Title: Demeter WBG Score: 7.5 Player Count: 1-100 You’ll like this if you like: Riverside, Hadrians Wall, Ganz Schön Clever. Published by: Sorry We Are French Designed by: Matthieu Verdier Let's get this out of the way as quickly as possible. Demeter is a brilliant game. There are so many options available to you as you play this game, but you will feel in complete control of your destiny, which when you start to get right after a few games, feels great. It does take a few go's at this to learn the strategy due to the many different choices you can make, but once this becomes more familiar to you, the combination turns you can take at the later stages are wonderfully satisfying. OK, with that said. Let's talk about the elephant in the room. Namely, there are hundreds of great blank and write games out there. Games where you roll a dice, or flip a card, and then mark something off on a sheet of paper just like here with Demeter. Alongside Riverside, Hadrians Wall, Ganz Schön Clever that I mention above, there is also Welcome To, Cartographers, Silver & Gold, to name just a few recent descents! This is a cluttered market place, so the question needs to be, not, is this a good game? But rather. Is this game better than the rest? Where does Demeter rank in the genre? I would rank Demeter very highly. It is certainly up there as one of the best flip and write games for me. With so many good games in the genre, I think the theme and art needs to come into it. It is fine margins that separate these great games. So, you need to make your own choice as to which theme interests you the most. So, yes. Demeter is a great game, but I think it will be personal preference around theme that will determine which one is right for you. The art and theme for Demeter is fantastic. No blank and write game ever really screams theme as you play it, I would say Riverside is the best for this. They all do become quite abstract when you start playing. I do like the art in Demeter, and think the idea is a good one. It follows on from the game Ganymede, where now, having landed on the planet of Ganymede, you are investigating the local wildlife, which happens to be Dinosaurs. But in truth, at no point during the game do I ever think about this. Does this matter? Not really! It's just with so many games that are all very good, you need to find a way to separate them out. Unless you just buy them all! How to play Demeter. Playing Demeter is surprisingly easy. There are five different types of cards which match the five major things you can do shown in the top right of the player sheet. There are fifteen different cards of each suit. Before you start, shuffle and remove three cards at random then place the remaining 12 on the table by the four objectives and scoring markers for each species. You will then play through twelve rounds, drawing one card for each of the five decks each time. Players can chose one of the five cards on offer to use on their sheet. Players can choose which ever card they like, no matter what other players are doing. There is no way to affect the other players in this game other than the scores for the Dinosaurs which we will come to later. On each of the five cards, there will be a symbol that will show you what benefit that card will give you. They are mostly symbols for spotting dinosaurs, but you can also construct new buildings or observation towers, recruit new scientists, or study the dinosaurs you have seen. Once you have chosen which card to go for, players will mark the indicated space on the top right space on the player sheet. This is important because if you do one from each card and complete a row, you will gain additional benefits. It also just helps you remember which card you chose that round. Players will then mark off the benefit they gained on the sheet, and then also claim the benefit of the card colour they chose. The blues let you recruit a scientist. The Red card lets you create a new observation post, the yellows let you study an already discovered dinosaur. The purple's let you mark off a space on the research track. And finally, the grey cards let you chose one of the above four options, it acts as a wild. The player board does look initially complicated but will quickly make sense in your mind after your first game. It is helpful to separate the board into four areas. There is the top left area we have talked about. The purple research track. The buildings on the top right. And then the main area which is separated itself into five areas, each showing a different species of dinosaur. You job is to discover and study the dinosaurs which means to colour in the space of the part of the dinosaur you are discovering. And then when the dinosaur is fully coloured in, you can draw a line from the dinosaur to the box close to it when studying it, to claim that benefit. You need to first spot and then study these beasts. Adding scientist's and observation towers increases your end game scoring options, and will help you complete objectives in the game. There are four randomly selected objectives for each game. You need to try to meet the criteria of these, but also qualify to score against them in the first place. Reaching the top of the research track three times will allow you to score the first three objectives, and discovering and studying the top four Gallimimus' on the bottom right of the sheet allows you to score against the forth one. It is a nice challenge to have to meet. Not only to do well in the four objectives, but to also reach the point where you can score them. The buildings will allow you to gain a benefit twice when you get that benefit. For example, the first blue building when constructed, will allow you to gain two scientist instead of one when you get the gain the scientist benefit. Getting buildings early in the game I found to be crucial to scoring well. Once you have discovered every Dinosaur of its type, as in all three Triceratops are coloured in for example, you will then score the bonus for that type of dinosaur. In a multiplayer game, you will flip over the token for that type of dinosaur and then each next person will score two less points when they discover that type of that dinosaur. This is the only way that players will have any type of interaction with each other in this game. This has both positive and negative affects on the game play. In a multiplayer, you do feel rather that you are playing a solitaire game, and other than the odd conversation here and there, asking what the other person may be doing, and then comparing scores at the end, it does feel rather isolated as you play. But this game plays brilliantly as a solitaire game. There are no rule changes, dummy players, or solo cards to use. You just play as usual and try to beat your previous scores. I like solo games like this, but would prefer there to be a score rank in the rule book so you can compare your scores. I always think it's a missed opportunity when this isn't done in a game that works so well in in solo mode. This has both positive and negative affects on the game play. Negative in that in a multiplayer, you do feel rather that you are playing a solitaire game, and other than the odd chat here and there, asking what the other person may be doing, and then comparing scores at the end, it does feel rather isolated as you play. Positive in that this game players brilliant as a solitaire game. There are no rule changes, dummy players, or annoying solo cards to use. You just play as usual and try to beat your previous scores. I like solo games like this, but would prefer there to be a score rank in the rule book so you can compare your scores. I always think it a missed opportunity when this isn't done in a game that works so well in a one. Summery. Demeter feels very satisfying to play. There is a quick