards, stuff for building out your library, that is for area control or area majority in the different colors. Finally there are churches. Those influence the value on the dice. The dice are victory points, all starting at three, for each area, color, of item. And the churches increase or decrease the value.

The next phase, is the auction phase. So all the cards that go into the auction pile are auctioned off one at a time with going around to different players leading the auction. If it is an item card or a church card you use money to bid. If it is a money card in the auction pile, you bid a number of cards to get it.

Then, after all that is done, all gifts given and cards auctioned, you check for majorities. The value on the cards totaled for each color determines who wins that color. Players take the die of the color that they won, and you add up the total on all the dice. Scoring at the end is fairly simple.

What I Don’t Like

One thing that is a neutral item for me, but I think is just okay is the giving of gifts. Now, the concept is very interesting. When do you pass on something good, maybe putting it into the auction pile, in hopes something better shows up? That is cool, and I’ll talk about that more. But there are a number of cards to go through, so the giving of gifts just takes a little bit. And the interest of it wains a bit over time.

I also think that the scoring might be a little bit too simple, or more the strategy for it. Now, with more players and a few cards out of the deck every game, it does mean you can’t math it out. I think the more i play it though, I’ll find that I want to be a bit more cutthroat with the game. Buying up cards that others might want or messing with the dice more. I just want something more for scoring, like a bonus of 3 points for the player with the most item cards, something like that. Or a point for every three coins left after the auction.

What I Like

On the flip side, I do like the gift giving part with the push your luck element. What card works be the best for you. At what point in time do you maybe throw away into the auction a really good card because you don’t want it, but you also don’t want to give it to someone for free. But once you do that, now you don’t have the ability to hide an even better card. It makes an interesting choice like in Grimm Masquerade, just more of it.

I also think that the auction is good. Mainly because different cards auction different ways. I like that you can put good coins into the pool, so a 3 coin shows up, I might bid two or three cards, maybe even four, to just get rid of cards for an item I won’t win. Or to get rid of 1 coins. But there is risk with getting ride of 1 coins because if you bid a 2 coin and only have a 3, you pay with the 3 and get no change.

Finally, I like that all the cards aren’t in the deck. Even at the max player count, some are still out though not many. That means that you can’t count cards, though it’d be impossible to get everything figure out. In a two player game, if no cards were out, you could count it all I guess during the auction phase easily enough.

Who Is It For?

Who is this for, probably anyone. The game is very simple when you get down to it. I could take this to my parents and get them playing it fast. And I think that while it is light, for heavier gamers it is going to make a good filler. Even for more casual players, this is a filler weight and length game.

Now, I talked that it takes a while to get all of the gifts out. It isn’t that it takes that long, really, it is more that it loses some of the interest as you go. After going through cards and picking how to disperse them, some players might flag on that a little bit. But then the game is so fast moving that it’ll get to the auction quickly.

It is also best at three players. So a good game for that play with parents sort of situation. Two and four are solid, but three is the sweet spot for me.

Biblios Final Thoughts

Biblios is a great little filler game. For me it worked quite well, even with the bit of slowness. It helps that not on your turn, you still get a card. That means you care what the other player(s) put down. And I like it with three because now two cards are out for the players. If you pick first, I hope you leave what I want. It creates a bit of tension that the game doesn’t have a ton of.

I do worry, though, about the staying power of the game. Is it going to go like Tsuro where I played it enough times that I moved on from it? I think that it might just after enough plays. Now, I am no where near that, and it is a lower player count. That means that I won’t use it as a filler as much as Tsuro, Criss Cross, or Second Chance.

There are also elements that remind me of Arboretum where only one person scores a color. However, Arboretum has more puzzling out what to do. And I think it is meaner because you know what everyone else has, or is at least going for, on the table. Biblios scratches some of that same itch while being much more accessible. And also less mean than Arboretum because of that.

My Grade: B
Gamer Grade: C
Casual Grade: B+

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What Board Games Are Leaving?

There are four games that are kind of leaving, or potentially doing so, let’s go through those first. Mainly, I remember those off the top of my head. One for sure is leaving, but also staying. One might come to live at work. And two I need to check on to see if they will leave.

Boomerang USA

Boomerang USA is kind of leaving. I got it on a good sale and then realized I had Boomerang already for a roll and write game. I don’t need two copies of what are basically the same game. Just Boomerang USA is a US map and regular Boomerang is Australia, which makes more sense.

Quarto

This is the one that is going to work to see about. It is a solid abstract game. I like the concept of it when I played it. You pick the piece your opponent places down. What keeps me from loving it is that after two plays, the game didn’t feel like it’d be that different. I want to try it at work because it is a fast game. So might work better in that setting. I just know I won’t play it at home more.

Quoridor

This is a game that I have enjoyed. And I think Quoridor is one that is great for a lot of people. It’s a simple abstract game that gives you some real clever plays. The issue is my group has “solved” it. By that I mean we always make the last possible person block. And honestly, it is not that much fun when you stick the block with the last person. I could see it being better now at two than four, but not one that is going to stick around, I don’t think.

Second Chance

This is a game that has had a dramatic fall for me from my original top 100’s to being outside of it this past year. Second Chance isn’t a bad game. I suspect that it is one my wife is likely to save. My issue with it is that I’ve played it a lot. I’ve gotten my phone with it and I am ready to move on from it. Patchwork Doodle does something similar and offers more choices.

Deadly Doodles (1 & 2)

Deadly Doodles is a solid little roll and write game. It takes a dungeon crawl idea and makes it extremely simple. And that’s why it is leaving. I think the expansion adds in more, but it has a lot of expansion boards. And with those boards, you need to learn more and it is harder to get to the table. I would say, there are probably too many extra boards. Plus, Paper Dungeons has knocked this one down for me. Similar concept, but Paper Dungeons is a more interesting game.

