Search Results

There are so many brilliant party games  out there. Just search for “Party Games” here on WBG and you’ll find a treasure trove of fantastic titles we’ve reviewed over the years. But with so many options, how do you narrow it down to the right one for you? To help, I have created a Top 5 list here. And rather than simply picking the “best” games overall, I’ve chosen ones that shine in different settings and with different groups . This isn’t a list of the five greatest party games ever made, it’s a list of the best games for specific occasions . If any of these situations sound like your kind of preferred gathering, then there’s a very good chance these games will go down a storm at your next get-together. So, let’s dive in. Here are my Top 5 Party Games . And one honourable mention at the end! The One For Thinkers: Codenames And the best to play if you a bit of silence! Current BGG rank: 158 Published by: Czech Games Edition Designed by: Vlaada Chvátil WBG Rating: 8 Codenames is a simple idea that turns into a wonderfully thinky puzzle. You split into teams, lay out twenty five word cards, and let the spymasters give one word clues that link several cards at once. The magic is in that leap of logic. Every clue feels like a little risk, every guess feels like cracking a code, and the whole thing flows on lively table talk as everyone tries to piece together what the spymaster really meant. It is fast to teach, but the game instantly gives your brain something to chew on. For more serious thinkers, Codenames is great because it rewards clever connections, group intuition, and those lovely moments where a clue makes sense to your  team and you reveal multiple words at once. It feels satisfying when it lands and agonising when it doesn’t, in the best way. It’s not perfect for every crowd: if your group doesn’t enjoy silences whilst people think, or freezes under pressure, it can feel stressful, slow or a bit procedural. But with the right players, it stays sharp, funny, and endlessly replayable ten years on. Check out our full review here Or buy the game here The One For Teams: Decrypto And the best for playing with couples or good friends. Current BGG rank: 115 Published by: Scorpion Masqué Designed by: Thomas Dagenais-Lespérance WBG Rating: 9 Decrypto shines when you play it in teams that know each other well. Couple versus couple is perfect because the game asks you to give clues that make sense to your partner without giving anything away to the other team. When you know how someone thinks, the clues suddenly flow and the table fills with those brilliant moments where everything just clicks. The guessing, the near misses, the quiet nods across the table as a clue lands are all part of what makes Decrypto feel so special. The only real downside is that Decrypto needs the right group to come alive. You want at least four players, and six works even better, so it can be a little tricky to get it played as often as it deserves. It is specific about its ideal setting, but when you get that sweet spot of people around the table it absolutely sings. This is my personal favourite party game because when the stars align it becomes one of the best team guessing experiences ever made. You can buy the game here The One For Quick Thinkers: Sounds Fishy And the best for trying with larger groups. Current BGG rank: 3623 Published by: Big Potato Games Designed by: Rob Piesse WBG Rating: 8 Sounds Fishy works brilliantly in loud, high energy party groups because it rewards quick thinking and confident bluffing. Everyone throws out answers on the spot, and half the fun comes from watching people invent something believable at a moment’s notice. The format is simple, the pace is fast, and the questions are vague enough that no one feels out of their depth. If your group enjoys laughing over wild guesses, bold lies, and those surprising moments where a made up answer sounds more real than the truth, this game hits the sweet spot. It does need a group that likes performing a little. People who freeze when put on the spot may struggle, but players who enjoy making things up and leaning into the chaos will have a brilliant time. When the energy is right, Sounds Fishy becomes a noisy, joyful guessing game packed with silly stories and clever bluffs. It is the kind of party experience that fills a room with laughter and turns a simple mechanic into a memorable night. Check out our full review here Or buy the game here The One Big Laughs  Just One And the best to play with non-gamers. Current BGG rank: 154 Published by: Repos Production Designed by:   Ludovic Roudy , Bruno Sautter WBG Rating: 8 Just One is a cooperative word guessing game that shines when a table is full of chatty, quick thinking players. Everyone writes a single clue to help the active player guess a hidden word, but any matching clues cancel out, so the whole game becomes a fun balancing act between being helpful, not obvious and trying to be original. The reveal moment is brilliant. Boards flip, someone groans, someone else shouts “what is that?” and half the table tries not to laugh as the guesser pieces together the strangest mix of clues imaginable. It is light, fast, and instantly understandable, which makes it ideal for game nights with mixed experience levels. What really makes Just One work for louder party settings is the energy it creates around the table. People throw out ideas, second guess themselves, and cheer when a teammate lands a perfect guess from two obscure clues. It encourages quick thinking without ever feeling stressful, and the big reactions are a huge part of the fun. While it needs the right group to get the best experience, when everyone leans in, Just One becomes a wonderfully social, feel good game that keeps people laughing from one card to the next. Check out our full review here Or buy the game here The One For Gamers:  Night of The Ninja And the best to play with fans of social deduction. Current BGG rank: 2306 Published by: Brotherwise Games Designed by: Justin Gary WBG Rating: 9 Night of the Ninja takes social deduction and trims out all the faff. There is no app, no moderator, and no sitting silently while the game happens around you. Everyone drafts two action cards, reveals them in order, and tries to work out who is secretly on their side before blades start flying. Rounds take only a few minutes and the rules click almost instantly, so even big groups get up to speed fast. The card powers are clever, punchy, and full of great moments, from surprise counterstrike's to late-round abilities that feel risky to draft but amazing to pull off. It creates that perfect mix of tension and laughter that makes the whole table lean in. What really makes it shine is how much fun it is when the room is lively. Players are talking, guessing, reacting, and trying to read each other with almost no downtime. The quick rounds keep everyone engaged and the drafting gives you just enough control to feel clever without slowing the game down. Even better, the papercut artwork gives every card a striking look that helps the game stand out on the table. If your group enjoys fast, social, back-and-forth games with big reveals and big laughs, Night of the Ninja delivers in style. It always helps if your friends have played other games in this genre before. The whole experience feels smoother, faster, and a lot more fun when everyone already understands the basic rhythm of social deduction. Check out our full review  here Or buy the game here OK, I couldn't end there, lets do one honourable mention! The One For Kids: 20 Second Showdown And the best to play if you have "active" kids"! Current BGG rank: 10,450 Published by: Big Potato Games Designed by: Big Potato Games WBG Rating: 9 This photo pretty much sums up the scene at my house one year just after Christmas. A stack of games everywhere, and 20 Second Showdown sitting in the middle looking completely worn out because we played it non-stop. It’s that kind of game. You split into two teams, and one person reads the cards for both sides, flipping the timer as each team completes their task then immediately moving to the next team. That’s brilliant if someone wants to take part without being in the spotlight, because the rest of the players are about to go absolutely wild. Each task is a race against the clock. Every one you complete burns precious seconds, so you want to knock them out as fast as humanly possible. If your time ever hits zero, the other team wins. The tasks themselves are gloriously chaotic: quick maths, silly acting, charades-style guessing, running around collecting random objects, flipping cards and catching them mid-air. Honestly, it’s a full workout disguised as a party game. You need the right group for it: people who don’t mind being loud, daft, and a little ridiculous. But when everyone leans in, 20 Second Showdown becomes an instant party starter. Kids especially love it. They throw themselves into the challenges with zero shame, and it’s a fantastic way to burn energy before bed. It's messy, frantic, and extremely fun, exactly what a post-Christmas game night should feel like.

Christmas crackers are a classic part of holiday celebrations, but many of us have grown tired of the usual jokes and plastic toys that often end up in the bin. This year, I tried a set of Christmas crackers that break away from tradition by offering something genuinely different: six simple dexterity games designed to bring everyone together for some light-hearted competition. These crackers don’t just pop with a bang, they pop with fun. What Makes These Crackers of Glory Different Instead of the usual cheap plastic toys and corny jokes, these crackers come with small wooden game pieces and instructions for six quick and easy games. The idea is to play all six games as a group, then use the results to gain an advantage in a final paper airplane throwing contest. This twist adds a fresh layer of excitement to Christmas Day and encourages everyone to join in. The games are designed to be simple and fun, with most rules explained clearly and quickly on a small piece of paper that comes with the game pieces in each cracker. That said, a couple of the games required us to re-read the instructions a few times to fully understand them. This didn’t spoil the experience, though, but I did wonder why it was written in a somewhat vague and short-handed way. But we got there! Have a read yourself... What’s Inside the Crackers Six of the eight Crackers of Glory contain wooden game pieces, each used for their own unique game. The pieces feel light but sturdy enough for the games. The quality is decent, with the wood being thin but functional. Two crackers include paper hats for everyone, which might disappoint some people since there’s no way to tell from the outside which crackers have games and which don’t. So it is worth explaining that upfront if you leave a cracker per seat, like we do. This is a small downside, but it’s important to remember the games are meant for the whole table to enjoy, not just the individual who opens the cracker. One notable difference is the absence of the traditional bang when pulling the crackers. Due to modern health and safety concerns, these crackers don’t pop loudly, which might feel like a loss for some. Still, the focus here is on the games and shared fun rather than noise. And no jokes here. Maybe good overall! But I do like a bad cracker joke myself. There are some funny ones, like What did the snowman say to the aggressive carrot? “Get out of my face.” Ok, maybe not! The Six Dexterity Games Here’s a quick overview of the games included in the set: Football Players flick a flat wooden disc, shaped like a football, aiming at targets made by the other players fingers, formed into the shape of a goal. Basketball Using a small wooden bouncy ball, players try to bounce it into a cup. Note that cups are not provided, so you’ll need to supply your own. Snooker This game involves flicking small white balls to knock red balls into pockets. The pockets are cleverly made using four knives placed in a square with gaps at the corners. We used empty crackers for our! A solid surface would be better though. Judo Players throw a disc onto a pile of other discs, aiming to flip some over. Keeping the ones they flip. This game’s rules were the trickiest to grasp and took a few reads to get right. Archery From about one meter away, players flick rubber bands at a paper target, trying to knock it over. Gymnastics   Players throw two dice onto the table, while throwing another in the air and catching it, then picking up one of the dice off the table, throwing that in the air and catching it, while picking the other dice up before they catch the second. It makes sense when you play! And it's a lot of fun. Paper Airplane Throwing Contest The idea is everyone plays all six of these games and scores each one as they go. Then, everyone makes a paper airplane out of the provided score sheets and sees who can throw it the farthest. After the six games, players use their scores to gain a step forward advantage in a paper airplane throwing contest. This final game brings the tournament to a fun close. How the Games Work as a Tournament The games are designed to be played one after the other, with each player’s performance tracked. At the end, the scores determine the starting positions for the paper airplane contest. This format encourages friendly competition and keeps everyone engaged throughout the meal or gathering. Because the games are quick and easy, they fit well into the flow of a Christmas Day celebration without dragging on. The tournament style adds a sense of purpose and excitement, making the games more than just a passing distraction. What to Keep in Mind No Bang or Jokes in Crackers The lack of a traditional bang and moan might feel odd if you’re used to the usual Christmas cracker experience. Two Crackers Only Have Hats Since you can’t tell which crackers contain games, some people might feel disappointed when they get a hat-only cracker. Cups Not Included For the bouncing ball game, you’ll need to provide your own cup. Some Rules Need Rereading While most games are straightforward, a couple require careful reading to understand fully. Games Are for Group Fun The games are meant to be shared with everyone at the table, not just the person who opens the cracker. Final Thoughts on These Christmas Crackers These crackers offer a fresh take on a holiday tradition by replacing disposable jokes and plastic toys with engaging, hands-on games. They bring a new kind of fun to Christmas Day, encouraging everyone to interact and compete in a light-hearted way. While not perfect, especially with the absence of the traditional bang and the occasional unclear instructions, the overall experience is enjoyable and memorable. If you want to try something different this year and add a bit of playful competition to your holiday table, these crackers are worth considering. They won’t replace the classic crackers for everyone, but for those looking to shake up their Christmas routine, these dexterity games provide a welcome change. Buy your own copy here.