learning curve and I saw my scores dramatically improve as I learnt the strategy for the game. I found in game two and three I had incredibly high scores as I had a rule wrong around the building bonus, but thankfully some friends corrected me there when I posted my confusion online! (Thanks all!) But after that, when playing correctly, I saw my score steadily improve each game. The rule book is clear, I was just being slow! The game offers a clever puzzle you need to work out how to get right. Playing the game over and over does not get any less enjoyable or interesting. Demeter offers a constant challenge to try and figure out the right way to solve this puzzle the most efficient way. Games of this nature go from good to great when they offer cascading turns late in the game. Jamey Stegmaier spoke about this recently, where some games offer you lots of little turns with limited power, which all build to one (or more) big turns later in the game. I love games that do this. There is so much satisfaction in feeling you have earn't the right to take lots of actions on one turn. Saying to the other player, "Here, check this out. I can mark this, which lets me tick this, so I can score this, which in turns lets me do this and meet this objective!" It's a great feeling. A good blank and write should have this. Demeter does, but getting to the point where you can utilise and maximise 'one big turn' near the end of this game takes practice. In doing so, there is even more satisfaction than usual. You don't just feel you have earn't the right to do this in this game, but you have earn't the right to do this from the experience you gained from each time you play this game. This feels wonderful. This offers again, both good and bad things to the game. Good in that this 'one big turn' or multiple big turns in the case of Demeter, is great. It is very enjoyable to do this and your previous efforts and low scores will feel worth while as you develop your skills in this game. But, it does mean this game has a huge advantage to experienced players. I have not seen anyone score well in this game until at least game three, but then you still need I think at least five games before you score really well. The game is quick and can be done in 15 minutes, but not everyone will be up for five games to catch up with you each time you teach them. I would put Demeter into my top five for blank and writes without doubt. I will play it many more times. Due to its simplicity I would put it into my top five solo games as well. I would like the theme to be utilised a little more, and perhaps a few more ways to score in the game. I understand some of this is addressed in the first expansion, Autumn and Winter, but I have not played that yet. Overall Demeter is a great little game and one I would encourage you to check out if you are a fan of this genre, dinosaurs, or the art in Ganymede.

Title: Katamino Family WBG Score: 7 Player Count: 1-2 You’ll like this if you like: Ubongo 3D, Miyabi, Patchwork. Published by: Gigamic Designed by: André Perriolat, John Perriolat Games using polyomino shapes became all the rage a few years back. I think people like the sense of calm these game create. Bringing order where there was once chaos. There is also the nostalgic harp back to Tetris. A game so many of us grew up with. I still remember the exact time and place I completed level 9-5 for the first time. On the way to South France in a back of my mates dads car, summer of 2000 if you are interested. Previously known as Katamino Duo, this new release from Gigamic is a beautiful production, perfect for all fans of polyomino shapes and pattern building. Contained within this colourful box are 18 well made painted wooden pieces, a wooden board, and 40 cards offering a multitude of options. You can play this game in so many ways. The classic two player version is for one player to draw a card, each player to take the pieces shown on their side of the card, then race to add them all into their space on the board. After each round both players then choose an extra piece to give to their opponent with the person who finished second in the last round picking first. Each round, the space to build in grows by one row. The player who finishes first each round scores a point and after four rounds the player with the most points wins. In the case of a tie, the players swap the last piece they gave to each other and duel one final time! The cards used to play the different games are all colour coded. Five different colours represent five different abilities. Players can choose to play at whichever level they are most suited too. There are also nine double coloured cards with one side suitable for children, and the other designed for adults. This is a great way for two players of different abilities to compete at the same time in a fair manner. You can also play Katamino on your own using similar rules. There are dedicated solo player cards, challenges and puzzles. Completing all six solo challenges was a satisfying thing to do, one I will continue to enjoy time after time. It was nice to take the race element present in a two player game out of the experience. Just focusing on your own goals at your own pace was a nice experience. There are also dedicated cards for 3D challenges. Either on your own, or in a race against another player. Players will attempt to complete towers ranging from 2x3x5 to 3x3x4. Depending on the size, players will either take specific pieces as shown on the card, or can chose the pieces they want based on a few parameters, and then attempt to arrange them into the required size. It is incredibly satisfying to finish, and you will surprised at how many variation there are. There isn't just one solution to each puzzle. Like most versions of this game, the shapes combine in hundreds of different ways. The rule book also offers a number of puzzles for younger children to try to complete. Using the shapes to create flat puzzles that resemble animals, or make up your own animal shapes. These are very simple to understand and designed for children from three and up. It is nice that this game can work for every in the family. Also included is a balancing game called Kataboom. Players take it in turns to balance a piece on top of the previously laid shape. The last player to place a piece without the construction toppling over is the winner. You can use both hands, and also use the piece you are placing to amend the previously laid pieces. It is surprisingly addictive, trying to beat not only your opponent, but as a team, your previously achieved height. It feels a little bit like Jenga, but a lot faster to play and a lot less hassle to clear up! Even putting this game away at the end is fun. You could of course just chuck all the pieces back into the box. They would fit just fine and not get damaged. But on the rear of the rule book is an image, tantalisingly showing you one solution to the many ways you can fit all the shapes back into the board together as one. I cannot imagine anyone would not at least try and put all the shapes back in this way after playing this game! I quite enjoy packing up most games anyway. It is a nice cathartic experience finding all the right bags or spaces in the box. This game takes from that sense of order and creates at entire game from it. Playing this game takes me back to playing Tetris and the zen state my mind goes into when playing these type of games. Manipulating these beautifully made 3D shapes in my hand only adds to the sensory pleasure of forming the required patterns. As much as some levels can be hard, and frustrating. When you complete a level you have been stuck on for a while, well, it makes you feel like you have actually achieved something. Even as a 42 year old man, I want to ring my mum and show her what I did!