Photosynthesis

This one was tough to say that it was leaving. I like it as a good abstract game, but I knew I was starting with that cube, and I knew it just wouldn’t make the cut. The game is gorgeous. 3D cardboard trees look amazing. And I like how mean the game can be. I am trying to get my trees to grow better and faster than yours and block your trees from getting light points to spend as action points. The game looks less mean than it actually is, and I am keeping another game like that.

Ascension: Immortal Heroes

I have three versions of Ascension. I thought that I’d maybe play them all more often than I do. And I guess, that is three versions of Ascension that I am keeping. But I can get them all into one box, so they are sticking around. Immortal Heroes, it seems fun, but higher player count doesn’t add much to me. And I don’t know that I need any more Ascension than what I already have.

Welcome To New Las Vegas

I own Welcome To, which I love. I own Welcome To The Moon that I want to try. But Welcome To New Las Vegas, I was really excited for. I am not so excited anymore. The game looks good, but it looks like too much to me. It’s a two sheet roll and write game, which I don’t mind. But it feels like a lot of busywork without the fun theme of Welcome To. So I don’t think I need all three of the games in the line. And Welcome To The Moon with it’s campaign, that is more interesting.

The Drink

Just an Old Fashioned again. This time, though, I made it with rhubarb bitters. Now, I am out of rhubarb bitters. I really like the flavor of rhubarb, it grapefruit, and lemon are probably the bitters that I always want to have on hand.

Upcoming Stream

So, next Monday, I plan on streaming. I will not be streaming next Wednesday. I have family in town so I won’t be around on Wednesday. Monday, I am planning on doing more of the Should It Stay Or Should It Go series.

And I have to say, I am pleased with the amount I found again for the chopping block. Granted, a few might be going back. I think there is a decent chance that Second Chance is saved because it is so accessible. And it is a fun game. For me, I won’t complain if it is, because I don’t mind it. It is just one that I like to play now versus one that I want to pull off the shelf myself and play.

Which one would you save? Which one would you get rid of?

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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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Ranking My Solo Games

So, one thing that I haven’t talked about when ranking is how I rank them in each category. And that’s somewhat because this is the category that needs this explanation. In a lot of them, I can just pick my favorite game, which game is my favorite roll and write. Here, I am trying to factor in a combination of what my favorite is, but also what my favorites for solo are. So if something is harder to get to the table, I might rank it lower.

I think that is important because solo gaming is a different beast. I think that some very complex games might be high on the list, if I could leave them set-up all the time. So I could go and play them for thirty minutes to an hour in an evening every evening. But when it takes twenty minutes to set-up, that isn’t an option.

28. Sword Art Online Board Game: Sword of Fellows

This might be the worst game in the group, and I still own it. I have played it solo a few times and it’s a fun push your luck sort of game. But when you’re controlling three characters, or two, it isn’t as fun. And the theme of the game, Sword Art Online doesn’t come through.

27. Legacy of Dragonholt

I think I I had streamed Legacy of Dragonholt, which I had thought about doing, I might put this higher on the list. The game is fine, the mechanics are solid, but the writing on the story was just fine. And when the game play is solid and the story is fine, it wasn’t going to stick. I’d love to see Fantasy Flight use some of their IP’s and create a story in this vein. Or even an Arkham game that uses the same mechanic.

26. Second Chance

Second Chance is easy to get to the table, but the game plays out the same every time. And with roll and write games, when I play them solo, I prefer that I can then compare a score, or something like that. Second Chance you just see how well you do. Sure, you can use the empty spaces as a score, but it’s not that interesting solo.

25. Criss Cross

This one is also one where you can just see how well you can score. I have it lower on the list, even though it is easy to play, because I have played it a lot. I don’t think I’d pull out Criss Cross to play solo again. Other roll and write games, yeah, those are higher on the list, but Criss Cross I’ve played a lot.

24. Marvel Battleworld

This one is easy to play and has high toy factor. But it is barely a game, the rules allow you to play some sort of game, but they aren’t that clear. You really play Marvel Battleworld to open up the little “Thanos Stones” to get new heroes and do the blind buy. It’s not a great game, but fun toy value.

23. Gravwell: Escape from the 9th Dimension

Gravwell is a game that generally would be higher in my Top 100 games but drops so solo, not because of set-up, but because the game is much more random solo. It feels like mechanically the game isn’t as good. So I don’t want to play it solo all that often. I’d play it with people, but solo is just okay.

22. Floor Plan

Floor Plan is another one where the solo seems added on and not fully planned. You get a certain number of rolls for solo play and see how well you do. But it lacks the tension of racing to complete different features that people want.

21. Pandemic Legacy: Season 1

This one I played through solo on Malts and Meeples, and it is a blast to play that way. Technically, it doesn’t have a solo mode, but no information is hidden, so you can easily play solo. But I wouldn’t play it solo again after doing that once. I would play it for the third time because the story and game are fun.

20. Marvel United

I was a little bit surprised that this one was lower on the list. But I prefer to play it with others. It again comes down to a solo mode that is okay. And you can play it solo like you’re playing multiple people, and it’s good. But the game is more fun with more players and working together cooperatively and discussing how you can set up the next player.

19. Tainted Grail

This is fun solo, and I’d love to have it higher on the list, but even three player, the game is a beast to get to the table. I’d maybe come back to it solo if I could leave it set-up. And I’d love to explore it again that way, which maybe I eventually will. But right now, three player play is great.