Euphoria: Build a Better Dystopia WBG Score: 8.5 Player Count: 2-6 You’ll like this if you like: Fast playing worker placement games Published by: Stonemaier Games Designed by:  Jamey Stegmaier , Alan Stone This is a review copy. See our review policy here Back in 2013, Stonemaier Games had released Viticulture . and that's it! The world was yet to be blessed with games such as Scythe , Wingspan , and Tapestry . Huge pillars of the board game community. But Viticulture had come out, was a huge success, and the newly formed indie publisher Stonemaier games, quickly hit back with a second release of the year, Euphoria: Build a Better Dystopia. The game received positive reviews, but some reason, never became as big a hit for the publisher as what had come before, and what was to come. Perhaps the theme wasn't for some? Maybe people felt this was too complicated. It does have a busy board. The Kickstarter deluxe version had a greyscale reverse side to the board which designer Jamey himself encourage people to use for early games. I'm not sure myself if this was necessary, or why the game didn't quite hit the heights of Viticulture, but let's get it to the table now and see if it still delivers. How To Set Up Euphoria: Build a Better Dystopia First, lay out the game board. You will need a bit of space either side for the players. Now, place onto the board the resources for the four different factions. Up top, you will place the Bliss (cloud shaped green things!) with the Icarites in the sky. On the right, with the Wastelanders, place the green Food tokens; then by their tunnel that they are digging to the Euphorian's, place the Clay. Doing tings like this, helps you learn the board. Hence, me explaining it this wat. Its a good way to teach the game. Do the same with the Energy by the Euphorian's, and the Gold by their tunnel, and the Water and Stone by the Subterrans at the bottom of the board. You will notice star-shaped locations in the four factions' areas. Block off spaces in these until you have spaces remaining that match your player count. One available space for each player in the game, no more. Next to the board, place the two decks of cards, shuffled, and deal out four recruit cards to each player. They will look at them, keep two, and discard the rest. Give each player a resource multiplier card and two dice in their colour. Each player roles their two dice and places them in front of them, the highest role is the starting player. Place the other two dice of each player's colour by the board; they may be able to recruit them as extra workers later. Then give each player their ten Authority tokens in their colour, which they place by their side, and the heart-shaped Morale token and heart-shaped Knowledge token. These are placed into the first and third spaces respectively in the trackers for them on the top left of the board. Then place unavailable action tokens onto the spaces at the end of the three tunnels. They are available when you tunnel through the tunnels in the game. Place Miner meeples at the start of each of these three tunnels, and then add the four Progress tokens on the starting spaces on the bottom right allegiance track. Now, give each player an Ethical Dilemma card; it has a player aid on the back. Place it with the player aid face up. The board should look like this. Finally, take the Construction tiles, shuffle them up, and choose six at random. Place them face down onto their spaces on the board. Each of the land-based factions has spaces for two each. The Icarites have their own version of this printed on the board already. You are now ready to play, and hopefully understand the board a little bit. How To Play Euphoria: Build a Better Dystopia The best way to learn this game is to understand the board. Get to know the main areas of the four factions, three tunnels, and the trackers on the top left and bottom right. When teaching this game, I like to show a few sample turns. On your turn, you can do one of three things: place a worker (dice), remove one or all workers, or activate your Ethical Dilemma card. The Ethical Dilemma card is a one-time action, so most of the game you will be placing or removing dice. Placing Dice When you place your dice, you can do so in one of three types of spots. The first of which is one of the three large resource locations that generate Food at the Wastelanders, Energy at the Euphorians, or Water at the Subterrans. You can place as many workers as you like there and there is no cost. Other players cannot block you in this locations, they can hold multiple workers. You will gain resources based on the value of dice there, the collective Knowledge of all workers present. All things you gain in this game are shown in circles. For example, at the Farm, in Wastelander Territory, you will get one Food token and move the Allegiance trackers one space if the collective Knowledge is one to four. Five to eight and you get a Food and reduce your own Knowledge one space on the tracker on the top left of the board. Over nine, and you get two food, but your Knowledge goes up. A key point to explain to new players is losing Knowledge is good. Gaining it is bad. I will explain why later. All resource generation spaces work with the same ratios, just with different resources. You can see the Generator at the Euphorian Territory below is the same. The second type of place you can place a worker is a smaller hashed line box, which has a cost in a Square for a potentially higher benefit shown in a circle, and you could get bumped. This means other workers can force you off this spot. Not a bad thing, it means you get your worker back for free. Just roll them, perform a knowledge check (more on that soon), and add them back to your available pool. There are two locations like this on the bottom left of the board that let you pay three resources and then you can gain an extra worker (up to four in total, max). Each tunnel space has a location like this too. Here, you pay a resource, place your worker, then gain one of two benefits, in this case, a Gold or an Artefact card, and then you can move the tunneller meeple one space forward. When it reaches the sixth spot, anyone with an unrevealed Recruit card of this faction must now reveal it. When it reaches the eighth and final spot, you can remove the blocker token, and you have now opened up a new worker placement spot. It will have a powerful benefit. This represents each faction tunnelling into a neighbouring faction to gain access to the resource that they make. A lovely thematic link. The third type of place you can place a worker is the spaces by the construction sites. Each one has multiple spaces showing a resource. Remember, what you pay is always in a square. There is no benefit to gain here, just a site to build. You need two workers in a two or three-player game to finish a site, three in a four-player game, and four in a five or six-player game. When the required amount of worker dice are placed here, the dice are bumped, rolled, sent back to their owner, who all perform a knowledge check, and then anyone who had a die here adds one of the authority tokens onto the now flipped construction site. Anyone who didn't contribute to the making of this site misses out on this valuable opportunity to do this, as this is how you win the game. The first person to place their tenth and final Authority token wins the game. So do not miss out on this. Also, if you do miss out, you will notice a huge penalty on the new site. Something that anyone who didn't help build it now has to suffer for the rest of the game. And they are big! Try not to miss out. Each site also opens up a powerful new worker placement spot that lets you spend resources and Artefact cards to gain opportunities to place Authority stars into that faction's star-shaped territory. Remember, there are only spaces in these areas for Authority stars to the quantity of players. So, in a three player game, once the third star is placed, that's it. You can still do this action but you cannot place the star anymore! So, again, don't miss out! Removing Dice When you remove dice, you have two choices. Pay either a Food or Bliss token and then remove one, some, or all of your dice. Roll them, perform a Knowledge check, and then gain two morale. Or, you can do it for free, and instead of gaining two morale, you will gain one morale. Morale is important because it is your hand limit. You cannot hold more Artefact cards than your current morale. If you ever gain more, discard down. Artefact cards are important as they are a cost for a few key actions in the game. And you either need to pay two or three cards, or you can reduce the quantity by using matching or specific cards. Knowledge Check Whenever you gain a die, or remove one from the board and add it back to your supply, you must perform a knowledge check, as mentioned a few times already. Here, you roll all available dice, so not the ones still on the board if you have any. Then, total up all rolled dice, add your current Knowledge level, and if it matches 16 or above, one of your dice is returned to the unavailable dice on the side of the board. Gaining new dice is costly, so you want to try and avoid this if you can, by keeping your knowledge low, and not rolling more than three dice at once if you can avoid it. Recruit Cards During the setup, you can choose two from four cards. During the game, you won't get many more, if any. They are very valuable. They all come from one of the four factions on the board and have a specific challenge on them. When you complete the challenge as shown on the cards, you will flip them over n gain the shown benefit. You will also now gain benefits from them as per the allegiance track. Other actions may force you to flip the cards over too, such as reaching the sixth space on the tunnel for that specific faction. Allegiance Track At a few worker placement spaces on the board, you will see one of the four Faction symbols. When you see this, it means you must move the marker on the Allegiance track forward one space. When the marker reaches the second tier, you will move the token there to the resource space for that faction. This will remind you that anytime any player ever takes this resource action again, they will gain an additional resource if they have an active recruit of that type, face up in their play area. In tier two, you will gain both benefits instead of one when you use the tunnel action for that faction. Again, only if you have an active recruit. And in the third tier, anyone with a hidden recruit of that type must now reveal that card. The final space shows that now each player will place one Authority token onto each active recruit from this faction. Ethical Dilemma Cards At the start of the game, each player was given an Ethical Dilemma card. At any point in the game, instead of placing or removing dice, you can activate this card as your turn. There are two choices. The right side lets you instantly place one Authority token on it, in exchange for one specific artifact or any two artifacts. Or the left side, which for the same cost, will let you draw two new Recruit cards and then keep one of them. This is the only way you will get extra Recruit cards. So, it's a tempting choice, especially as it may be a way to place another Authority star anyway and also gain the benefits from a developed Faction minor path if you don't have an active recruit already, one that has gone a long way. Until you activate these cards, they can be used as a handy icon player aid on the reverse. Double Dice Placement During the game, if you ever have two active workers ready to be placed and they have the same number, you can place them both sequentially. Meaning, you get more than one turn in a row! This can be very powerful if you get to activate a Construction site and block someone else off, or do this and gain multiple Authority star placement opportunities at once. Catching people out this way can be big as there are a lot of spaces that, when done, are out of the game for other players as we have shown. So place dice, remove dice, activate your Ethical Dilemma card at the right time, build construction sites, collect resources, dig tunnels, and become the most authoritative leader in the dystopian future! First to place ten stars wins! Is It Fun? Euphoria: Build a Better Dystopia Board Game Review Why Euphoria Can Be Great Fun Euphoria is fun because it delivers a clever mix of worker placement and dice that always feels tense but rewarding. The busy board becomes a playground of small puzzles, and every turn gives you meaningful choices. Do you contribute to a construction site paying the resources and gaining nothing else, or gather resources elsewhere and risk missing out on those precious Authority star placement opportunities and suffer the consequences of not being a part of the build. These decisions create a constant feeling of progress, and when things click, euphoria flows brilliantly. As turns are so fast and things develop quickly, it really does feel like the game has constant and exciting momentum. It also feels surprisingly thematic. The tunnels, the faction tracks, and the blissful Icarites all reinforce a world that is bursting at the seams with quirky dystopian charm. Not to mention the Ethical Dilemma card and choice that you must make at some point in the game. And I adore the art of the Artefact cards. Remnants of a lost age, no treasured. Broken glasses, some balloons! Its quite amusing really. Who Will Like It and Who Might Not Euphoria suits players who enjoy worker placement games with a strong table presence, and a puzzle that rewards efficiency. If you like games where smart timing matters and a well planned turn feels like a small triumph, this will scratch that itch. Fans of heavier worker placement games will enjoy the tension in choosing when to place workers or pull them back, but may ache for more choice. Equally, players who prefer more relaxed experiences may find the game overwhelming and busy. This is firmly a mid-weight game. The board is dense with icons and options, and new players often spend their first game simply trying to understand what anything means. If you dislike games that punish mistakes or reward players who read the strategy faster, this may not be your style. What Might Not Be Fun and What Makes It Interesting Some players may not enjoy how punishing the game can feel if you get your timing wrong. Missing out on a construction site can slow your pace a lot, and the punishment from doing so can be big! The Knowledge mechanic also takes a few plays to appreciate, and rolling all your dice at once can create big swings. You will feel you want to gain your extra two workers quickly, but I have won a fair few times with only three dice. Gaining them is costly, keeping them all is tough! The interesting part of the game to me is the way all these systems interact. The tunnels open new opportunities. The recruits shape your strategy and create real divides between each players own goals. The Allegiance track gives you goals to chase in your factions of choice. And the double placement rule adds a neat luck based pop, in a game otherwise full of strategy. These layers make Euphoria feel alive, and each game pushes you to experiment with a new approach. Pros Clever worker placement system with dice that feel meaningful, not random Strong theme that ties into the gameplay Satisfying medium term goals through construction and Allegiance Plenty of strategic timing moments Great sense of progression once the board clicks with a pacey feel to the game Cons Busy board can overwhelm new players Punishing if you miss key moments Some luck in dice rolls that can swing momentum Needs rules a decent explanation and a patient teacher Euphoria: Build a Better Dystopia Review Euphoria: Build a Better Dystopia is a smart, crunchy mid-weight worker placement game that rewards planning, timing, and understanding the board. It may look intimidating at first, but once you settle in, the world opens up and every turn feels pacey, poised, and purposeful. If you enjoy games with layered systems and rewarding decisions, Euphoria still holds up and offers a rich experience that deserves more attention than it gets.