Title: Quarto WBG Score: 8 Player Count: 2 You’ll like this if you like: Go, Chess, SHŌBU Published by: Gigamic Designed by: Blaise Muller First made in 1991, Quarto has gone through many face lifts and make overs. This current edition from Gigamic is a beautifully made set with solid wooden pieces and a lovely wooden board. Quarto is a game I proudly leave out on display like a Chess set. Hoping to entice people to ask about it. Which in turn lets me teach them the game so we can play. And once we play this, why not one of the other hundreds in the house? If you will forgive the rather crude reference, is Quarto therefore, the perfect starter drug for board games? The game has gone through multiple published editions I would suggest, because of its traditional appeal. A simple to understand, hard to master board game, that can be taught and played in minutes and by anyone. It has all the makings of a classic in both looks and game play. In Quarto, players take it in turns to choose one of the 16 pieces to give to their opponent. They will then place it anywhere within the four-by-four grid. There are no placement rules, you can use any space you wish. Players will play in turn like this until all pieces are used and a tie occurs, or more likely, a connection of four is made, and spotted, in one of eight ways. In this picture, you can see four of the eight ways a connection of four can be made. The first is shown the in the bottom row. All four pieces have the same hollowed top. you could equally have four flat tops to make a valid connection. Along the right column you can see four large pieces. Again, four small would also work. Running along the second column you can see four pieces all with a square shape. Four circular shapes would also win you the game. And finally, in the second row, you can see four light coloured shapes. Four dark shapes would work just as well. When placing a piece, players need to look for the chance to build to, or complete one of these eight win conditions. But of course, the piece you are placing is not chosen by you. Your opponent will not want to intentionally help you. As both players are playing on the same board though, in order to help yourself you need to help your opponent. But in a way where they don't realise it. With eight different win conditions, it is easy to miss something. Like Connect Four, Chess, or any other popular puzzle or abstract game with different win conditions, you can be focused on one end goal and miss another right in front of your face. This happens a lot in this game. Having played this game probably over a hundred times now, I cannot count the amount of games that have ended with me thinking I am one move from victory, only for the other player to then make a connection I had not even seen. And with the way this game works, when this happens, you are literally handing them the victory! Making the connection is not enough though, you must also spot the connection and shout "QUARTO!" If you don't, and continue the game, the connection can no longer win you or any other player the game. This sounds redundant, but I am certain there are many games where I have won but not even noticed! There are a few variations to help with beginners or more advanced players. Either removing one or more of the win conditions or adding a new one. For beginners you can state that you can only win with the same colour or size for example. Or for an advanced game, you can add the possibility of winning with a group of four in a two by two square. With the horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines, there is already a lot going one. Adding in this advanced variation brings in nine new ways for the game to be won! Or more likely, nine new ways to miss an opportunity! Quarto is a great game to encourage children to try new games, learn patience, strategy, and how to be a good winner or loser. All the reasons I love playing games with my own children wrapped up in a beautiful wooden package. It is also great for teaching me how to be a good loser to them, which happens a lot anyway, but almost every time with this game. I think this is a young mans game! Quarto has such a high level of accessibility due to its simplistic rules and visually appealing pieces. Just looking at this board makes people want to pick up and fondle the pieces. There is also a novelty in seeing something that looks a bit like Chess, but isn't Chess. It intrigues people in a wonderful way. This does beg the question why is it that everyone has heard of and played Chess, but not Quarto? I suppose a few hundreds years has something to say about this. But come the mid 25th century, mark my words, Quarto will be as well known as Chess! OK, maybe not, but it certainly offers an enjoyable, accessible, and strategic game session, and looks lovely all set up now on my coffee table left after my last game with my son. Now, if I could figure out how he beat me again!

Title: A game about quickly grabbing creatures that are totally different, and watching out for turnips. WBG Score: 8 Player Count: 2-3 or more with more sets! You’ll like this if you like: GRABBELL, Dobble, Llama. Published by: Stuff By Bez Designed by: Andrew Beardsley, Behrooz Shahriari Where to start with this game? The name? The art? The crazy fun gameplay? Everything about this release from board game designer, enthusiast, entrepreneur, and all round great person Behrooz Shahriari makes me happy. Very happy indeed! Following on from the 2021 UKGE release of A game about WEE WHIMSICAL CREATURES and trying to identify them after someone makes noise which sold out after one day (I bought my copy at about 11am!) I sense that Bez has got a cheeky glint in her eye when she names games this way. Perhaps it is because she finds a descriptive name like this helpful? Maybe it helps the game stand out? Maybe, its just because its funny? But for whatever reason, the game is a lot of fun and one my family and I have brought out many times over the last few weeks to share with other family and friends. The game is always a hit! The game is based on the game Grabbell which was one of the many games playable with the ingenious deck of cards released by Bez called ELL deck. I picked this deck up on a whim, and was surprised and delighted at the contents. The cards are cleverly designed to show two letters with a different border for each. They can be used for many different games out of the box, with lots more variations available online. You can find many examples here. Grabbell is a fun game, but doesn't look as good as this. What Bez has done with the art here is change a simple graphic lettering design to hilarious looking monsters and creatures. There is also a bit if colour, which is new for her games. But what has remained consistent is that they are all hand drawn and delightful. It feels like something you may pick up from a local art fair, but with the fun and craft of someone who knows how to make a really good game. Learning A game about quickly grabbing creatures that are totally different, and watching out for turnips, is quicker than saying the name! Place all the cards face down randomly on a table. The game then starts as players, simultaneously in real-time start to grab the cards! Players can use one hand to pick up a card and another to hold their collection. Players need to gets as many cards as they can before they are all gone. Points are scored for the number of consecutive cards in your deck that don't have matching body parts. Either the head shape, body type, or leg style. All must be different. You can have turnips between similar creatures, but you can never have more than one turnip in a row. And if you have more than five turnips in total, you loose. Once all the cards are collected, players check their hands to see if they broke any rules and the player with the most points wins. Its quick, fast, hilarious fun! Perfect with children or adults after a few drinks! I have enjoyed this game so much over the 2021 festive period, and saw it as a perfect game to bring out with all my friends. As you can set-up and teach this game to any player of any age within a minute, the game works for all occasions. It plays within a few minutes, and generally the players who loose demand a rematch immediately. I have never played this game just the once! This game will be a treasured part of my collection and I hope to enjoy many more plays with this deck. I have two decks allowing me to play with more people, up to six is suggested. Two to three players per deck. But I played with eight with these two decks and it was fine. It was a quicker game with more players. But not less fun! The frantic nature of eight hands all grabbing at the same cards at the same time made for a hilarious game, that perhaps was more suited for the adults than the children. It seems that the quantity of players has a direct affect on the competitive nature of adults playing family games! The game costs just £5 and is available from here. I would not hesitate to buy this game again and again myself and would recommend it to anyone! Bez will be at multiple conventions in 2022 if you want to try the game first. But if you have a copy or not, I would highly recommend popping over and saying hello to her. I would wager you will leave with a big smile on your face. Bez is amazing!