18. Onirim

Actually just got rid of this game, but I really enjoy Onirim and I still own the app. Onirim is a nice little puzzle of a game with a lot of shuffling. And I feel like the decision space is good. But as I get more solo only games, that are higher on the list, I know that I’m going to play it less and less. So the app is good enough for me, for now. I can always pick it up again.

17. A Gentle Rain

The first solo only game on the list. I think technically you can do two player, but it just means you split up half of the stuff, which means it’s less fun. The game is simple, but it is very relaxing to play. And for me, that’s nice. It comes in a small box, but plays large, in area, on the table. I wish it played a little bit smaller, so it was more portable.

16. The Dresden Files Cooperative Card Game

Now back to a bigger game, The Dresden Files Cooperative Card Game, I like to play that one at two best. But three is good as well. And the game while having a lot of cards, is pretty fast to set-up and get to the table. I think it works best as a game in general, if you know the books. The theme is there, but it’s hidden behind mechanics.

15. Arkham Horror: The Card Game

One that I’d love to play solo more. And I think the game works really well solo for keeping the game moving. But Arkham Horror: The Card Game, it takes effort to get to the table. There are a lot of cards, and setting up each scenario takes time. I’d love for a faster way to get it to the table so I could play it more often because the story is good.

14. Doppelt So Clever

We’re going to see a lot of roll and writes now. Which makes sense because they are easy to get to the table. Doppelt So Clever is on the lower end because while it is easy to play, it is less satisfying than some. Mainly because I feel like I’m not doing as well as I should be. That is a function of the game and scoring sections, but still, it’s less fun.

13. Deadly Doodles

Deadly Doodles is a dungeon crawler roll and write, kind of. I’d say it is a more like D&D where you go diving into a dungeon, get some treasure and be done. Maybe more of a classic thing, here you find treasure, get weapons and fight monsters. Very simple game, but a fun one to play solo.

12. Marvel Champions: The Card Game

Now back to a living card game that is easier to get to the table. Marvel Champions works very well as a solo game. I prefer it two player, but either works. You play as a hero trying to stop a villain and thwart their evil scheme. Deck construction is fine, but I just like that this is a mechanically fun game, simpler than Arkham Horror, but still thematic game.

11. Welcome To…

Back to roll and writes, Welcome To is a game that works as a solo game. Though, I will say that it is better with more players. And I’m not 100% sure, they might have improved the solo mode in a small pack. But base solo mode is go through the deck and eventually hit a point where it ends and see how well you did. It works, and the game play is still a lot of fun, just the overall experience doesn’t feel as robust.

10. Aeon’s End

Some people might disagree with me. You need to control multiple characters, I recommend only two. But I think this is fairly fast to get to the table. Use the randomizer, pick the market, grab two breach mages and a nemesis and get going. There is more than that, and there are tokens, but Aeon’s End is easy to control two at once. I think that’s a thing for a lot of bigger games, they might be better controlling two characters, but is that easy.

9. Clever Hoch Drei

The third of the Clever roll and writes, and the middle one on my list. It’s a good solo game and this one lets you feel like you can do everything. It is more rewarding than Doppelt So Clever, but almost too rewarding. You can do everything, like every track will be filled in a lot at the end. You can optimize it still, which is what I love about the game. But huge points.

8. Ganz Schon Clever

Last of the Clever trilogy or first if you read top down, Ganz Schon Clever is just fun. I still play it on the app. And I love the game two player. I think that it helps improve the game play and is less lucky than solo while still getting all the rolls and all the rounds. But at any player count, I always want to know what is going on during your turn. And the combos, it feels like the right amount.

7. Metro X

Metro X is a roll and write that has a great puzzle. It isn’t one that has many combos, but the game play feels so tight and restrictive. You try and complete routes, and as you fill in one route, it might help another route. But since you are filling in 4 spots, if you now only can do three before you hit a filled in spot, is that optimizing what you do. The game’s puzzle feels tense from the start.

6. Spire’s End

New to the list and new to me. When I did my cooperative games, I couldn’t put this one on the list. Since it technically is cooperative, though, it just splits it up so that a person controls each of the characters. I’ve even heard of three player with one person being the dungeon master. But Spire’s End, and I’ll talk about it more in the future, is a story driven game where you take characters into a spire for some reason. And you fight monsters in there, but game play is simple and smart.

5. Sleeping Gods

Hey, this is the one that I’m playing right now. You can what last nights stream here. For some people this might seem like a lot because there are nine crew you are in charge of. But you always control them as a group and I think makes it easier. Plus this game is so story focused that if you miss a mechanic, I don’t feel bad about it.

4. Super Mega Lucky Box

One that when I played it the first two times I thought might leave my collection quickly. But no, I really like this game. It’s basically binge, you draw a card, cross of a number. So roll and write mechanics with bonuses when you fill in rows and columns on your card. The game is very fast and so much fun. And there is depth to how you try and get combos working in the game.

3. Railroad Ink & Challenge

Another one that works well solo because you are just trying to beat your previous score. I like either version, so I think that Challenge adds some good stuff to the game. It’s mainly about connecting routes of rail and road. This one also has a strong puzzle to it and the right amount of luck, I feel. The app is a lot of fun too.

2. Orchard: A 9 Card Solitaire Game

Another true solo game, Orchard is amazing. Orchard is all about laying cards on top of each other and growing fruit. It hits that great spot of simple but interesting. The combination of layering cards, creating a few dead spots to try and score more, it’s interesting. And I can knock out games so fast while watching something from sports to cooking shows. If I don’t need to pay complete attention, Orchard is great.