If you’re anything like me, the world of board games is a treasure trove of fun, strategy, and sometimes, a little friendly rivalry. But with so many options out there, how do you pick the perfect game for your next game night? Whether you’re hunting for a quick party game, a deep strategy challenge, or something that the whole family can enjoy, choosing the right board game can feel a bit overwhelming. Don’t worry, I’ve got your back! Let’s dive into the art of board game selection together. Why Board Game Selection Matters More Than You Think You might be wondering, “Isn’t any game good enough?” Well, yes and no. The right game can turn an ordinary evening into an unforgettable experience. The wrong one? Well, let’s just say it might lead to some awkward silences or a pile of untouched game pieces. When choosing the right game, consider these key factors: Player Count: Some games shine with two players, others need a crowd. Game Length: Are you up for a quick 20-minute round or a marathon session? Complexity: Do you want something easy to learn or a brain-bending challenge? Theme and Style: From fantasy quests to economic simulations, the theme can make a big difference. Age Range: Make sure the game suits everyone’s age and interests. For example, if you’re planning a family game night with kids aged 8 and up, a game like Survive The Island offers simple rules and engaging gameplay. On the other hand, if you’re with a group of strategy buffs, Kinfire Council might be the perfect pick. Kinfire Council - A heavier strategy game utilising worker placement and resource management. How to Navigate the Maze of Board Game Selection Let’s be honest - the sheer number of board games out there can be intimidating. But here’s a little secret: you don’t have to try them all to find the right one for you. Instead, focus on what matters most to you and your group. Here’s a handy step-by-step approach: Identify Your Group’s Preferences: Are you playing with family, friends, or fellow enthusiasts? What do they enjoy? Set Your Time Frame: How long do you want the game to last? Short and sweet or epic and immersive? Check the Complexity Level: Beginners might prefer lighter games, while heavier gamers might crave something more challenging. Look for Themes That Spark Interest: Whether it’s deduction, adventure, or economics, the theme can make the game more engaging t the people you have coming to play. Read Reviews and Watch Playthroughs: Seeing the game in action can help you decide if it’s a fit. Or search here for mechanics or theme. Try Before You Buy: Try out a board game café to give a few you have shortlisted a go before you make the purchase. If you’re ever stuck, I highly recommend checking out the search function in this website. All games reviewed which is hundreds, are tagged by their category, mechanics and theme, this may help you discover new games tailored to your tastes. Do you really know your Family game? Okay, I had to throw in a little pun there because family games are a whole different beast. You might think you know what your family likes, but sometimes the best way to find out is to experiment a bit. Family games need to strike a balance between fun and accessibility. You want everyone to feel included, regardless of age or experience. Games like Qwirkle   and 221b Baker Street , are classics for a reason, they’re easy to learn but offer enough depth to keep everyone interested. But don’t shy away from newer or indie games either. Many independent creators design games with families in mind, often bringing fresh ideas and unique mechanics to the table. These games can be a breath of fresh air and a great way to support creative minds. Here’s a quick tip: involve your family in the selection process. Ask what themes or types of games they enjoy. Maybe your kids love animals, search for animals on the site here and you will get plenty of choices. Check it out. Tailoring your choice to these interests can make game night something everyone looks forward to. Kavango not only plays well and looks gorgeous, it will also teach your family about conservation. The Joy of Discovering Independent Board Games One of the most exciting parts of board game selection is stumbling upon hidden gems from independent creators. These games often bring innovative mechanics, fresh themes, and a personal touch that big publishers might miss. Supporting indie games like Kavango not only diversifies your collection but also helps foster a passionate community around the hobby. Plus, many indie games come with unique artwork and storytelling that can make your game nights truly special. When trying out an indie game, keep an open mind. Some might have a steeper learning curve or unconventional rules, but that’s part of the charm. And if you love it, you’ll be part of a growing movement that celebrates creativity and innovation in board gaming. Making Your Board Game Selection a Breeze By now, you’re probably feeling more confident about picking your next game. Remember, the best board game is the one that brings joy, sparks laughter, and maybe even a little friendly competition. Here are some final nuggets of wisdom to keep in mind: Mix It Up: Don’t be afraid to try different genres and styles. Consider Replayability: Games that offer new experiences each time keep things fresh. Think About Your Space: Some games require a lot of room or special setups. Budget Wisely: Great games come in all price ranges, so find what fits your wallet. Have Fun: At the end of the day, it’s all about enjoying the time spent together. If you ever feel overwhelmed, just remember that resources like our Search function are there to guide you. They make the process easier and more enjoyable, helping you find games that fit your unique tastes and needs. So, next time you’re faced with a shelf full of options, take a deep breath, think about what you and your group love, and dive in. Your ideal board game is waiting to be discovered! Happy gaming!

Heat: Pedal to the Metal WBG Score: 9 Player Count: 1-6 You’ll like this if you like: Flamme Rouge Published by: Days of Wonder Designed by: Asger Harding Granerud , Daniel Skjold Pedersen This is the reviewer’s copy. See our review policy here By Steve Godfrey It’s time to fasten your seatbelt, check your mirrors, and put your pedal to the metal (as per the box instructions). Also, don’t forget to check your oil and water, especially before a long trip. Oh, and don’t forget your antifreeze if it’s coming up to winter. Also, check tire pressure. I appreciate that this doesn’t make for an exhilarating intro, but it’s important to think about safety.  How to burn rubber. Heat is a racing game, so the first person across the line will win, unless more than one player crosses the line in the same round. In that case, the player who is furthest across the line will win.  In front of you, you’ll have a player board with your deck of cards, a pile of heat cards, and eventually a discard pile. First, I want to talk about the concept of “heat.” At times,  you’ll need to pay for a number of heat. When you do, take a heat card from that section of your board and add it to your discard pile. You can also cool down heat at certain points. When this happens, take as many heat cards as indicated from your hand and put them back into your heat deck.   At the start of the round, players will simultaneously choose if they want to shift gears up or down, or not at all. Then, choose a number of cards from their hand of 7 to play. The number will be equal to the gear they’re currently in. There are three types of cards: Speed cards that have numbers on them, stress cards that have no number but can still be played, and finally heat cards which can’t be played. In turn order, players will then take the rest of their turn taking the following steps.  First, reveal your hand of cards and move that many spaces. If you played any stress cards, then you flip the top card of your deck until you hit a speed card. Add this to your current speed and move that many spaces.  Second, if you're in last place, then you can move an extra space that adds to your speed. You can also cool down one heat.  Third, you can cool down heat if you're in first or second gear. You can also use the boost action. Here, you pay a heat, then flip a card from the top of your deck and move that many spaces. This adds to your speed.  Fourth, here you can slipstream. If you end your moves directly behind or next to another racer, you may slipstream by moving up to two extra spaces. This doesn’t add to your speed count, but be wary of it taking you around a corner.  Fifth is the dreaded corner check. Each corner in Heat has a speed number next to it. If you cross that corner and your total speed is equal to or lower than that number, then you're all good. If you go through it over that speed, then you need to pay the difference in heat. If you can’t pay the full amount, then you spin out. Depending on what gear you're in at the time, you take one or two stress cards into your hand, drop into first gear, and move back behind the corner line that caused you to spin out.  Lastly, you can discard as many cards from your hand as you want, except heat and stress cards, of course. Then refill your hand back up to seven cards.  The next player will go on and so forth, and then rinse and repeat. The game will end on the round that at least one person has crossed the finish line. If they are the only one, then they win. If more than one person crosses the line in the same round, then the win will go to the player who is furthest across the line.  Start you engines Just for a bit of context, one of the designers of Heat also designed Flamme Rouge, which is one of my favourite games and certainly one of my favourite racing games. If you’ve played Flamme Rouge and read the rules rundown, then you’ll know that the two have very similar base mechanisms. That’s because Heat takes the simple card mechanism of Flamme Rouge and expands it to not only make it more strategic but also to make them fit the motor racing theme rather than bicycle racing. I'll admit I was skeptical about Heat, especially when I learned that it was using the foundation of Flamme Rouge and adding other things to it. I was worried that it would make it too complex and fiddly and would also sap the fun chaotic nature from the game that I love. My first ever game of it was on Board Game Arena, and it wasn't the best of experiences, but I put that down mainly to it being a learning game and being turn-based. But then I played my first physical game with all the rules taught properly, and before you could say “Nigel Mansell's moustache,” I was in!  As I said earlier, the card play system here has been taken from the designer's previous game of Flamme Rouge. Rather than simply port that over to Heat and slap a motor racing theme on it, though, they've done their due diligence and crafted it into something that’s similar but also altogether different... yeah, I’ve confused myself with that sentence as well. At first, the multiple steps you have to go through look a bit daunting and look as though they’ll draw the entire game to a grinding halt, which is the exact opposite of what you want in a racing game. That feeling is even more pronounced when you're explaining the steps to new players, and you can see the bemused looks on their faces. Give it a couple of rounds, however, and you’ll find that you’ll be flying through these quicker than me trying to get to the next services after a long, liquid-fuelled drive around the M25.  It’s not long before the strategy in Heat shows itself. Obviously, the cards you draw into your hand are pure luck, but it’s how you choose to use what you’re given that makes the game purr like a finely tuned engine (yep, that sounds like something a car enthusiast would say). You see, Heat is all about planning ahead and clever card management. It’s all too easy to want to slam the car into a high gear and go tearing around those long straights like a rocket-fueled road runner and then discard your lower speed cards. Why do you need them anyway? Going fast is too much fun. Well, that emerging low-speed corner is why.  You need to keep so many steps ahead to be competitive in this game. You need to keep an eye on your gears, the cards you have in your hand, at least the next couple of corners (if they’re close), and also where your opponents are and if you can steal a cheeky slipstream from them. Every turn you’ve got so many potential things to think about above just what speed you want to go that turn, and I love how much it makes you think. What's more impressive is that despite all that going on, the game still feels pacey.  There’s a really fun element of trying to second-guess your opponents. It’s all well and good deciding how you’re going to take a corner, but what about them? Are they going to make that next corner? If so, will they take it at a sensible speed, or are they going to push and take some heat to give them an advantage? Above all, are you trying to pre-empt that and drive accordingly?  One of my big issues with racing games is the frequent emergence of a runaway leader. I’ve said this before in other racing games I’ve reviewed, and if you’ve already read those, then I’m sorry for sounding like a broken record. It’s been a problem with most of the racing games I’ve played, and it can easily sour the experience, especially when there’s nothing you or even the leader can do to stop it/mess it up. Heat feels different. Now, don't get me wrong, it can still occur in this game, but it feels more earned than those other games. In fact, the strategic play of Heat makes everything feel earned because, unlike a lot of those other racing games, it’s entirely possible to catch up in Heat. It makes the racing feel so much more thrilling, dynamic, and tight. I can’t tell you how many games of this I’ve played where the lead has changed hands multiple times across the race. Cars that are lagging behind have snuck in from out of nowhere to take a lead. Leaders that seem impossible to catch have fallen back and are fighting to stay in contention for any sort of place. Every game of Heat has felt like a race and a genuine competition that anyone could win right up till the last gasp past the finish line, and believe me, I’ve had races of this that have gone down to the wire.  