Title: Caesar’s Empire WBG Score: 7 Player Count: 2-5 You’ll like this if you like: Yamatai, Ticket to Ride, Blue Lagoon Published by: Holy Grail Games, Synapses Games Designed by: Matthieu Podevin By Steve Godfrey Friends, gamers, countrymen, lend me your eyes and please read my review of Caesar’s Empire. In it I will strive to give you some Vital stastitix and hope that I don’t make it too long so we don’t all turn into Geriatrix whilst reading it. All in all I hope that this review stands like an Obelix that you can enjoy for a long time to come and that you enjoy it enough to want to Getafix of this great game. If I forget anything I’ll put it in an Asterix below. The rules of the road Set up the game by picking a side of the board depending on player count and placing all the location tiles on their matching locations on the board. Then shuffle the treasure tokens and place them randomly face up on the locations. Give each player a player board and a set of their road tokens. The road tokens in this case are these awesome Roman soldier minis On a player's turn they must connect a city to Rome using their road tokens. They must either be placed next to Rome or next to an empty city (a city whose location token has been collected) When you connect a city to Rome by any player's roads you take the city token and place it in front of you and the treasure goes on your player board. Each type of treasure needs to go in its own column. Then you score one point for each of the road tokens that connect that city to Rome. If an opponent's road token is on that road then they score one point for each one. The game will end once each city on the board has been connected to Rome. Each player will score their city types but only the highest number of each type they collect. Then they’ll score their treasures. The more of each type you have the more points you’ll score and the more different types you have will score you more points. Infamy, infamy, they’ve all got it in for me. When I was younger I was a huge fan of Asterix and the gang. I read the books, watched the movies and if I didn’t wear out my copy of the Twelve tasks of Asterix then I’m sure it would only have taken a couple more watches before it broke. I haven't watched or read them as much these days but I still love the characters and the world. Unfortunately though when it comes to Asterix and board games the pickings are a little slim when it comes to quality. Now the folks at Holy Grail Games have released Caesar’s Empire. At first it seems a little strange that they would take this popular IP and focus the game on the main antagonist Caesar and his takeover of Rome. Even the two main characters are demoted to only a cameo appearance on the board. Some searching on BoardGameGeek however tells me that this is a re-implementation of the game Drogi do Rzymu (Roads to Rome) which was a polish only release by Holy Grail. The artwork on that version looks great but if you're going to change art for whatever reason then this is certainly the way to go. Rome wasn't built in a day. Whilst we’re on the subject of art let’s talk production. So, yes this art is great and should be instantly recognisable to a vast majority of people. The big looming shadow of Caesar himself gives the great looking board an extra pop. Personally you could put this art onto a can of dog food and it would draw me to it. Please don’t though, I don’t have a dog and my cupboards are still full of tins of Scooby doo and Ninja Turtles pasta shapes. I’m quite easily led! Those road token minis are the absolute star of the show though. They look awesome with the three marching Roman soldiers motif and they are a lot of fun to place on the board. In fact one of the reasons to play this at higher player counts is to see how cool the board looks with all the different coloured minis filling it up. The minis are absolutely screaming at me to paint them every time I get them out. Would I get annoyed at painting the same thing that many times? Yes, would they look awesome? YES!! “Would that it were so simple” As you can see from the rules Caesar’s Empire is a relatively simple game and it sits perfectly in the family game / gateway game camp. As we know from a lot of these games, simple rules don’t necessarily mean simple choices and this game is no exception. Take putting a road down for example. This isn’t always as simple as connecting a city where you have roads and scoring maximum points. Scoring roads will net you some decent points but it’s the city tokens and the treasures that can get you the big scores. More often than not you’re going to need to use opponents' roads to get them but doing so gives them precious victory points. That in itself is a fun balancing act but doing this could also set you up to score points from other players connecting roads in future turns. Couple that with the random treasure placement and it stops players from sticking to their own little section of the board. I really like the choices you have to work with all within this simple package. Even though those choices include potentially snatching a treasure from out from under another player it’s never done to be mean. Even if that city tile won’t help you the treasure will always add to your score and more often than not you’ll be giving your opponent points for part of the road anyway. Don’t get me wrong, none of the decisions you make are going to have you staring at the board for an extended period but for a family game like this they're spot on. “Veni, Vidi, Vici” I’m sure down the road there are going to be some comparisons to a train based route building game, I mean at this point I think any game with a map where you’re connecting things will have that. Caesar’s Empire is not that game though, for one thing this doesn’t have the luck factor, in fact there is no luck at all in this game. Every decision is completely down to the players, except of course when other players have the Gaul (ahem) to take the city and treasure your after in which case your carefully thought out plans of domination will have to change. Where TTR has been one of the go to gateways games for a long time I think this could perform a similar job but have a wider appeal to families. The Asterix world will appeal to the adults who have a love for this world whereas the art work and certainly the box cover will help convince the kids to come to the table potentially more so than the train theme. The dual sided player board for different player counts keeps the game more balanced and the randomness of the set up of the treasures keep things fresh each time you play and it’s quick enough that you could just as easily set up and go again. Caesar’s Empire is a fun gateway/family game that is sure to appeal to a far greater audience in respect of theme and ease of play. If this is the sort of quality we get from them then I really hope that Holy Grail Games has more opportunities to make more games set in this world.