1. Super-Skill Pinball: 4-Cade

Finally, Pinball. I love Super-Skill Pinball, I haven’t played multiplayer yet. But the roll and write works as a pinball game. It is maybe the most thematic roll and write game that I own. And there are a lot of boards, pinball machines, you can play on. The production quality is high and game play is so much fun, and I’ll 100% be getting the Star Trek version when it comes out.

Final Thoughts

Solo gaming is something I want to do more of. And I know it’s goin to be a way to help me get through my goal of getting under 100 unplayed games in 2022. Right now, the number sits around 130, and when I can learn and play it solo, it helps. I’m curious to see how two, Village Green and Floriforous play solo. Mainly because it’d let me learn the game to make it easier to teach to others, if I’ve played it.

What are your favorite games to play solo?

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The Roll And Writes

19. Second Chance

If you want to play about the most accessible roll and write I’ve played, Second Chance is that. It is very simple, flip two cards, everyone fills in one of those two shapes on their board. And you try and fill in as much as possible. If you can’t play either, you get a second chance card you can use. If you can’t use it, you are out of the round. So extremely simple, but works well. And it is fun to doodle and fill everything in.

18. HexRoller

HexRoller should be just as simple, but for some reason it a bit more confusing. In this roll and write, you fill in spots with numbers trying to connect paths and fill in hexes. It gets confusing when you try and add in the straights that can score you points based off of the dice you pick. It is a good puzzle of a game, but doesn’t feel like it has that much diversity to how it’ll play.

17. Cat Cafe

Cat Cafe I think should be higher on my list. It just isn’t one I pull off the shelf all that often. It is a fun roll and write game about building cat towers to attract cats to your section of a cat cafe. And it has drafting in the game. I really like the everyone goes at once but everyone is slightly different. The die you draft determines half of your action. And there will be one die left that determines half of everyone’s action. So there is strategy in how you build things out. Plus it’s about cats.

16. Criss Cross

This one is also on the list this low, like Second Chance, because it is so simple. Now, that simplicity means that it gets played often, or did. But it also means that it isn’t as interesting as some to play over and over again. Basically you want matching symbols in rows and columns. And you need to put two dice adjacent to each other as they are rolled. More more likely symbols you have adjacent in a row or a column the more you score. I like this on also because it’s very easy via Zoom/Hangouts/Facetime, even if you don’t own the game.

15. Yahtzee

The OG roll and write game. Yahtzee still works well as a game. It is a simple push your luck rolling game to get as many points as you can. But it works. And it works well for people who want a bit more casual of a roll and write. It is another one that I don’t need to play a ton more of because I already have a lot. But it is also one that I can play with anyone. Some because they likely already have played it, and some because it is that easy to teach.

14. Floor Plan

This one has dropped a fair amount since my Top 100. I actually got rid of it from my collection. Granted, that’s to make room, eventually, for Floor Plan: Winchester Mystery Mansion. A theme that I think works better for this game. In the game you make a floor plan. It is fun because you end up with crazy houses. The downside is you end up with crazy houses. I wish the rules made it so you built more of a house. Like negative points if you didn’t have a living room, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom all with doors. But if you want to build a crazy house, it is a lot of fun.

13. Deadly Doodles

This one is another one that I feel like moves around. I like it as a dungeon crawl roll and write. Basically, you go into the dungeon every day, fight some monsters, and get weapons and treasures. All of that in a goal to get the most points possible. The expansion makes make the game more difficult or give more options, but the base game is a lot of fun. It is another one of those games that I really like because of how fast it plays. And you get a story as you play of what is happening in your dungeon.

12. Patchwork Doodle

Now to move away from theme again, Patchwork Doodle is a very abstract roll and write. It is about trying to create the biggest quilt that you can. It reminds me a ton of Second Chance, you start with a shape and then add more adjacent to it. Patchwork Doodle, though, has more going on with it. And that little bit additional just adds enough to the strategy that it make sit more fun for me. And the big thing that Second Chance has going for it is how relaxing it is to play, I think Patchwork Doodle is just as relaxing.

11. Doppelt So Clever

One of a few combo focused games coming up on the list. Doppelt So Clever is my least favorite of the Clever trilogy or roll and writes. And it’s not because it’s the only one that I don’t own in German. It feels like it’s just the most punishing and locks you into lower scores a lot of the time. But the mechanics are great, and you do still get a lot of combos to play around with.

10. Clever Hoch Drei

Now we’re up to another Clever game. As compared to Doppelt So Clever, Clever Hoch Drei is the easiest to do well at. That means you get even more combos going, and that is because a lot of the tracks are so littered with combos you can’t avoid them. It feels good to get a lot of combos and all of a sudden what looked impossible to do is possible.

9. Super Mega Lucky Box

This is the newest roll and write on the list, and Super Mega Lucky Box is one that I wasn’t sure how high it’d get when I first played it. It is a very easy game to play. A card is flipped, you fill in that number on one of your bingo cards. But the more you play it, the more you can see how there are interesting decisions and combos as you finish off rows and columns. Whenever you finish a row or column, you get a bonus, and how you leverage those bonuses really matters for the winner of the game.

8. Metro X

How do can you maximize your bus routes, or subway routes, is what this game is all about. But it is clever in what it does, and I really like it for that. Multiple routes might go through the same station. And you are just trying to fill in stations. But you always fill in from the first empty spot down. And you can’t skip over filled spots. It’s hard to explain, but it works well, and makes you think about how to optimally fill in your routes so you can complete as many as possible.

7. Ganz Schon Clever

The final of the Clever games, and the original. I really like Ganz Schon Clever. This is even with knowing generally how to optimize the puzzle. I always push to see if I can do a little bit better. And the app for the game works well. I might not play it as much as I used to on the app, but it is still the one I go to first when playing any Clever game. And in person, I think it’s even more fun. There is something about hoping for the perfect die rolls in person that is more compelling than an app.