Heat is bad, right? Let’s talk about the titular cards for a moment. It’s easy to think of heat cards as the bad guy, the Hades of Heat, if you will. If managed properly, however, heat can be a hugely useful tool. This game needs to come with a warning, though, because using heat can be addictive. It starts off innocently enough. You use heat to push yourself over a corner by one space because it puts you in a better position; it’s a great strategy. Later on, you’ll use it to pay for a cheeky boost because why not? One won’t hurt. Be careful, though, because before you know it, you’ll be pushing past corners by two, even three speeds. It's okay; you’ve got plenty of heat left; you’ve been cooling down. Then, before you know it, the tank is empty, and you're going around the track cold turkey, being so careful with your card management that even a milk float is on the verge of overtaking you. It’s tense stuff because even the slightest wrong move could cause you to spin out. Just remember, kids, use heat responsibly.  Now, with all that being said, spinning out isn’t necessarily all that damaging. We’ve had people spin out in races and still be in the mix for a potential win. Let’s talk about stress, baby. Oh, stress cards. You have been my friend, and you have been my enemy. Pull the right number at the right time, and they can be the push your race needs. Heck, they may even be the nudge that helps you win. Pull the wrong number at the wrong time, however, and you could be calling the crowd over to give you a push back to the line as you spin out wildly. Regardless if you love them or hate them, they ain't half a lot of fun to watch people draw. The moment someone declares, “If I pull anything but a 4, I’ll be alright,” everyone’s attention is drawn to that player like a tractor beam, and let’s be honest, everyone secretly wants them to pull that 4. Even when they don’t, though, there’s still an “Oooo” from the onlookers. Having a hand that’s full of them is certainly no fun when you're closing in on a corner, but they definitely bring the entertainment values with them. Speaking of value… What’s in the box? It’s safe to say that Days of Wonder haven't skimped on the content in this box. You get four tracks plus the components for six players and solo mode. That alone could easily be enough content for a long time. But then you get upgrade cards you can optionally throw in. You draft three of these before a race, and they give you powerful abilities like extra slipstreaming, better brakes, and better steering so you can manipulate a corner's speed.  You also get a championship mode that links races together and gives you events for each race and sponsorship cards. These are one-time-use cards that give you one-off special abilities. You’ll even have weather that will change how you apply the rules to certain sections of the track. There are track modifiers that give special rules to sections of the track and can also modify speed counters for the corners.  Fancy racing on your own? No worries, because the solo mode has you covered. Each turn, you flip a card that tells you how each non-player driver will move that round, and it’s a brilliantly simple system. It's been designed with not only solo play in mind but also to fill out games with fewer players. Don’t let these drivers fool you, though, because they’re in it to win it just as much as you are and are definitely up for the challenge. They’re beatable, but you need to be on your game to do so. It’s getting hot in here, so take off all your cars. So I’m not sure if this is just me, but I found the corner rule a bit weird to get my head around the first couple of plays, and from my experience, it does seem to trip other people up a bit as well. I think I’ve got it down well enough that I can teach it fairly clearly now, but I'd be interested to see if this caught other people out as well on their first go-round.  It is still entirely possible that a runaway leader could occur, especially if you're playing with new people who haven’t quite picked up on the strategy. That being said, I taught a five-player game with three of them being new, and one of the new players won. So it’s swings and roundabouts how much of an issue that turns out to be. As much strategy as there is in this game, it’s entirely possible to be caught out by a bad hand of cards. Yes, having a handful of heat and stress cards can suck, but that’s the risk you take when you spend heat; it’s part of the game. What I’m talking about is speed cards. A hand of high cards when you need some low ones for a tight corner or a hand of low cards when you really need that speed boost can be a bit demoralizing. Maybe not quite as bad when you’ve got heat to spare to help mitigate this a bit either way, but if you haven’t, then this can be a bit of a slap in the face that you just can’t do anything about.  Flamme Rouge was once in my top ten, and I still love that game. I can't see it leaving my collection anytime soon. However, my initial skepticism for Heat seems to have swung completely in the opposite direction and, as you can see, has not only become my favourite racing game but one of my favourite games of all time. If you want a tight, tense, and strategic racing game, then this should be your first port of call to check out. Right. I’m off to turn the heating down in my house. I thought that combining Heat with actual heat would make it more thematic. Turns out it just makes my chocolate game snacks melt quicker. Note to self: sleeve my cards.

Frank’s Zoo WBG Score: 5.5 Player Count: 4-7 You’ll like this if you like: Light family card games. Published by: HeidelBÄR Games Designed by: Doris Matthäus , Frank Nestel This is a free review copy. See our review policy here By Steve Godfrey “So you're telling me you have no otters at this zoo of yours!? Well, you'd better have something entertaining or I'm demanding my money back.” “We have a mouse that can scare the elephants.” “Ok, I’m back in.” How to Run a Tiny Zoo If you're playing the Wild Rumble version, which is the full competitive version, take the animal card deck and deal the cards out evenly to each player. Then make a stack of point cards depending on your player count with the highest at the top and then going in descending order. The aim of the game is to be the first player to empty their hand of cards. Choose a first player (the rulebook says the youngest) and they take the first action.  If there are no cards on the table, which there won’t be on the first turn, then you take a Lead Action. Here you simply play any number of cards of the same animal type onto the table. The next player can either Pursue or Pass. There are two ways you can Pursue. Either play the same species as the previous player but with exactly one more card. The other way is to outrank them. Each animal has a bubble above them with any number of the other animals that will outrank them. To outrank an animal, you need to play exactly the same number of cards that were played but of an outranking animal. There are also two special types of cards: the chameleon, which is a wild card, and the mosquito, which can be played as its own set or you can add exactly one to a set of elephants to act as an elephant. If you play a set of cards and the turn gets back to you and they haven’t been beaten, then you take all the cards that have been previously played and put them next to you. You then get to take your turn by taking a Lead Action.  When a player empties their hand of cards, they take the next highest point card from the stack. Play keeps going until all but one player has run out of cards. The player with the most points wins. You can either end the game there or play 3-5 rounds and total up your scores from all the rounds to determine the winner. There’s also a team rumble which you can either play on its own or after you’ve played one round of the Wild Rumble. The round of Wild Rumble will be a factor in deciding random teams based on your score in that game. You could, of course, play without that and just pick your teams. The difference is that the Wild Rumble could serve as a sort of practice round for new players. The team rumble involves having teams of two, each with a junior and a senior per team. This relates to roles you play in the team, not the ages of the players. Let’s be honest, no one wants to have that discussion. At the start of the round, teammates can swap two cards with each other. On the junior player's turn, they can ask for help when taking a Pursue action in which you don’t have enough cards to beat the previous play. They play the cards they have, and the senior player can add cards to that hand if they’ve got them (and if they want to). If not, the junior takes their cards back and passes. When someone goes out, both they and their teammate take the top card of the stack (this will have two of each point card). At the end of the round, add up your points cards, then each player that has at least two lions in their stack will score 1 point per lion. You lose a point if you have no hedgehogs in your stack. If you're the last player with cards in your hand, then you lose 1 point per lion in your hand.  The Old Zoo Frank’s Zoo has been knocking around since 1999, so with this new version, it's worth assuming that if it’s been around for 26 years, there must be a reason, right? Well, maybe, but I’m not sure I’m the best person to tell you what that is. Yeah, spoilers, I’m not exactly in love with it. I’ve played this with a few different groups, and it's not really been a hit for any of them. That’s not to say that this is a terrible game by any means, and in fact, if you look at the reviews on Board Game Geek, I definitely skew in the minority. So, all I can do here is tell you why it’s not for me. You never know, the things I didn’t like may well be exactly what you're looking for in a game like this.   The Wild Rumble mode is the big letdown for me because how well you do is down to the cards you're given. There’s no starting hand mitigation, no ways to mess with your cards during the game, and no real ways to make a truly clever strategy to make the best of it. It can make or break your game, and you can generally guess how your game is gonna go just by looking at that opening hand. It becomes frustrating when you find yourself constantly saying ‘pass’ not from any strategic standpoint, but because you’ve got no choice. It leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. There may be some strategy in not playing cards when you can. Maybe if you need three cards to beat something but you have four of that animal in your hand, then I can see the logic in holding back until you can play all of them. It’s a very light strategy and a bit of a gamble to sit on since the opportunity to shed all of those cards at once may not even present itself. Plus, you don't really want cards to loop back to the original player for them to take a lead action to shed yet more cards from their hand. Don't get me wrong, I don't expect light card games like this to have a ton of strategic depth. In fact, there are a lot of great games out there that are just as strategy-light as this, and I love them for it because they’re just fun. Unfortunately, this mode just lacks the fun aspect for me. My other frustration is the insistence in the rules that if you win a stack, you take it into a personal pile. But then when it comes to scoring, nothing is done with it. It seems like a minor gripe, but I had to keep checking the rules because people kept asking the relevance of it, and I thought I’d missed the reasoning behind it. This rule comes into play in the team rumble mode and has a scoring purpose, so maybe it’s setting some good practice for that, but it would have been nice to at least have let us know that.  A Second Chance? After one game of Wild Rumble, you can either set up for another round and play maybe 3-5 rounds and see who has the high score or leave it there (my groups decided the latter of those two options), or you could play the team rumble, and this is where the game kinda redeems itself. A lot of the things that are lacking in the Wild Rumble have some fixes in the team rumble. There’s now some form of mitigation since you can pass cards between teammates. The junior passes two, then the senior passes two back, and it makes for a touch of mitigation that may be invaluable during the game, and it gives teammates a bit of foreknowledge of at least a few of the cards in their teammate's hand.  Being able to help a teammate is a nice addition as well and could help you get out of some scrapes, especially on an important play. However, I do find it a bit weird that only the senior can help the junior and not the other way around as well. It’s like the game is trying to help mitigate those less than stellar hands of cards but then immediately throws in a twist at the same time to mess that up.  The scoring is the thing that adds some meat to this variant, though. Just by making the cards in those stacks you win important opens up a lot more opportunities for strategic play. Now holding back cards and voluntary passing makes more sense as you wait for a stack to populate with some of the juicier cards before you unleash that big play to win it. Choosing to pass rather than beating a hand may even push another player to win a less than stellar stack, and I’ve gotta say, it's kinda satisfying when that happens.  For me, the team rumble is my preferred way to play this, and while it does make the game more interesting, I don’t think it’s quite enough to make this a game that I’ll want to bring out above all the other card games that I’ve got in my collection. That being said, you only have to look at a lot of the user reviews on Board Game Geek to know that this seems to be quite popular with families, especially those with younger children, which makes sense as the artwork is fun and visually it’s easier to pick up due to the lack of numbers and text on the cards. So if you're in that young family camp that's looking for a quick, light game to introduce people to, then this could be a game that’s worth looking into. Unfortunately for me, though, this is a game that needs to go to a new enclosure at a different zoo, or more likely someone I know who will love this game more than me. I don’t think zoos take card games.  Right, I’m off to visit my local zoo because I really need to see some otters to make up for the lack of them in this game. Who runs a zoo without otters, honestly.