Secret Identity WBG Score: 7.5/10 Player Count: 3-8 You’ll like this if you like: Codenames, Mysterium, Dixit. Published by: Funnyfox Designed by: Johan Benvenuto, Alexandre Droit, Kévin Jost, Bertrand Roux Before I start this review, I should probably preface this with two facts. I love party games. I played this a lot over Christmas 2021 when I was in a really good mood. But, I will try and cast my positive pre-conceptions aside and offer this fair and reasoned comment. Secret Identity is the best game ever!! OK, that may be a bit far, but I certainly did share some hilarious times with it. Let's get into it. Secret Identity is a very good party game. There is no doubt about that. Party Games are hard to review objectively as the experience you can have with them varies so much based on the people you play with and the environment you play in. But I always feel a fair way to judge party games is how well they fair within multiple environments, with gamers and non-gamers, over multiple plays when, and this is the key, someone in the group doesn't seem up for it! Can the game bring all the players in, and give everyone a good time? I played Secret Identity with many different friends and family over the 2021 Christmas break and as is the norm, there was usually at least one person less enthusiastic about playing a game. I brought Secret Identity with me to each house I went to as it has a very simple rule set and feels instantly accessible. On each occasion it was played, I have been able to explain the game within a few minutes and get playing very quickly which is key for this sort of situation. But crucially, everyone always had a good time with this game. This is the thing I like most about Secret Identity. How quickly it seems everyone starts having fun with this game, every time I play it. There is a co-operative and competitive variant which has only one real rule change, and I like offering the group the opportunity to chose how we play without any added complications. As the game is so simple to learn and play, and offers quick and accessible fun, it always seems to land well, and quickly for all players. Set Up. Give each player a coloured board, a set of keys, and their scoring marker. Place the scoring board on the table, then set up the game board with eight different character cards placed around it. If anyone around the table doesn't know any of the characters then simply change them. There are 150 double side cards included so plenty to go around. The game doesn't work unless every player knows every character. Most characters are common enough, I only had a few occasions with younger players when we needed to make a change. John Lennon being one of the characters I had to change. Sad times. Then place the eight gold Mystery Keys numbered one to eight face down in the middle of the table. These refer to one of the eight character cards. Each player takes one, sneaks a look, then tucks it away secretly into the fold out part of their game board. Each player will then use up to six of their eight "Picto" cards to give clues as to which character their Mystery key refers too. The game officially has four rounds, and you do not get to replace any used "Picto" cards so you are supposed to be sparing with their use. I have house ruled this to allow younger players to have more cards or replace ones that simply don't work for them. But I do tell players that it is easier to guess from seemingly obscure clues than you may think. Firstly as you are guessing from eight known characters. And secondly as you can rule others out from other players own clues. The player boards have spaces for up to six "Picto" cards. Three spaces are for images that are like your character. And three spaces for cards that are not like your character. This opens up the opportunity for some very amusing and creative clues. Each time I have played, people have always been surprised at how often one-card clues are guessed correctly. One simple black square to represent Darth Vader when he is the only apparent villian A Spiders web when Spiderman is one of the options. It sometimes works out easier than you think. Once everyone has set their "Picto" cards in place, each player then uses their own set of coloured numbered keys to make a guess for each other players character. Placing their guesses into each other players board. I like this part of the game a lot. Players are giving clues and then guessing each others clues simultaneously. Of course, some players can work faster than others, but there really is not much down time in the game at all. And even if you have guessed everything, you can always have fun watching other players try to do the same. Can you guess from the clues above which of the above eight characters I was referring too? I have tried to make this one a little more difficult with more "Picto" cards than usual to show you how the game works, but I still hope that most would get this quite quickly. This is something that is key for a party game. I love Codenames and think it rightly sits high up on its throne as one of the best Party games. But there is a lot of downtime and silence. Players can often take a little too long creating and then guessing the clues. And whilst the clues are being thought of, the other players really are not doing much at all. In Secret Identity, there is minimal downtime, the game moves very quickly. As such, there is a constant release of endorphins for all players as people correctly guess each others clues regularly. When everyone has made their guess by placing their own coloured keys into each others player boards, players will then flip open their board to reveal what character they were referring to, and what everyone else has guessed for it. It was Bond! He is not a baddy. He does not wear a tie. He is a bow tie kind of guy. He is often in exotic locations and enjoys alcohol. Did you get it? Everyone in my familiar did bar my wife who guessed Marilyn Munroe. Players score a point for each correct guess made on their character, and one point for each correct guess they make on each others characters. Players are encourage to give good clues and make good guesses. The co-operative version works very similarly. The main change is that only one person is ever giving clues at a time, and all other players are working together, discussing as a group to decide which character to guess. It's harder in that only one of eight characters is ever being given clues for so you cannot eliminate characters like the normal game. But it's made simpler as you have the benefit of a group discussion to learn from. Players take it in turns to give the clues over 10 rounds. Like the competitive version, you can of course house this rule how ever you see fit and play for as long as you are all having fun! Decrypto is my favorite party game of all time. But it really does need at least four, and those four players need to be a similar age/ability for the game to work well. For me, ideally two couples. It works in other environments, but this is its peak for me. Secret Identity doesn't really have a optimum group or number. It works in a two or eight. I have found it to work equally well with young children or adults. It is certainly one of the most accessible party games I have played and enjoyed. I also find with Decrypto that people seem to start really enjoying it by round three. Secret Identity wraps people in its party fun clutches from the very start! All players are always involved and the fun starts from the very first second. I would recommend this game to anyone, and I rarely say this. It is so versatile and simple to play, it really does work in every situation. It's quick and fun to play, and you can adapt it to suit whatever game style, length, or difficulty you want. I think Secret Identity is a real gem of a game that deserves it's place very high up on the list of party games.