6. Welcome To…

This, I think, was originally at 10 in my Top 100 Games (of all time) and clearly with five more roll and write games above it has slipped. I really like Welcome To still. It mainly has slipped because I haven’t played it recently. And while I enjoy it every time I play it, I also do think I want to start mixing in the expansion maps. I think that it’ll change up the game enough that it’ll feel refreshing. This is also a roll and write with a theme that I like a lot.

5. Sonora

This is the final one that is all about the combos. And compared to any of the Clever games, this one has more combos. Plus Sonora has you flicking discs around a board to determine how you fill in things. Each quarter of the board fills in a specific spot on your scoring sheet. And as you fill in spots you get scoring bonuses, but then, basically, extra discs that you u se as well to fill in. And that can lead to more. Sonora gives you a great rush of feeling like you can do almost everything, every time you fill in on the board.

4. Super-Skill Pinball 4-Cade

Probably the most thematic roll and writ eon my list, Super-Skill Pinball: 4-Cade and the expansion(s) give the feeling of playing a pinball machine. Everything bounces in a way that makes sense, and while your flippers are limited, which isn’t the case in actual pinball, for a game it makes sense. And the boards are all so different. I really like the hacking board and the special that is on there. It can ramp a score like crazy, but will you fail because you push your luck too far?

3. On Tour

On Tour maybe should already have been in my Top 10 Roll and Writes and Top 100 Games, but I held off on ranking it until I played a physical copy. Why, because sometimes that’s different. And with On Tour, where you are making your best route for a band tour, I was worried it’d be hard to score the best route. Turns out, it isn’t that hard. But let’s talk about the game.

You make a route of low to high on states, but depending on what is rolled and cards flipped out that becomes tricky. You are limited to where you can play down the numbers. And everyone is limited in the same way. And as you fill in more and more spots, you become more limited. I think that is one thing I like best, the game becomes so much more tense at the end of the game, and each decision matters so much. But because you have fewer available spots, the game doesn’t slow down. It’s a great game arc.

2. Railroad Ink/Railroad Ink Challenge

So, in my Top 100 I had these two games separate. Now I put them together because they really can be together in that their mechanics are mainly the same. In both you build out train and road routes and your goal is to connect exits. Railroad Ink Challenge adds in challenges that you want to complete at certain points to score more points. Some people find it more complex, or too complex, but I like that it gives an additional thing to focus on. It makes my decisions faster generally as well. Really good roll and write with a very high production.

1. Cartographers

At the number one spot, not a big surprise, is Cartographers. The theme is a lot of fun in this game. I like making a map. There is player interaction as you put monsters on my board. But what really makes the game is the scoring. You score for A and B the first round and then going through rounds, in round four you score D and A, so you come all the way back around. It makes for an interesting puzzle to solve and try and optimize your points. And like most games on my list, everyone goes at the same time, so nice and fast to play, while offering great decisions.

What is Your Favorite?

I have so many that I need to play still. I own Copenhagen Roll and Write, Dinosaur Island: Rawr ‘n Write, Imperial Settlers Roll and Write, Welcome To Dinoworld, Welcome To New Las Vegas, Fleet: The Dice Game, and more on my shelf that I need to pull out. A lot can be played solo, so maybe I’ll do a big solo roll and write stream or day of playing coming up here.

Let me know what your favorite is down in the comments below. Or you can let me know on Twitter or Facebook as well.

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Let’s talk about the games:

Orchard: A 9 card solitaire game – 38 Plays

This is the game that pushed me over, when I was under the weather I knocked out a lot of it. It gave me something to do while I was bored at home. Orchard is also now at 100 plays for the year, which is impressive because I started playing it in August. But Orchard is a great little solo game and it allows me to do something while watching a sporting event or something like that. If you are looking for a little solo game, I love Orchard.

Tainted Grail: The Last Knight – 4 Plays

From a small game to a big game, Tainted Grail, the second campaign has been started. This is just two evenings and it’s been a lot of fun. I will say, The Last Knight legitimately feels different than first campaign, The Fall of Avalon. And there are a few different things, such as exposure that make the game trickier. I still like it for story mode so that there is less maintenance for the characters, and it’s still tough. The story and aesthetic of the game are so very good.

Ohanami – 4 Plays

And back to another small game, this one I like because it’s pretty simple but has some good decision making in it. You are just putting cards down in numerical order as you draft them, but scoring matters in what you draft. You score blue in the first round, for only three points. But then it scores the next two rounds. Green scores four points but only scores the last two rounds, and seven for grey but only the last round. So you can strategize some. And I played this two and four player and it’s fun but different at both player counts.

Patchwork Doodle – 4 Plays

A roll and write game, I won’t say too much about it, because I did a TableTopTakes review on it recently. You can read that here. It’s a good roll and write game, it is a bit like Second Chance. So that makes it easy to get to the table but it also adds in a bit more than Second Chance does and gives good game play.

Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition – 1 Play

I keep on coming back to this game and really enjoying it. I have only played it with one friend, but we know how to play it and can play it very fast. And we’re tied at two wins a piece. Our scores, my friend is average 47 points per game, I am averaging 46.75, so it’s always been amazingly close. And I have gone with different strategies in different games, depending on the corporation that I have, and it’s a lot of fun every time.

Dice Throne – 1 Play

Finally we have Dice Throne. It was Pyromancer versus Shadow Thief. I played the Pyromancer and won handily. I’ve had some rough games recently with the Pyromancer because I wasn’t able to get the fire mastery going, but I did this time and the Shadow Thief didn’t keep their CP high enough early on to deal that much damage. Dice Throne is a game I love, and you can see where it ended up on my Top 100 Board Games (of all time) 2021 Edition if you want here.