Silos WBG Score: 8 Player Count: 2-4 You’ll like this if you like: Municipium  Published by: Bitewing Games Designed by: Reiner Knizia This is a free review copy. See our review policy here By Steve Godfrey In Silos, we play as aliens who have come to invade the Earth by using the planet's most intelligent species... cows. However, since cows have no political sway, we've decided to settle for using humans instead. I know what you’re thinking. This is another of my hilariously funny but silly intros. Not this time. This is a summary of the intro in the rulebook, so thanks to Bitewing Games for doing the work for me... Not sure what to do with the extra time on my hands now. How to abduct cows. Set up by giving everyone their 7 alien figures and then satisfyingly gracing one of those with a cool cowboy hat. Then give each player their set of three personnel cards and shuffle the common deck of 12 cards. Determine a start player and place their discs on the highest space on the town hall track, and place everyone else’s behind it in clockwise order. Place a cow and a random human above each space. Then place a human of the matching color on the 3 spaces around each area. These are called focus groups. Then place the UFO at the news station. In turn order, players will then place a figure on one of the 7 spaces on the board. This will continue until everyone has placed all 7 of their aliens on the board. Now before I go any further, let's talk about influence. Everything in this game relies on you winning influence in the necessary spaces when they activate. Each regular alien is worth 1 influence in a space. Your leader (the one with the funky cowboy hat) is worth 1.5, and your educated aliens (the ones with the even cooler hats) are worth two. If there is ever a tie in a space, then you refer to the town hall track, and whoever is ahead breaks the tie. This is all important info because now I can talk about the last part of the setup. Once everyone has placed, you check the influence in the town hall space, and the person with the most moves their token to the top of the track and then carry on.  The aim of Silos is to collect 5 societal power emblems (or four if you want a shorter game). You gain an emblem if you collect a set of the four different colored human meeples. These are Professionals, Government Operators, Politicians, and Public Influencers. You can also complete a set using cows, which are a wild resource in this game.  On your turn, the first thing you may do is use up to two points of movement to move your aliens along the paths to different spaces. You must then play a card. You can play one of your three personal cards, which will then be used for the game. Or you could flip over a card from the common deck. There are 12 cards in this deck but only four different types.  UFO Advance (5 in the deck) - Move the UFO to the next area clockwise. The player with the most influence takes the cow, and the second most gets the human.  Marked Specimen (4 in the deck) - Each player draws a human and places it on a matching focus group. If one of these fills up, the player with the most influence wins two of the humans, with the next most winning the third human.  One Power card (2 in the deck) - Each player activates a space in which they have the most influence (I’ll talk about these in a bit). All Powers (1 in the deck) - This kicks off all powers on the board.  Each area activates in number order, and only the player with the most influence triggers that space's ability. The town hall  rearranges the tiebreaker track. The Sheriff's office  lets you pick a space and move one player's pieces to the sheriff's office. The University moves all of your pieces to the town hall, and one of your aliens there gets a graduation cap. The shopping mall  lets you pull humans from the bag and put them on focus groups until you either decide to stop or one fills up and activates. At the news station  you can trade three humans in any combination for an emblem or draw a human from the bag. Winning the church will let you take a human from another player or from a focus group. Finally, the bus station will let you rearrange all of your pieces on the board.  Once someone has the required amount of emblems, then once the current turn ends, the player with the most will win.  Mars Attacks! (Not the chocolate bar) Ok, so full disclosure right from the off. When the opportunity to review this game came up, I may not have done quite as much research into it as I normally do because the premise, the theme, and the look of all the components dazzled me as much as a moth to a flame, and don’t worry, we’ll get to those. I still looked into it to see if it was something I wanted to cover, but it’s safe to say now that I came for the presentation, but I stayed for the gameplay.  Silos is a deceptively simple game to grasp in terms of rules, but it's the strategy, the jostling for position, and the timing aspect that’s going to be the key to this game making its mark for you. At the start of the game, it’s anyone’s guess as to what’s going to happen, so all you can really do is place where you want and hope for the best. The only thing you can really make a plan for is the cards in front of you. At first, it feels like you’re not really making an informed choice in that initial placement. However, as the cards start to come out, that's when the game starts to get competitive. Even having just card one out of the deck triggers people's brains into gear. All of a sudden, everyone becomes a math whizz as they try to figure out the odds of the next potential card. You start to feel clever because you think you've got it sussed, when in actual fact you've got as much chance of figuring things out as a contestant on Deal or No Deal. What follows is a desperate scrabble as players try to get into what they think are optimal positions to cover as many bases as possible, which is easier said than done.  Only having two points of movement is like giving players one of those extending dog leads. You give them just enough to get somewhere, just not enough for where they really want to go. It's frustrating but in the best way, and it really goes to prove how clever the game really is. Ideally, you want to be in as many spaces as you can for any eventuality and a bit more freedom of movement. If you do, though, you’ll find yourself spread so thin that chances are you won’t be winning many contests for those spaces. However, bunch up too much, and you’ll find that yes, you’ll probably win where you want to, but moving about once you’ve won could be really limited and puts you on the back foot for those other spaces. It's these tough choices and scope for some clever forward planning that make the game shine brighter than the aliens' abduction beam.  Even Aliens wasn’t this crowded. This game seems to become tougher the more players there are on the board. It doesn't sound like a big leap from three to four players, but that’s 7 extra aliens on the board, and it makes winning the space you want all the more difficult, and as such, the competition is fiercer. Luckily, you have more than one path to victory, and it’s this that keeps the game from feeling samey on every play. Each space (except the town hall) will give you a chance to gain humans or cows in a couple of ways, and certain other spaces, like the news station, will give you ways to turn the tide should you find yourself struggling behind. My particular favorite is the sheriff's office, which lets you move other players' pieces from one space to the jail. It's a great way to get the upper hand on a space or just something to do if you want to stop someone else's plan in a petty act of “if I can't have it, no one can.” To help keep the game fresh, there are alternative location tiles that you can add to the board either all at once, or you can just add the odd few in each game. Each adds its own new twist to the game, and I’d definitely recommend trying them. As I said earlier, the game is easy enough to grasp, and you could potentially throw these in after your first game if you wanted to. You could hurt someone with that thing! If you’ve seen any photos of this game, then you’ll know that Bitewing Games have made the ultimate carrot to dangle in our faces and draw us in, and only the strongest of us can resist. You get to put little hats on the aliens!! As I said earlier, I didn’t resist. Everything in this production is top-notch. The alien pieces are these lovely wooden tokens with double-sided prints on them and heads that are just gagging for hats to be put on them. Seriously, I think sometimes the only reason I educate my aliens is so I can put a hat on them. The UFO marker is this chunky, tactile piece that, if dropped from high enough, could do some serious damage to your table or foot. Even the rulebook is made of that really nice textured paper that I’d only previously seen in some of Stonemaier's games. The artwork by Kwanchai Moriya is at its usual beautiful best and captures the quirkiness of the theme perfectly. I love the addition of the spaces to keep the cards around the board. It’s a simple touch, but it shows how important card counting is to the game.  I thought abduction was going to be fun. It’s entirely possible to have a bad time with this. If you just aren’t able to win the spaces you want frequently enough, it can easily start to feel like a slog. It’s like when you see those movies where the puppies can’t get milk from their mom because they keep getting kicked away by the others (sorry, cows, milk, you can see where my brain went on this one). Especially if you're only winning humans here and there and not getting anywhere near a set. This is especially frustrating if everyone else seems to be swimming in humans and emblems. There is, of course, a space to help combat that, but that again can be highly fought over, and it could leave a player struggling to catch up if they can’t win that space either.  I said earlier that there are multiple paths to victory, but if your original plans are closed to you and you need to change track, then it could lead to you being on the back foot for a lot of the game. I think this issue rears its head more at four players since there are so many more aliens on the board and more people chasing those different paths. SILOS is a fun area control game that sits on the lighter side of the genre. It gives you a good mix of interesting choices and tug-of-war style gameplay. On top of all that, it throws in some great components and fantastic artwork that helps immerse you in this brilliantly quirky theme. Right, I’m off to try and get myself abducted by aliens and see what all the fuss is about. I hope it's the good ones from E.T. It’d be nice to know if he finally got home.