Moonrakers WBG Score: 8.5/10 Player Count: 1-5 You’ll like this if you like: Cosmic Encounter, Clank, Bohnanza Published by: IV Games Designed by: Austin Harrison, Max Anderson, Zac Dixon If you like the back-and-forth nature of the negotiations in Comic Encounter and the deck-building aspects of games like Clank and Dominion, then you are going to love Moonrakers! I have not played a deck-building negotiation game before, but I loved the sound of these two mechanisms being merged in this way. After multiple games I have not been disappointed. Moonrakers is a fantastic game. The game has a wonderfully illustrated graphic novel within the box detailing the backstory to this game, and you can get lost within this brilliantly constructed world if you want. But the basic premise is to get to 10 points before your friends by developing your deck, negotiating alliances, and clever card play. The theme is fun, and well implemented, but this game shines from the well executed game play and an original blend of mechanics. How to play Moonrakers. Moonrakers, like all deck builders, starts slowly. In the beginning you will have a standard hand of cards offering limited options. On your turn, you can choose to either remain at base to claim one credit and a new objective or you can attempt one of the eight available contracts. Contracts can be attempted on your own or with the help of one or more of the other players. Each contract offers a mixed reward of points, credits and free upgrade cards. You must offer out suitable rewards to entice other players to come to your assistance, but beware, their offers may not always be genuine! The contract cards require a certain mix of specific cards to be played in order to meet their requirements. A mix of thrusters, damage, crew, shields, reactors etc. Your deck starts as ten uniform cards which you will shuffle and deal five cards to make your starting hand. However, on your turn, you only have one action! This is where reactors come in. They allow you to gain two extra actions, so you generally need to start your turn with one of these cards being played. The thrusters are a popular second card to play, they allow you to draw two more cards from your deck into your hand. Damage cards create damage, shield cards block damage to you, and the miss cards are blanks you need to try and remove from your deck as soon as possible. How to Set up Moonrakers. The set-up for the game, as displayed above for a two-player is simple. All the mats are clearly labelled and the iconography is exemplary. It clearly shows you where to place each card, how many to lay out, and what you need have in your starting hand. I love these boards.They look great but are also highly functional. The cards are the only down side to the game. They are very glossy and with a game that uses a lot of cards, its hard to keep everything as neat as above. They are very skiddy! I encourage you to embrace the chaos and get stuck in, especially in a four or five player game! And in truth, that is where this game shines. It works fine in solo and two-players, but you need the higher player counts to really allow the engines of this game to run at their maximum. It's all about negotiations, and in a four or five player, this is where the fun really happens. I say fun, I mean arguments. Which in this game... are fun! The Strategy of Moonrakers. Similarly to Cosmic Encounter, players rely on their negotiating skills to do well in this game. You won't be able to complete many contracts at the start of the game on your own. And later on in the game, you wont be able to complete many of the higher scoring contracts without help from your friends. But when you start to get close to the end-game, people will obviously not want to help you as much. Especially if you are looking to take the points. Players need to offer the points to other players in order to take the credits themselves in order to advance their deck to a stage where they can later complete the missions alone. Like all deck-builders, as much as the game can start slowly, it ramps up quickly! Ending the game unexpectedly when on five points by completing a five point contract on your own is not out of the question. In a race to ten points, getting 50% of your required points in one turn is obviously huge. But doing so, requires time to build up your powers. The early rounds is all about forming temporary alliances. If you cannot reach an amicable resolution in your negotiations then you can try again with another contract. But if this also fails, then you must either go alone and try to complete the mission without any help, or stay at base. This perhaps is where the game falls down a little for me. There are no real consequences to failing a mission other than not getting the rewards from the contract. It is not always certain if you can complete contracts or not when looking at your starting hand. Most of the time you need more than just the five cards in your hand, so you are relying on thrusters to get you more cards from your deck. But of course, you don't know exactly what will come when. There is some guess work here. Let's take a real game example. You need one more thruster than what you have in your hand to compete a mission, and you know there are two more thrusters in your deck of seven cards. The odds are in your favour, especially as you will be playing two thrusters from your existing hand which will allow you to pick up four more of those seven cards. 4/7 chance sounds good enough to me so most players would attempt this alone. Although of course, it doesn't always work out like that and I had this exact scenario and I did not draw the extra thruster or another card that could help. I failed the mission, one that statistically speaking I entered into in good faith. But failure just means you don't get the points, and in a game where most of the time you only get one or two points anyway, this doesn't seem to be that bad. As such, failing a contract has limited jeopardy. Deciding on entering one that is a little risky doesn't create enough tension. Players are not encouraged enough to partner with other players to increase their chances. Equally, winning a contract does not generate as much joy as I would have liked. Where the tension comes from in Moonrakers. Where the game does bring in the tension is with the damage dice. Each contract asks you to roll zero to four damage dice. There are more damage dice with the higher reward contracts. You can divide these up among the allies helping you this round as part of the negotiation just like the points and credits so you don't have to roll them all yourself. You can block the damage from the dice with shields, but if you don't, each damage counts as one negative point, which can be huge. Some contracts require shields to be played anyway, and these will count towards your damage dice too if required. But some contracts don't need shields, and you may be attempting a contract without any shields in your hand as you only need to roll one damage dice and feel the risk is negligible. You could then roll two damage on this one die and see yourself in quite a tight spot. This is the suspense and excitement I would like to see in all missions simply from the danger of either succeeding or failing at it. The damage dice go a long way to correcting this issue, but I feel a bigger punishment from failure would encourage more negotiations and a hugely heightened sense of achievement when successful. Time to build your deck! Once you have finished a