365 Days of Gaming Stats

The challenge got completed on November 25th. Looking at the numbers, it is 71 different games. Orchard: A 9 card solitaire game was the most played with 95 plays followed by Tainted Grail (34), Dice Throne (16), Deadly Doodles (12) and Ohanami (12). So that rounds out the Top 5 games that I’ve played in the challenge. And I finished with 36 days to spare.

Yearly Gaming Stats

So for the year, 378 plays recorded. Stats for games are pretty similar. Orchard is at 100 total plays and Tainted Grail is up to 36. 8 games have more than 10 plays and 17 with more than five. Plus a total of 72 different games over all. I am up to 23% of the games that I own that have a play this year. That number keeps on being pretty steady because I buy more games. I’d love to get that up to 25% by the end of the year, and I have a month left to get there.

I suspect that I won’t get to 25% played but we’ll see. I think that next years challenge might be based more off of playing new games, and by new games, I mean games in my collection that I haven’t recorded any plays of. My shelves are full, or nearly full, so I need to play more to make decisions on what games are kept.

What game would you want to play from my list last month?

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How To Play Patchwork Doodle

In Patchwork Doodle, you goal is to make as big a square as you can. To do this, you all fill in shapes on your board, a starting shape, and then six more per round. At the end of each round you score the largest square you have. If in round two you have a 6 by 6 square, that is 36 points. But if you have a 6 by 6 square and two more rows of six, that’d be 38 points. At the end, most points win, with empty spots being worth negative one point each.

Plus you use special powers. There are three, kind of four, in the game. When using a shape, you can use either one to the left or right. You can fill in a single spot. You cut off part of a shape to split it into two, with a single cut, and put in either of those shapes instead. And I say kind of four, because the fourth, lets you use one of those other ones again.

What Doesn’t Work

There are two probably negatives to this game. Though one of them I am just speculating about at this point. I’ll talk about that one first. I think that Patchwork Doodle might have limited staying power. While the game is fun thus far, I wonder about the variability of the game. It reminds me of Second Chance, which isn’t a bad thing, because I liked Second Chance, you can see my review here. But as time and plays have gone by, I am less interested in playing it again. The game is playing similar each time. Patchwork Doodle might do the same.

And the bigger thing is that they have colored pencils. And colored pencils work well for the game, but the ones in the box suck. They really aren’t usable, they are too light and you need to work to fill in the spots on your quilt. We pulled out other colored pencils, but don’t use the ones in there. It is like Second Chance in that doodling is part of the fun of this game, another peaceful roll and write.

What Works

Patchwork Doodle teaches very simply and quickly. It glanced at the rules and that was it. I could teach my parents and wife in a few minutes. And they got what was going in the game. The powers maybe need a bit more in terms of teaching, but they are still easy. It’s really the left or right shape one that takes a tiny bit more teaching.

The strategy of the game is pretty fun as well. Yes, it is luck based, but it’s less lucky than Second Chance. You get to make choices when you pick how to use the powers. Especially the ability to cut the pieces down. That allows you to fit in pieces later. And while missing a piece/shape doesn’t knock you out of the game, it does certainly hurt your chances of winning.

Some people might not like this, but I liked it, that the game is generally quite close. The starting shapes are different, and that’ll change up how well you can score, but if you are paying attention to making a square, you do well. But it isn’t so thinky that you need to spend a lot of time figuring out that ideal move. When a simple game punishes people for not playing ideal, that’s not fun, but if it’s too complex a game that it forces scores close, not always fun either. This is a right balance.

The rolling and limited number of cards, six of the eight, actually works for me as well. It works in that it gives you something to pull for. You want to know what number is rolled because you want certain shapes to be landed upon. When a game makes you want something, that’s a good thing. It keeps you invested in the game because you want that one perfect shape to get added to your quilt.

Who Is Patchwork Doodle For?

I keep on talking about family, but I think that’s really what this game is for. Patchwork Doodle works well with people who are familiar with games, but aren’t gamers. They maybe have played games like Five Crowns, Phase 10, or Ticket to Ride. I likely won’t pull this out with gamer friends, but for a nice fast game between stuff, it works. But this is one for playing with those casual gamers in your life.

This game isn’t heavy and it isn’t going to be my favorite roll and write game, but that’s okay. To me, this is that same spot as Second Chance, it just offers that little bit more that I think makes it interesting. So if you are a gamer and you want something that is easy enough for family but interesting you, I like this one.

Patchwork Final Thoughts

This is a fun game, I think that it’ll stick around in my collection for a while. In fact, it might, though I doubt it, bump Second Chance off of the shelf. I personally don’t know that I need both, but my wife might want to keep Second Chance as a very easy game to pull off the shelf. Patchwork Doodle as fits the bill, it just has that tiny bit more going on.

I really wish that the pencils had been any good. But with the size of this game, I’m probably going to laminate six sheets and just play off of that. But generally speaking, I think this is one that a lot of people will enjoy, but unless played in a casual setting, that a lot of people won’t love.

My Grade: B
Casual Grade: A
Gamer Grade: C-

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Quick disclaimer, I use the term roll and write for all sorts of “blank” and write games. This can be a flip and write or a flick and write and or whatever mechanic is chosen. Roll and Writes were just more of a thing first, with Yahtzee so the term got coined that way.

Cartographers

Cartographers might be my favorite roll and write game. It’s a bit more complex but not that hard to play. The basic idea is that you are creating a map, putting in forests, lakes, villages, and fields. But the game really shines with how you score points in it. The game has a creative way for it with playing four rounds, and each rounds scores differently. Spring scores A & B and Summer B & C and so on but Winter then scores D & A, so each scoring things gets scored twice.