This is a preview copy sent to us for our early opinions. No money exchanged hands. Some art, rules or components will change in the final game. Some components in this version are home made. There are not many sports-related board games out there, are there? And the ones I have tried are generally terrible! Now, there are the odd "OK" ones, I suppose. Lots of decent racing games, for sure. But as soon as you get into mainstream sports like Football (Soccer for those west of the Atlantic), well, the options are few and far between. Club Manager from designer Colin Webster attempts to buck that trend, and on first glance at this early preview copy, I think he may be onto something. The game works as a management simulation. You are not playing the matches; you are managing a team. Much like beloved computer management games such as Football Manager and Championship Manager, this game attempts to replicate that addictive progression-based experience and bring it to the table. This is not about winning a few games or enjoying one or two good seasons. This is about building a legacy over time. Can you take a mediocre bottom-tier side and take them all the way to the top? That is the joy of the computer-based sims, and that is what this board game version is trying to replicate. You start by choosing which league three team you want to begin with. In the main game, there will be four options. Here in the preview copy I have, there are two. They all have their own unique set of starting base players, a few playing cards in key positions to get you started. You will then fill the rest of the squad of 15 players with a random selection of average players. But you may get lucky with one or two! Place your team cards down onto your player mat, setting them into their preferred positions, as shown on the cards. You can play people out of position, but they will lose power. This will give you a good idea of what you are lacking and need to get in the transfer market. This will all be a lot easier if you understand football and sim games, but it is easy enough for anyone if they don't. But I presume this game will mostly appeal to those of us who like this sport in the first place. Let the engine building begin! The season then starts in earnest, with a very clever ring-bounded set of cards that you flip over, week by week. It shows which week you are in, if it is a matchday, and who you are playing or whatever may be going on. Pre-season, and the transfer window is open. Time to get some players for your team. Winter break? Now is the chance to stock up on some players to boost your run for promotion. Maybe it's a cup week. Time to forget about your league form, and go for glory, riches, and silverware. It's a neat system, that keeps the game flowing, and tracks your progress in a very easy to follow way. The cards stand up too, so you can have placed in front of you as your reminder where you are in the season as you play. During the transfer window, you can buy new players to add to your squad. You start the game with a bit of cash, but you will need to generate more as you play. You will burn through your reserve quickly! Money can be used to upgrade your stadium, medical centre, club store, training facilities, and other things, as well as buying players. Thankfully, you can also sell players and generate some cash that way, or ask your marketing team to find ways to bring in some much-needed funds. More on that soon. Each week, you will have three workers that you can place at one of multiple locations. They can go out and buy you players, develop your youth squad, train your first team, or make you some money marketing. When you ask them to generate funds, you place them in the marketing spot and then roll the marketing die. This will most likely show you a x1 face, but you could be lucky and get a x2 face. If the Prima Donna icon shows up on the die, this means you can multiply the number of marketers in the marketing space by the number of players with the Prima Donna icon in your team. Get a few of them in, and you can make a lot of money this way. When you place your workers into the first team training spot, you can move on the tracker here one space for each worker. When it reaches the 1-3 spot, you can then upgrade a player in your first team by one point, as long as they are currently in the 1-3 ability level. If you have higher ability players that need training, you need to push the marker one more spot. Buying players is simple. Place a worker into the transfer market location. Then choose any of the players currently available in the market. You can buy them for their face value multiplied by two. When you sell, you just get the face value. So pick wisely. Each player will also show a few other key pieces of data you will need to check. Let's take a look more closely at the playing cards. Let's look at Kuric. He has a current ability of 8. He can improve this by one level, that's the plus one. He can be developed this way for the first four seasons of your game. After that, he is locked in at 8. He will play for you for ten seasons, then retire. Which is great, the game lasts ten seasons! But as you can see, the other players will retire after five or six seasons respectively. On the bottom, you can see the positions they play. This will all make sense to football fans, but if not, don't worry. It matches the spaces you can use on your player board. Just place them down on the spaces matching these positions. Then finally, on the bottom right, it shows any special powers they have. The star means they are a flair player. There is also a shield which means strength. Each game you want to try and have the most flair players versus the opposition's strength players, and vice versa. This will allow you to draw more goal-scoring cards during matches, but more on that later. The cross means they are injury-prone and could get injured after a game. The three little people mean they are a leader and could be your captain. Only players with this characteristic can be your captain, and anyone you designate as your skipper will get a plus one boost. The exclamation mark means they are a butcher. This means they could be suspended after the game. Again, more on that later. And finally, the pound sign is the prima donna icon. Helpful as mentioned in making more money from your marketing team, but if they don't get into your match day squad, you lose one in your morale. And at the end of the season, if you don't get promoted, you will lose these players. OK! You have built up your team of winners, made a few quid, and developed your promising young striker, and you are ready to play! How do match days work? Well, you still get to place your three workers out, so you can make final adjustments to your training, or perhaps grab a tactical advantage with a Scouting report or Tactical work. Here you can draw a card that you can use in games. More on that soon. But let's take a look at an actual match, as that is the meat of this game. You are always team one, in solo anyway. In two-player, it will be team one and two in the game. So here, player one is playing team 8, and player two, if in the game, is playing team seven, and so on. Take the respective cards from the league you are in, and look at their strengths and weaknesses. You've been drawn against team eight, Thornliebank. They have a strength of 13 on their left side, 17 down the middle, and 13 on the right. Their keeper has a strength of four, their defence is nine, midfield 10, and the attack is 13. They have two Flair players in their team, but no Strength players. Hopefully, that all makes sense when looking at their card. So, it is time to set up your team to take advantage of their weaknesses and defend against their strengths. If possible, perhaps you want to overload the middle to match their strong centre, and then see if you can get a high attack rating to go hard against their relatively weak defence of nine. You can adjust the players you pick for each game and the positions they will play. For example, Duncan in the cards above can play either right forward or left forward. You could move him now to boost the area you need most. Although, of course, in league three, there is no chance you have a player this good! But even the lesser players have the ability to play in multiple positions. You can track your own score in your head, or there is a handy online tool you can use; it looks like this. This was my team at the end of Season two, when I was promoted into league two from league three. At this point, my star striker was out injured, so I had a back up there, but other than this, you can see how easy it is to enter the scores for your 11 players, and then see your relative scores from your forwards, midfielders, defenders, and then the left, right and centre. Once you have worked these scores out, you will then play the match! There is a handy guide which shows you through ten phases of a game. First, you score your left side vs the opposition's right. Then the centre vs centre, and so on. You will also compare the number of your flair players vs their strength players and vice versa, and then pick one area to score a second time. Then the home team can also take one extra card for being the home side. And if your morale is high enough, you get another card this way too. Once you have compared scores, you then roll two D12 dice. You will take the scores of the die roll plus your score for the area being checked and compare it to your opponent. So, for example, if your right side has a score of 11, and the opposition has a score of 13 on the left, as is the case here, they have a plus 2. Roll the dice, and if you don't roll at least three higher than them, they win. Roll two higher and it's a draw, no one wins. If there is a winner, they draw a card. Cards can be misses, saves, or goals! There are also counterattacks, which means the losing team for that draw now draws a second card. There are ties when you need to roll a D12 again to see if you can roll higher than the keeper score you are facing, and goals that, after a VAR check (a ridiculous use of video reffing used in modern football that everyone hates), can end up not being goals after all! This part of the game is obviously very luck-based. You could flip miss after miss, and your opponent draw nothing but goals. There is nothing you can do there. But there is obviously a lot of mitigation prior to that, with the squad of players you built, the team you picked, the positions you played them in, and then the cards you can use to help you. Remember those tactics and scouting reports? These cards can be used to help you re-roll dice or boost certain areas of the pitch when needed. The scouting report must be used in the next match; the tactics cards can be saved up and used as and when needed. There is a lot you can do that will make you feel in control of the game, right up to the card draw. But then, it is very much about the luck of the draw, which I am not a fan of. Of course, over the ten tests each match, the best team will generally win. If you win more than your fair share, you can draw more cards overall. But still, a lesser team can beat a better team. But that's football! Over the course of the seasons, you would hope the luck will even out. But of course, that is not always the case. But in my experience, it is mostly what happens. However, I would like to see some mitigation here for the card draws in the final game. I am happy to win or lose the odd game against the AI if I play, but to lose a league title or cup final due to a few unlucky draws, when I am by far the better team, just feels frustrating to me. And I would like to find a way to control that more. Perhaps that will be developed. This is a prototype after all. Once the game is over, you will have cards everywhere, something like this! I find it a little hard to keep track of the score sometimes, especially with the Test GK skills cards, that are not always as obvious to remember post-game, if they succeeded or not. I think this needs some tweaking too. It could just be down to me not placing the cards as neatly as I could, but I feel a score tracker would help. Especially as when you get into this game, you want to fly through these ten skill checks and play the game as fast as possible. Post-game, you will roll the post-game die. This will tell you if any injury-prone players were injured, or if any Butchers were suspended. As in this example, where Higgins, my centre back is now suspended for one match as I rolled the Butcher symbol post game. Again, this is complete luck. You could end up getting players injured or suspended all the time. Or not at all. Of course, it is up to you if you buy players with these attributes at all, but sometimes the choices are limited. But again, I suppose that is just like real football. I never had this affect me too badly. And being forced to take out a few players here and there just kept the game fresh for me. I liked being forced to bring in other players for big games. It added jeopardy and kept me on my toes. If you played as the home team, you will now earn some cash, and if you won, some morale. More for an away win. Your morale is tracked on a separate morale tracker, and when full, allows you to draw one more chance card during the game. Place any injured or suspended players into the appropriate spot at the top of your player board, showing either negative one, two, or three, indicating how many matches/weeks they are out for. Then move on to the next week. At the end of the season, you will either stay in the same league, get relegated, or promoted. When you get to the top league, you can start competing in European matches. And throughout, there are cup games you can play in, that put you against random opposition, and can reward highly with huge financial gains. The whole process feels just like a football management sim on a PC, and it is joyous! When you develop a player, you will add a token over the old score, showing they have now achieved a higher level. You can, of course, then adjust your overall score when they play. Developing players this way feels very rewarding. It is a complete engine-building experience, of buying new players and developing them, that is highly rewarding. Especially when it pays off and you move up the leagues. Developing your infrastructure is equally rewarding. You do this during the worker placement phase. Adding workers here allows you to pay money and advance one level. When your stadium is finished, you will gain extra revenue for every home game, and you can now attract better players to come play for you. Advancing Recruitment lets you gain an extra worker to play with each week, crucial if you want to do well. I advise doing this early! Youth academy lets you boost all new youth players acquired by two straight away. Medical centre gets your injured players back playing quicker. And the club store being developed allows you to gain extra cash every time you take the marketing action. There is a lot to do. You can't do it all at once. But over ten seasons, you will be able to get most up, just pick which order to do them to see how far and quickly you can advance up the leagues. The pace of a ten-season game means you should be able to win the league and cups by your final season if you have played well most of the time. But not until the later seasons. You won't get there quickly, no matter how well you play. You need to take your time in this game. Quickest I could imagine this happening would be in six seasons. So you do need to play the long game here. Each season takes around 40 minutes when you are going with it. But there is an easy way to pack up and save your game if you need to pause for a day or two. But I found once I got going, generally I found it hard to stop! It's a very addictive process, always advancing this way. Marginal gains keep you coming back for more. Wanting to play a game with your new goalkeeper. Or see how your youth player, now developed, can help your right-hand side. It's a very addictive game in this way. Climbing up the table after each game, gaining three points for a win, one point for a draw, just like real football, makes the season progress in a really interesting way. You only play 14 league games each season, plus the cup matches, but that's knockout; lose and you are out. There are 27 weeks in a season, and without a match to play, weeks are over in a few seconds. Assign your workers, carry out their actions, move on to the next week. I would like three things changed or added to the final version of this game, but overall, I would say this is hands down the best football manager game I have ever played off-screen. The game captures all the elements I love about football management video games and simplifies it in a way that makes the upkeep of playing with cardboard very easy, simple, quick, and fun, but still engaging. But here is how I think it could be even better. A physical way to track your current team rating. The online way is good, but I don't want my phone there, and it's awkward to see it in landscape, etc. A quicker and simpler way to track this would make games a lot more fun and quicker. A physical way to track the score in the games. Perhaps an area to place goals for each side? Maybe a separate board you bring in to play on? Place your team's score here, your opponent's score there, and then flip cards from here to here if it's a miss, here for a goal? Mitigation for the card flips during a game. I don't want to leave this to chance. Perhaps be able to develop players that let you pick one from the next three cards? Maybe have tactics or players that let you stop goals when scored against you, or turn misses into goals? It should be more about your players and tactics than just the flip of the card. At the end of the season, you will draw three season goals and pick one for the next season. If after the next season you achieve this, you will gain a bonus. I would also like these bonuses to be a bit bigger, and have the chance to keep more than one if you want. Other than that, this is a wonderful prototype I have been honored to try out, and I am very sad to send it back. I hope the game funds quickly and I can get a final copy again soon. It is a wonderful adaptation of something I have spent hours playing online or on my phone, and now having the chance to do the same in cardboard form feels wonderful. It's crazy to think of these choices I have made online or in video game form now as worker placement, engine building, or hand management, but there you go. Even football can be broken down into board game mechanics!