contract, either successfully or not, you can then head to the shops. There are ship upgrades available as well as new crew members to recruit. The crew cards go into your discard ready to be shuffled back into your hand in a later round. They offer some exciting new powers and can significantly develop your hand. The ship cards are placed on your own personal player mat and offer constant powers as well as bringing extra cards into to your hand based on the symbols in the top right. Developing your hand and powers in this way is crucial to successfully navigating the more treacherous contracts, and surviving on your own later in the game. This is where the game does deliver a real feeling of achievement. It feels great to start a round with two actions instead of one, or to have a larger starting hand due to your upgrades. I enjoy the development of power, and the cards are all priced relativity low so I find in most games you can purchase one new card each round. I end most games with a surplus of credits. As such, this is more a race to get the cards you want more than a race to save up the required credits. With three crew and six ships parts always being shown face up, if a powerful card is shown, it is unlikely it will stay in the shop window for long! Each player could take a different strategy though of course. It may well be that one persons dream card does not work as well for another player. You could be focusing on developing your ability to create high damage to take on the contacts that require that. As such, a card that helps you with other areas is not as attractive to you. Players developing different skills this way create better opportunities for alliances. If you become aware that another player offers the things you don't, very fruitful partnerships can be formed. In the race to ten points, working with other players in the early and middle stages of the game is crucial. You don't want to get left behind from a refusal to negotiate. However, as the games' tension ramps up, your trust in other players will start to wain. When another player agrees to help you, their full and unbridled support cannot always be guaranteed. Players may offer help in order to sabotage your own attempts as they see you as a threat. Or, simply they offer their partnership in order to flush their current hand. Wasting a weak hand on your turn so they have a better hand on their own. Be weary of players accepting deals that don't appear to work for them, or those too eager to reach a deal just that little bit too quickly! I have found this element of the game to only really come in to play when playing with those more familiar with each other, or in game two or three. Players generally want to be nice to other people in games. More so on game one. But game two... all bets are off! It often transpires that someone will eventually double cross another player. And of course, as in life, once the flood gates open, there is no stopping the tide of treachery! This where the game really shines. When playing Moonrakers I try to encourage players to remember this is a negotiation game with semi co-operation in temporary alliances. Bluffing, double-crossing and down right skulduggery is encouraged! Of course with younger players or those who find this side to games less than appealing, you can always house rule this out of the game. (Or is that a bluff too?) Outside of the deck-building and negotiation, what stands out for this game is the card play. Being able to complete a contract using your powers, acquired crew, and clever order of cards is very satisfying. You will often be sat staring at your hand, thinking to yourself, how can it be that with only five cards, the correct order in which to play them so easily escapes you! But when you figure this out, and get it right, it feels great. Other players will be invested in watching this too. Either they will be in a temporary alliance with you and cheering you on, or watching from afar, wishing ill luck on you as you draw two more cards after a thruster. Screaming for just one more shield! Attempts at contracts are quick, so the wait is never long, and even in a five player game I found myself to be constantly involved and always fully engaged. Playing Moonrakers is a lot of fun. I would say it is now one of my favorite deck-building games and in my top three for negotiation games. The merging of these two mechanisms works brilliantly, and the game really has executed the balance between working solo and forming semi co-operative alliances very well. As I mentioned, the only issue I have other than the shiny cards, is the lack of genuine tension in a missions success or not in the early part of the game. But come the end, when players are one or two missions away from victory, this tension very much exists in abundance. I would recommend this game to anyone who enjoys clever card play, or games that encourage direct and constant interaction with other players. I very much look forward to trying the new expansion for this, and cannot wait to get it to the table again.

Scooby Doo: Escape from the Haunted Mansion WBG Score: 7.5 Player Count: 1 or more You’ll like this if you like: Exit games, Unlock games, Scooby Doo! Published by: The Op Designed by: Jay Cormier, Sen-Foong Lim By Steve Godfrey “Scooby dooby doo, where are you we’ve got a game to review now” (to the lawyers at Hannah-Barbara I think this technically counts as parody so please don’t sue me) Now with that lawsuit evaded let’s get onto the review! Before I start running through the game just to let you know I won’t be spoiling anything about the game in this review. To set up first read the rule book! It sounds obvious I know but since most of the components are a secret until revealed it really is the best way to go. I will give you an idea of how the game works though. Players will be given one of the five character books to read throughout the game. Who gets what book and how many doesn’t really matter as no one really controls an individual character, it’s just there to keep players involved. If you're playing with others who can’t read or aren’t good readers yet then one player can take over reading duties. Place down Map tile one and read from where the game instructs you to and then you’re off! Each character has their own special ability. Either research, eat, smell, use and investigate and each has a number on their standee. These numbers are then combined with the three digit numbers on different items found in the rooms to create a four digit number. You then look that number up in the corresponding book. For example Velma’s book is all numbered 1000 to 1999 so it’s easy to find which book you need based on the character you’ve used. Players then read out the passage, these usually give you some story, clues, instruct you to reveal cards, new map tiles or even more excitingly tell you to open one of the game's secret envelopes. Beware though because although you don’t get penalised for say, trying to use Shaggy to eat a bookcase, you may do if you put a wrong combination in when solving a puzzle. It’s nothing too drastic, you will just need to mark off a Scooby snack on the back of the book which will then affect your end score. One thing you’ll notice fairly quickly is that this isn’t your typical escape room game. Technically you are trying to escape the mansion but this is your proper classic Scooby Doo type mystery. The gang find themselves in a location, there’s a ghost/monster and they have to try and solve the mystery. If you loved the old