Plus there are monsters in the game. When you draw a monster, you pass your sheet to someone else draws monsters in the least useful spot. The game plays fast that is a lot of fun and you get to draw a map. This might seem more complex when you start but it’s really not that hard to play.

Railroad Ink Challenge

Railroad Ink Challenge is a route connecting roll and write. You try to get as many of them connected as possible. There is Railroad Ink where that is about it, but Railroad Ink Challenge adds in, well, a challenge. And I think the challenge is more fun because it gives you something more specific to go for.

This game comes with really nice components. The box has a magnetic clasp, the dice are really nice, and the boards are dry erase. This is a bit more of a brain burner, I would say, of a game. Getting all the routes connected and optimizing your scoring can be tricky, but it’s a lot of fun.. And if you want to give it a try, there is an app.

Second Chance

Second Chance is the easiest of the games on the list. All you are doing is filling in shapes on your board hoping to have as much filled in as possible by the time you can’t place another shape. That’s all there is too the game, but it’s really a relaxing game to play.

Plus, it’s a game, like Cartographers, that allows you to be creative. As you play and fill in areas, a lot of us like to doodle in the different shapes. If you don’t rush through it and just enjoy that process, it can be a very relaxing game to play with anyone.

Super-Skill Pinball: 4-Cade

Now we’re onto the most thematic of the list, I’d say. This one feels like you are playing pinball as the ball moves in certain ways around the board as it bounces off things. It also is probably the longest of the roll and writes, but the different boards, pinball machines, you play on are a lot of fun.

The game basically has you picking dice to use to bounce off of different bumpers, knock down targets and score points. You can get a bonus ball in play or score double points. It’s another game that works great solo and there are a lot of different maps, four in the base box, that are a really fun time to play.

Ganz Schon Clever (That’s Pretty Clever)

We go from the most thematic to the most abstract. Ganz Schon Clever is all about maximizing the points that you score by filling in spots and numbers. This game shines with the combos that you can create though. Filling in a spot in one section can link to another section so you fill in there, and you can fill in a lot of things.

The game play is pretty easy, but compared to some of the more thematic ones it might be harder to teach. Still, it’s a great puzzle for players to try and figure out. And even when you figure it out, you still want to optimize the puzzle so you can score the best you can every time. Plus there are two more games in the series once you feel comfortable with this one.

These are just some, I wanted to give a good variety. I have 28 different ones on my shelf and I want to get and play around with more. So there are ones for everyone. Love cats, Cat Cafe, Jurassic Park, Welcome to Dino World, build a house, Floorplan, and more. So pick your favorite theme, so some are better than others, I will say. What is your favorite roll and write? And which one would you give or want to get this Holiday season?

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The Criteria

• Small/Portable
• Plays in 30 minutes or less
• Little to no set-up/tear down
• Easy to teach
• Small Footprint
• Plays well with few People

Small/Portable

There are some big games that do play fast or meet some of the other criteria, but let’s face it, you probably won’t be bringing in a Gloomhaven sized box, or have a spot to keep a Gloomhaven campaign set-up. If you do, you are lucky. So instead if a game is small and easy to take around, that is going to be the best way to go.

30 Minutes or Less

Game play needs to be fast. Even if you get an hour for lunch, you probably want to play something that is fast. A game that takes an hour, with teaching the rules, and other things can take longer. And you don’t want to have something that you can’t finish in that hour. Now, if you have a table in your work area, you can maybe leave something set-up, but otherwise, keep it snappy.

Minimal Set-up

This ties into that thirty minutes or less as well, Keep the game simple to set-up and take down. You don’t want to spend half your lunch setting up the game to rush through the game and be taking it down once lunch is over. So, instead, look for games that you can play basically right out of the box.

A Fast Teach

Rules are another big thing to think about. If I teach Gloomhaven, that’d probably take 15-20 minutes by itself. But there are games out there that you can teach really quickly. Pick those ones off of your shelf first. Or if the people you are playing with are up for it, teach them ahead of time via Watch It Played or some other rules video.

Small Footprint

You might think I already talked about this with a small game, but this different. A small footprint game is going to take up way less space on the table. Some of the Tiny Epic games come in a small box, but they take up a lot of table space. This one depends more on your work. some offices might afford you room at break room tables to play bigger games. I have played Power Grid and Dominion during lunch, not the smallest games. So know if it’ll work for you work.

Player Count

Some games scale well without adding times, some games do not. If you bring in Sushi Go Party, you can play with 8 people in the same time as two. Other games, however, you add in more players it increases the game time. Also find out if you play with analysis paralysis players, because that will make a difference in what you bring in, or what player counts you can do.

What Games Would Work?

Hanamikoji

This game is only a two player game, but you generally can knock out a game of it in 15 minutes. The actions are simple, set-up is fast, you could maybe even get in three games during an hour lunch. The biggest table hog part of it is the cards that are in the middle of the table, but generally pretty small and can be set-up and taught extremely fast.

Ohanami

This game is set-up right out of the box. And it is a drafting game, so that means from two players up to four players, the game goes about the same speed, which is as fast as the slowest player. Now, this does take up a bit more room, but you could condense the stacks so just see the high and low cards and then flip through scoring at the right time. But another really easy to teach.

Criss Cross

First of a few roll and write games on this list. Criss Cross is one where everyone goes at the same time, and that’s going to be a theme of all the roll and writes. It works well because the rules are fairly simple. The only tricky part of the teach is getting people to place the dice in pairs, so just really emphasize that.