Storyfold: Wildwoods WBG Score: 7.5 Player Count 2-4 You’ll like this if you like: A game that is more about the story than the mechanics Published by:   Open Owl Studios Designed by:   Sjoerd van der Linde This is a free review copy of the game. See our review policy here This will be a SPOILER FREE review Storyfold: Wildwoods is from a new designer who has hit the ground running with this ambitious project. Launched on Kickstarter, this game successfully attracted 4,455 backers to put their trust and faith in this unique project. Pitched as a "solo narrative adventure game with dynamic card play," I can see why so many people got excited about this game. But in truth, I think it was the art style, aesthetic, and vibe that really won people over. I may be wrong, but this game screams sit down and chill to me. And I feel a lot of people want that from their gaming experiences right now, especially with solo games. Cosy is the current buzzword of the hobby, right? But does that all add up to fun and engaging? Let's get this to the table and see how this plays. How To Set Up Storyfold: Wildwood There is no rule book as such with this game. You just open up the box and start playing, and the prologue will talk you through the main rules and structure of the game. To set up, just open the book and start reading. It really is that simple. It will walk you through an introduction to the characters and setting. Then have you place your character cards on the space for them on the left of the main board, then the action cards on the river spaces at the bottom of the main board. The story deck will be placed on the left side, with the shadow card placed into its own space face up, then the two Explore cards that you get int he prologue are put into the explore slots. All these cards come from the top of the action deck and are in order, so are right there when you need them and the cards tell you to take them. It is all very intuitive. You move them as and when the prologue cards tell you to. Next, take the creature cards out and place them once shuffled face down onto their space on the right. Now place out the crystals, location markers, dice, and stun tokens into their space on the right. Now place the spirit marker and wildwoods markers out in the spaces as directed by the prologue cards. You are now ready to start your game in earnest. How To Play Storyfold: Wildwood You will now be looking at the Crossing the River story on the main page. This tells you that you will win if you can meet the scene's required conditions, which is moving the light marker to the centre space and resolving all "Onwards" locations on the main board. On your turn, you will run through two phases. The Luna phase where you take your actions and then the Shadow phase where the game fights back! As you play through these phases in the Crossing the River chapter, you will be taught the final mechanics and rules of the game as you play. During the Luna phase, you will take all the available dice and then decide how you want to use them. There are four actions available at the start, and these are the action cards you placed into the river during setup. These are Explore, Light, Help, and Heal. When you look at the main board, there will be a set piece Scene visually displayed. On the Scene , there are various prompts related to things you see there, that indicate things you can do in this Scene , Cross , Untangle , and Onward . The prompts have colours on them that match the Action cards, so you can see which actions can be done where. For example, in this first learning game, you can use the Purple on the Cross or Onward prompt actions, and the Explore action is Purple. So, to attempt these actions, you must use the Explore card. Cross means to cross the river in the picture. Onward means to move onto the next scene. Remember, you must resolve all Onward locations to complete this Scene. There is an arrow connecting the Cross prompt to the Onward one. This means that you must complete the Cross action first. There are also two purple circles under this action, meaning that you need two successes to complete this. The Explore card was initially placed in the river under the 3+ space, meaning to get one success you need to roll a three or higher. Each space in the river has a different success rate targets, going up one by one as it moves to the right, up to a maximum of 6+. Don't worry, the dice you roll are D8s. And it's up to you how many you want to roll to get the successes you need each time. But if you fail, those dice are all wasted, so you will want to hedge your bets! And when all your dice are used, that's your Luna (action) phase complete. And as this is a timed game, in that you have a limited number of turns before the game will eventually beat you, (not timed as in it's on the clock!) you need to be mindful about every decision, and every roll. So, see your dice as your resources to carry out actions. Treat them well. Look after them. When you roll your chosen amount, if you get the required number of successes, you can take a location marker from the right side of the board and place it under the action you just completed on the main board to mark it as complete. However, in this prologue, the instructions tell you how many dice to use, and that you have free re-rolls while you get used to the game. That will not be the case after this first chapter. Don't get used to it. The purple actions are all about advancing the story. Many of the locations on the scene you complete will show an action to take, such as drawing more cards or gaining more tokens. Cards may have other effects, like drawing Creatures cards or other events. Everything here connects and advances the story. When you draw a Creature card you must add it to the River, the cards at the bottom of the deck. Many Creatures have an on-play effect that comes into affect as soon as you bring them into the game. The Creature will be placed at the end of the river, the far right space, or where its card text shows. As you use action cards, they move to the end of the river, and as such, everything else shuffles down one place to the left. So now, after your Explore action, you will move your Explore action card that you just used to the far right, meaning the Creature card you just placed as a result of all this, will move one space to the left just behind this Explore card. This of course means that action cards will have a different success rate based on where they are in the river when you choose to use them; and Creatures move towards you after every action that you take! This is bad, as we will learn shortly. The other three main actions allow you to Light, Help, or Heal. Here in this opening scene, you have one other Purple Explore action and one other Blue Help action. They all work the same, and it is simply a choice of what Actions you want to do, and the order you do things. You will make these choice based on the position of the Action card in the river, the required successes needed, and what you think is your current priority. All cards have a top and bottom effect. You can use the bottom effect if you fail the roll but get at least one success. The top action of Light also lets you stun Creatures in your River, meaning they don't activate that round. A temporary respite from their attack. Each Creature will show a number of red and yellow circles on the bottom of the card. The number of yellow circles represents the number of successes you need to stun them from a Light action. Place a Stun token on the Creature you stunned to remind you, and move them to the end of the river to also slow their progress. Or you could use the Heal card to remove the card from the River entirely. Check the number of red symbols on the bottom of the card, much like in stun, and this shows the number of successes needed to heal them. If you are successful, the Heal action means you can remove them from the River, moving them to the Creature discard pile. On the bottom right of the Creature card, you will see symbols showing your reward, which would often be Crystals. The bottom affect of Light is how you advance the Light marker, one of this scenario's win conditions. Help's bottom affect gains you a Crystal, which can be treated as successes on later rolls. When you do this, take a crystal from the supply and add it to one of the four Action cards. Then, the next time you take one of these actions, you can use these crystals as a guaranteed additional success, so long as you get at least one success from your dice. The Heal action lets you move the Light marker in your favour. When you run out of dice, you then move to the Shadow phase. Here, any Creatures in the river are activated, in turn order, starting with the ones closest to the left space. Each Creature will have a symbol on the top right showing how much Spirit you lose at this phase. Some also have an Activate prompt on the card and generally do bad things. Hence, you not wanting them in your river. When you move the spirit track, move it back one space on the track on left side of the board. When this reaches the end, it simply refreshes back to the start, but you must then draw a Shadow card, and these are always bad! If ever you cannot draw a Shadow card when you have to as you have run out, this is another way to lose the chapter. However, the Brom card you placed during set up can help here by giving you essential one get out of jail free card, and you gain one more turn. But if you have used that up, its game over. After all Creatures have activated, you then move the Shadow marker on the right side of the middle board one space to the left. If this ever makes it to the middle, then you lose the scenario. Remember, this is a timed game. When you move the Shadow token, look out for symbols above it in its new space; many of the locations require you to activate different things as you move into them, such as drawing extra Creature cards. You can see how things can really escalate in this game! You will then move back into the next Luna phase with all your dice refreshed. You keep playing until you either meet that scenarios win or lose conditions. If you win, you can move on to the next round. If you lose, you can try again. The game plays over various scenes and chapters, with a continuing narrative running throughout. There are various places where you may die and have to reset and start that chapter again. You can save your progress at any point, but it is easiest at the end of each chapter. Or you can play through continuously. Each chapter takes about 45 minutes to an hour, depending on your play style and luck with the dice. As you continue through the game, you will gain new powers (cards and dice), build up your deck of Explore cards to be either better or worse, depending on your performance in previous scenes, and uncover the story that unfolds in the game. There are five chapters in total, with multiple scenes in each chapter, and more than one path to take as you play, based on your decisions and performance. And there is more than one ending, plus some ways to adjust the difficulty once you have finished the game and want to try again. Plenty to enjoy! Is It Fun? Storyfold: Wildwoods Board Game Review What is good About Storyfold: Wildwoods? Storyfold: Wildwoods delivers a relaxing solo experience that feels fresh, warm, and inviting. The game drops you straight into its world with no rulebook and lets the prologue teach you as you play. This creates a smooth opening chapter that feels natural, almost automatic, as you discover how the system works. The art and production carry a huge amount of charm. Everything feels designed to help you settle in, breathe out, and enjoy the journey. Another highlight is how well the game blends narrative with mechanisms. The river system is simple but clever, creating a constant flow of tension as creatures drift closer while your action cards shift in value. The story moments connect cleanly to what happens on the board, and small rewards like crystals, new cards, or even new dice make progression feel meaningful. It gives you that pleasant sense of moving through an unfolding tale while still making small, satisfying choices along the way. You feel in control, if somewhat lacking complete agency due to the dice rolls. What is not good About Storyfold: Wildwoods The gameplay can feel repetitive once you understand the rhythm. You are rolling dice, managing the river, and reacting to creatures in a loop that does not always evolve as quickly as the story suggests. Some players may also find the luck from the dice rolls too influential on the overall experience. You have some mitigation with the crystals and the order in which you take your actions, but mostly, your choices will feel pre-scripted and a little railroaded, and if you roll well, then great! But if not, things can be demoralising. And Wildwoods uses dice heavily. A critical fail at the wrong time can undo careful planning or force you into a reset that feels more annoying than dramatic. I am not a fan of having to re-do levels because I failed, especially if nothing really changes on the second attempt. Who will like Storyfold: Wildwoods and who will not If you enjoy narrative driven solo adventures with gentle pressure, you will love what Wildwoods offers. It rewards players who like atmospheric games, intuitive systems, and the feeling of playing through a storybook. However, players who want strategic crunch or deep mechanical variety may not connect with it. Wildwoods is built to be soothing, not sharp. If you are looking for big twists or tough tactical demands, this will not be the right fit. Pros Stunning art and production Smooth onboarding with prologue tutorial Relaxing and atmospheric solo experience Clear card based system that teaches itself Nice sense of progression across chapters Multiple endings and replay value Cons Early chapters feel slow and guided Dice driven outcomes can feel repetitive Limited strategic depth River movement can become predictable Not ideal for players wanting strong mechanical challenge Storyfold: Wildwoods is a gentle solo adventure that leans into mood, immersion, and a relaxing pace. It shines when you embrace the narrative and enjoy the cosy atmosphere. It stumbles a little when you look for deeper strategy or fast escalation. For players who want a calm and story heavy experience with beautiful production and a clever onboarding system, this will feel like a welcome escape. For players who want crunch, tension, or variety, it may feel too light. Overall, it is a charming and thoughtful solo journey that knows exactly what it wants to be. It's up to you if you want to be a part of this world or not. I certainly enjoyed my time with it and found the sense of discovery, both for the story and advancing mechanics with new cards and dice, exciting to discover the first time. I may not come back to it for a while, but I logged plenty of games with this first run through, so I certainly feel you would get your money's worth.

There’s something magical about gathering around a table, laughing, strategising, and just enjoying each other’s company. Whether it’s a rainy evening, a festive family get together, or a weekend treat, a well-planned family game night can turn an ordinary day into a memorable one. But how do you create that perfect vibe? How do you pick games that everyone loves, keep the energy high, and make sure no one’s stuck feeling left out or staring at their phone? Let’s dive into some fantastic family game ideas and tips that will have you looking forward to your next game night like never before. Picking the Right Family Game Ideas for Everyone Choosing the right games is the heart of a successful evening. You want something that’s easy enough for the little ones but still engaging for the adults. Here’s a quick guide to help you find that sweet spot: Cooperative games : These are brilliant because everyone works together to beat the game, not each other. It’s less about competition and more about teamwork. For something classic with card, and for fans of Poker, think of games like T he Gang or for something a little more strategic, try Daybreak . Classic board games : You can’t go wrong with modern favourites like Qwirkle for some abstract fun, 221b Baker Street , to get your Cluedo vibes on! Or Downforce , if you are in the mood to race! They’re familiar, easy to learn, and often spark hilarious memories of old favourites. Quick party games : If you want something fast-paced and for a larger group, try games like Hitster , anything from Big Potato Games , or for something a little more studios, Codenames . They’re perfect for keeping the energy up and the laughs coming in any situation. Creative and storytelling games : Games like Cartaventura or Masters of Crime encourage imagination and can lead to some truly unforgettable moments. Don’t be afraid to mix it up. Sometimes, the best nights come from trying something new or combining a few different styles. And if you’re looking for some top-notch cooperative options, check out this list of family game night favourites that bring everyone together. Setting the Scene: Creating a Cozy and Inviting Atmosphere for the Perfect Family Game Night Now that you’ve got your games, it’s time to think about the setting. The right atmosphere can make all the difference between a good night and a great one. Here are some tips to set the mood: Lighting : Soft, warm lighting is your friend. Avoid harsh overhead lights. Fairy lights or a few candles (battery-operated if you want to be safe) add a cosy touch. Comfort : Make sure there’s enough seating for everyone. Cushions, bean bags, or even a blanket fort can make the space feel inviting and fun. Snacks and drinks : Keep it simple but tasty. Popcorn, fruit slices, and a few sweet treats go down well. Don’t forget drinks – maybe some hot chocolate or a fun mocktail for the kids. Music : Background music can fill any awkward silences. Choose something light and upbeat, but keep the volume low enough so everyone can chat and hear the game. Remember, the goal is to create a space where everyone feels relaxed and ready to have fun. It’s not about perfection but about togetherness. Tips for Keeping Everyone Engaged and Having Fun Let’s be honest, sometimes, game night can hit a lull. Maybe someone’s losing interest, or the rules get confusing. Here’s how to keep the fun rolling: Explain the rules clearly and simply : No one likes to feel lost. Take your time and maybe do a quick practice round. And make sure you know the rules inside out so you can explain it simply, and answer any questions! Rotate game choices : Let everyone pick a game at some point. It keeps things fair and exciting. Encourage teamwork and positive vibes : Celebrate good moves and funny moments. Avoid harsh competition or criticism. This about fun, not rules! Keep sessions short and sweet : If a game is dragging, it’s okay to switch gears or call it a night. Not everything will work for you, that's fine. Include everyone : Adapt games if needed so younger kids or less experienced players can join in. Remember, the goal is laughter and connection, not just winning. Adding a Personal Touch: Customising Your Game Night Want to make your game night truly special? Here are some ideas to personalise the experience: Create themed nights : Maybe a pirate adventure, a mystery night, or a retro games evening. Make your own game : Get creative and design a simple game together. It’s a fantastic way to bond and unleash your inner game designer. Use personalised scoreboards or trophies : A little friendly competition with a homemade prize can add excitement. Invite friends or neighbours : Sometimes mixing up the group brings fresh energy and new game ideas. These little touches turn a regular game night into a cherished tradition everyone looks forward to. What If I want Something A Little More Complex? Well, check this out! Top 3 Best Board Games for Kids Ages 7-12: Perfect for Midweight Fun Top 3 Best Board Games for Kids Ages 5-8: Perfect for Light and Midweight Fun So, next time you’re planning a cosy evening, why not give these family game ideas a whirl? With the right games, a comfy setup, and a sprinkle of creativity, you’ll be creating memories that last long after the dice have stopped rolling.

This is a preview copy sent to us for our early opinions. No money exchanged hands. Some art, rules or components will change in the final game. Pipe Down comes from designer Colin Webster, who also made Club Manager, another game I am reviewing for WBG. He reached out to me and told me about a tile-laying game he was also working on. He was keen to let me know it was in its early stages of development and homemade. He asked that I didn't let that affect my thoughts. Well, he needn't have worried, because I adore this little tile layer. It is full of strategy and surprising depth. At first, you think it will be over in moments, but then you realise the clever little layers in this simple ruleset and. oh my - it's a wonderful experience. Don't get me wrong, it is still just a simple ten-minute game, but that works perfectly for this type of thing. But it feels instantly more interesting than you first think when you play it. So, without further ado, let's talk about how it plays. How To Set Up Pipe Down Find the starting tile with the pressure gauge in the middle and place it in the middle of the playing area. Shuffle the rest of the tiles and place them all face down in various piles to the side. Flip one tile over and give each player a playing counter of their chosen color. Ideally, players should then sit orthogonally from this tile, above, below, or to the left or right. I will explain why in a bit! That's it, you're ready to play. How To Play Pipe Down On your turn, you can either take the face-up tile or draw blindly from any other tile. If you take the face-up tile, be sure to flip another face-up for the next player. You must now place your tile next to any other previously placed tile. Your goal is to create a path of connected pipes through five tiles moving towards the direction in which you are seated at the table. This is why where and how you are seated is important during setup! This is five levels away from the central tile, not five tiles. It may take more than five tiles if you need to weave in and out. In this crude example, the green token is one space to the right of the central tile using one tile to get there, whereas the red tile is two spaces to the right or top of the central tile, even though it uses four tiles to get there. Make sense? Tiles must be placed to continue a path, next to an existing tile. You must place the tile even if it doesn't help your course. You can plan for future developments, such as the top left of this example where all tiles are placed legally, but there is a bit of future planning/hope here to connect these remote pipes to the central tile to make them relevant! After all players have placed their second tile (or third in a four player game), all players can now use their Repair crew. This is your coloured marker which can be placed on any tile, other than the one you just laid, to stop anyone else placing any tiles next to the tile with your marker. At the start of your next turn, before you place your next tile, you must now move the token back to the central tile. You can place it out again after you have laid your next tile, but not on the tile you lay now, or the tile it was on before. This way, you can slow down other players paths, but not stop the game entirely. Wrinkle number one! There are also these tiles with the plus sign as seen above. When laid, these can be placed as usual, or on top of other previously placed tiles. You must still match the placement rules, and they cannot go over the central waterworks tile, but this is another wonderful little wrinkle that lets you subvert other players' plans and fix your own little pathway concerns! Been blocked by another player? No worries, cover it with a new path that opens up in the way you need! Or, is another player about to win? Well, block their path with a dead end! There are also these tiles below, with colour caps on. When these are placed, if you later want to connect to them with another tile, you must use a similar tile with a connecting cap to continue this path. This won't stop other players, but it may slow them down waiting for the right tile. And all the other tiles have interesting twists and turns to keep the options available to you interesting and the pathway never obvious or as you first expect! Which is exactly what you want in this simple, but elegant race to the finish. Is It Fun? Pipe Down Board Game Preview Pipe Down looks like a light, simple tile-laying game at first glance, but it’s actually a smart little tactical challenge. You’re connecting pipes from the central pressure gauge out toward your side of the play area, and while it starts as you would imagine, the subversions to your plans come quickly. You’ll soon find yourself juggling awkward connections, managing scarce tiles, and trying to outthink your opponents’ routes. Then the Repair Crew enters the mix, a tiny but genius mechanic that lets you block others, forcing creative detours and a healthy dose of sabotage. Add in tiles that stack and others that demand matching color caps, and suddenly this quick ten-minute filler becomes a surprisingly rich spatial duel. Still ten minutes. Still very much a filler. But one with a bit more crunch than you first think. Pros Simple to learn but offers satisfying depth Fast, portable, and ideal for quick play sessions Works equally well at two or four players Special tiles add variety and tactical choices Repair Crew mechanic introduces fun player interaction Has a charming, homemade feel with strong potential Cons Luck of the draw can heavily influence outcomes Might feel too light for fans of heavier puzzle games Occasionally forces players into weak or random moves Pipe Down is a delightful surprise, a ten-minute burst of clever design that balances puzzly planning with light-hearted player interaction. It’s easy to teach, fun to replay, and full of “just one more go” energy. The mix of luck, strategy, and mild mischief hits a perfect sweet spot for a filler game. Whether you’re laying pipes in serious silence or laughing as you block your friends’ perfect routes, Pipe Down delivers exactly what its name suggests, a quick, satisfying flow of fun that never outstays its welcome. I cannot wait to see how this protype develops.

Hitster Guilty Pleasures WBG Score: 7.5/10 Player Count: 2-10 You’ll like this if you like: Cheesy pop songs! Published by:   Jumbo Designed by: Marcus Carleson This is a free review copy. See our review policy here . I have covered the main game of Hitster here , where you can also read my how-to-play guide if you want to check out the rules. So, here we will just cover what's new with this version of the game and discuss if it is for you or not. But what's a guilty pleasure I hear you cry? Well, it's those songs you pretend to hate but actually love! They are not cool. They are not from fashionable artists. But they are catchy, fun, sing-along-able, and will make you smile. So long as no one else is looking! So, strap in, put on your glad rags, and let's get dancing to some of the greatest guilty pleasures of all time! How To Set Up And Play Hitster Guilty Pleasures Party Game There is a full set up guide and how to play in my original review, you can see here , but here is a brief overview. Shuffle the deck and deal one card face up to each player as their starting song and year. Give everyone two Hitster tokens. Then open the free Hitster app and sync it with your Spotify account, premium works best, but the free version also connects automatically. On your turn, scan the QR code on the top card of the deck using the Hitster app. The song will start playing automatically. Don’t flip the card yet. Decide if the song came out before  or after  the song in your row. If you think it’s older, place it to the left of your row. If it’s newer, place it to the right. Then flip the card to reveal the year. If you’re correct, it stays. If you’re wrong, discard it. Play then passes to the next player. As the game continues, you’ll build a timeline of songs. When you place a new card, slot it exactly where you think it belongs in your row before flipping it over. Songs released close together can make this tricky! Before the active player flips their card, others may play a Hitster token if they think the card has been placed incorrectly. If they’re right, they steal the card for their own row. You can earn more Hitster tokens by correctly naming the song title and artist before flipping the card. Three tokens can also be traded for a free card from the top of the deck. You can even use a token to skip your turn if you’re unsure. The first player to collect 10 correct cards wins, or you can just play for fun. You can also play in teams, starting with five Hitster tokens each (fewer for a tougher game). For added difficulty, require players to name the artist and song to keep a card, or even the exact year for a real challenge. Is It Fun? Hitster Guilty Pleasures Party Game Review OK, so this is just the same game, just with a load more cards. And they are all themed, like the other expansions/versions of this game, to one specific type of song. Here, guilty pleasures. Bangers from all decades, all eras, all types of artists, but always those cheeky ones you know you shouldn't really love, but you just do! I adore this game and find that every time I play it, I have a great time. I like party games. I like music. I like large group activities. This ticks all the boxes. I rarely use the tokens or play by the rules. We just have fun with the cards, usually splitting into two or three teams, trying to get people of all music tastes into each team, and then go at it! Who can get the most cards by the time we get bored? That's how I like to play, and it always works. Will this work for you and your group? Well, do you like these types of songs? If not, I would suggest it may drive you and a few of your friends and family crazy. I have a few people in my family who are a little snobby when it comes to their taste and will pretend to hate every song that is played! But then the drinks start to flow, the songs continue to bang out, and people are suddenly all singing to "In the Air Tonight" like it's the greatest song of all time! I would suggest most would therefore adore this in the right mindset. But others will detest the music in this game when not! You need to judge based on the taste of music your group has. If you want more classic choices, try the base game. There is then a Summer edition, covered also on WBG; you can check that out here . There is also a movies one, a Christmas one, and many, many more. More to come too, I'm sure. Just pick the one that works for you! Here is what the app looks like, its well worth downloading! Pros: Instantly fun, accessible, and social gameplay Brilliant song selection that sparks laughter and nostalgia Works perfectly with large groups and parties Smooth app integration with Spotify Flexible rules that allow for casual or competitive play Cons: Music selection won’t appeal to everyone Limited variety if you already own multiple Hitster sets Rules are simple, so long-term replayability relies on group energy Hitster: Guilty Pleasures cranks up the karaoke chaos of the original game with a playlist of gloriously cheesy hits you’ll pretend to hate but secretly know every word to. It’s fast, funny, and perfect for players who don’t mind a bit of musical embarrassment as they guess when these pop gems were released. With simple setup, seamless Spotify integration, and a crowd-pleasing mix of trivia and sing-along madness, it’s a guaranteed hit at any party, unless your group takes music way  too seriously. For everyone else, it’s pure, joyful cringe in a box.