Second Chance

Another roll and write game, this one again has everyone playing at once. So it can really scale as high as you want. Second Chance, to me, is supposed to be a relaxing game, so rushing to fit it into a half hour lunch with the teach and eating might make it seem a little bit fast, but once people know it, it’ll be easy to pull out.

Magic The Gathering

Now, this one breaks one of the rules for sure. Magic the Gathering is not easy to teach. So I wouldn’t recommend teaching it during a lunch period. But there are a lot of people who play Magic the Gathering. Instead of teaching it, hope the person knows it and has their own decks. A standard game of Magic with a 60 card deck and players knowledgeable in the game can make it go fast.

Cartographers

Back to roll and write games. The theme for them is that everyone goes at once. Cartographers is fun because for a roll and write, it offers more player interaction. I really like that about it. Teaching it can take a bit longer than the other two, but since it is map making, I feel like the teach can be a bit smoother as well. The game provides framework for what you are doing based off of the theme.

Sushi Go Party

I mentioned this one above, it works well and scales well. Since it’s a drafting game, the slowest person determines the speed of the game. And even in the players first game, people generally get faster as the game goes on. The one tricky thing is the combinations of scoring can change a lot. So to make it even simpler, consider just Sushi Go where you don’t have the card variability.

Dice Throne

This one would work better for a longer lunch because of the dice rolling. Now, there will be some people who don’t think this works because they have the big box of everything. So it isn’t a small box to take around. Open up your big box, take out two of the Game Trayz and take those. Or, I have all the duel boxes because I wanted to keep it portable. Probably for an hour lunch, but the dice rolling Yahtzee style makes it an easy one to teach.

Final Thoughts

Board games can be a good way to interact and get to know co-workers more as people. Out of a number of my jobs I have left with good friends who I still talk with. I know some people like to keep their personal life and work life separate, I don’t. I can get that mindset because sometimes people lose the business and professionalism over time. But I think being able to see your co-workers and people and friends can be helpful at times. And then be professional at other times.

I asked it at the beginning, but what board game would you bring in to play with this theoretical co-worker?

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So how do you keep this from happening?

Now, I could talk about analysis paralysis players here, but often they can cause some of the problems. But I just want to touch on that type of player briefly. It’s hard to remove downtime for any game that they are playing. It is going to be somewhat incumbent upon that player themselves to fix the problem simply by having an internal clock and being aware that they need to make a decision. And even then, it can be hard for some analysis paralysis players to make a decision.

The other big thing that you can do is play game where everyone takes their turn at the same time. Or at least there are things that people do on the other players turns. There are a lot of roll and writes that I’ll be using as an example here. Welcome To…, MetroX, Railroad Ink, Criss Cross, Second Chance, Dungeon Doodle, and more, all have players doing things at the same time. Then there are games like Ganz Schon Clever, Twice as Clever, and Clever Hoch Drei for games where players take actions or use dice on their opponents turns. For a non-roll and write game, would be something like Dice Forge where you are rolling dice every turn, even when it’s not your turn.

But You Want to Play Other Games?

There are a ton of board games out there, though that aren’t great for people playing at the same time. But it’s hard to not play some games in your collection because they don’t work for everyone in your group. So how do you get them to the table?

For me, I think it’s about creating time and space with the people you want at the table for that game. Fairly often, or the goal anyways, is to do a couple of board game nights a month, as well as some of my campaign stuff. I look it my board game nights as two different groups. There is a casual group where I focus on games with limited downtime or limited strategy so that we can chat through them for at least a little bit of the night. Then I have another game night where the point is to play a larger game. And that group, I tend to pick players who can get through a big game in a night. I know that some games would just not work in a night with some people, and no real knock against those people, but knowing the audience is important.

The challenge can arise, however, if you don’t have a ton of people to play with. And to get these other games you have to play with people who get distracted or take a very long time on their turn. There are a few things you can do to help.

Set the Expectation that you are there to game.

Too often the confusion arises because people who show up to play games distract themselves with non-gaming things. Now, I’m not a stickler on this one, I don’t make people turn off cellphones or keep them away from the table. But the expectation is that people might glance at their phone, but no scrolling of Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook while playing a board game at the table, no playing an app game while you play another board game. The majority of the focus should be on the game and the people at the table. Just doing that will mean you don’t get as much downtime as people won’t be as likely to miss when the turn moves to them.

Set the Expectation that you try and win but winning isn’t everything.

This focused more on those analysis paralysis players. But it can be for competitive players as well who might try and quarterback other peoples moves in a cooperative game. Games work best when all the players are trying to win. But winning shouldn’t be everything. So having some chit chat around the table, letting people take their turns, and not taking too long on your turn to get the perfect turn help a ton with the downtime. I’m not always the best at letting chit chat happen at the table, but my goal is to never slow down the game, especially early game, with long turns. Maybe if there is an important decision if I try and win one way or another way, I might take longer, but make decisions faster, most of them don’t matter that much.

Play a Variety of Games.

This one can be the hardest thing for some people. They are stuck with only liking certain types of games, and I talk about playing the bigger games. But sometimes you need to just play those littler or lighter games with no downtime. Yes, someone can AP over what to do in Welcome To… but not nearly as much, and there is overlap in players doing actions. Also, when a player is creating downtime, it stands out more so than just then taking a turn amidst a lot of other turns that they are taking longer, if everyone is always waiting on them. And this can be a learning experience for other games as well. But sometimes just go towards games that help remove it.

Those are just some thoughts on downtime in board games, it certainly is something that can push some players away from board gaming who might be interested. So when thinking about your games, think about how you can limit it and how it can be made more fun as you play for everyone at the table.

What are some of your favorite games with no or little downtime?

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