cartoons and love Scooby Doo and always wanted to be a part of solving one of the mysteries,. then I suggest you stop reading and go and grab a copy now! Regardless of whatever I say from here on, this may be a game for you. And I would have gotten away with it! This game gives me all of those nostalgic feels, yes because of the theme but there’s also something else there. The flipping back and forth through the books reminds me of the old 'Choose your own adventure' books and whilst I didn’t exactly feel the need to put my fingers in the pages (don’t deny it, you used to do it too!) it did give me those vibes. The other type of games it evoked for me was the old Monkey Island point and click adventure games. This is largely because you can use any character's ability on any object and there will be a passage in the book as a response. This includes the previously mentioned Shaggy eating a bookcase. There are other point and click elements but I won’t say why for fear of spoilers, but if you know those types of games then you’ll know what I mean when you get to it. If it wasn’t for those meddling kids! I’ve played a few different types of escape room style games with my kids and they have hit on different levels, but for the most part I’ve tended to play them with my eldest (13). I think the puzzles on some of the others have been just a tad too thinky for the youngest (11). This one was a huge hit for her though, we played this over three sessions, one quick one to get acquainted with it and then played out the chapters properly. After every one the response was “ I can’t wait to play some more of it” Now for me that’s a kids seal of approval right there. The puzzles were just at the right level that she was able to solve the majority of them without help, some with just a little nudge from me and a fair few where she noticed things way before I’d even cottoned on. There were even one or two that had the pair of us thinking. So for her it was a resounding success. She wanted to give it a rating of 10,000 but as you can see I kinda averaged out our scores. Looks like we’ve got another mystery on our hands. So the kids love it, but what about us grumpy old adults? I’ve got to admit I had a really fun time with it. I will preface this though and say that the box says that this is a medium difficulty in the Coded Chronicles line. At the time of writing this there are only three that are out and that this is the only one I’ve played so I can’t judge this line against the difficulty of other escape style games. (although Jim will be reviewing another one soon!) If you are planning on playing this either on your own or with only adults then I will say that you may well find yourself burning through it fairly quickly, you’ll probably even be able to get through it in the one sitting so keep that in mind. However there is some fun stuff in here and as I said it’s your classic Scooby Doo story and it’s fun going through it. This for me is more geared towards the kids puzzle wise and watching them go through it and solving the puzzles and having fun, reading out from the books and cracking the mystery was where I got the most joy from it but I also had fun with the game in general myself. Oh and doing the voices when it was my turn to read, you HAVE to do the voices, it’s not in the rules but it should be. All in all this is a winner from all of us. The age on the box says 12+, I played with my eleven year old and I think you could easily go lower than that but any parents know their children's levels when it comes to games. When you do think they’re ready though then I would definitely suggest picking this up. One last thing to mention is that this does follow the “one and done” aspect of the usual escape room games. Nothing gets destroyed so you could potentially play it through again but the ultimate end result won’t change. But you may see some passages in the books that you maybe didn’t see previously. At the end of the day this is a great way to spend time with the kids, watching them have fun and having a good time yourself and ultimately that’s what these types of experiences are all about. Jim - I have now played this game through myself with my children (8 and 6) and absolutely loved it! I echo everything Steve has said here and would simply add my agreement. It is such a fun game to experience. It felt unique to me. Other games have a similar idea, but this new Coded Chronicles systems opens up an exciting new way to bring old Film and TV IP to the table in a way that we get to control the story. We determine the events and actions our heroes of the screen take, and I am so down for this it is not true. I am going to try the Goonies one next and I cannot wait!

Talisman: Harry Potter WBG Score: 6.5/10 Player Count: 2-6 You’ll like this if you like: Talisman, Harry Potter, Jamaica Published by: The Op Welcome to the wonderful world of Talisman! Talisman: Harry Potter has a few differences from the original Talisman game, but you can play a version of Talisman with this box that is very similar to the original with a few minor rules tweaks provided in the rule book. Whether you are a fan of Talisman or not, the main appeal of these games will be the IP associated with it. With choices ranging from Star Wars, Disney, Batman and many more; you have a lot of choice. But is Talisman itself any good? Has this Harry Potter version been executed well? First, lets talk about Talisman itself. Talisman was first published in 1983. It quickly became a cult classic. A board game in the 1980's about fighting dragons with swords? Come on! What did you expect? Since then, Talisman has gone through various editions and upgrades, with the current 4th edition released in 2007, seen as the definitive one to own. Since then, various editions have been released based around different intellectual properties. The game itself lends itself well to a make over in this way, and I can see how it can be easily adapted to suit many different films and themes. With The Op working with the Harry Potter crew before with the brilliant Hogwarts Battle in 2016, a Talisman Harry Potter was always on the cards. 2021 saw it literally put on the cards, with this fine release. Working with beloved games such as Talisman in this way, it is always going to be tough to please everyone. Incorporating something as well known as Harry Potter adds exponentially to the potential for an angry internet. But initial reactions to this release have been positive. They have not done anything significantly new to the Talisman game itself, more add the Harry Potter theme to it, so I would say this game works for three groups of people. Those who love Talisman and want every version. Those who love Harry Potter and want everything associated with it. (These two alone guarantee a few million sales!) And finally, those who maybe don't own a version of Talisman yet and are considering this version to be the one they try. I will focus my attention for the rest of the review on those people, seeing as the first two groups have probably clicked "Buy Now" already! Let's talk about the reason you may want to try this game. First up, check out this board! It's stunning! It looks full of adventure right? Well, it feels like that when you play too. I won't go over the rules here, but the basic premise of Talisman is simple. You start off as a fairly low powered character. You need to move around the outside part of the board a few times, gathering items and upgrading your characters powers and abilities. When you are ready, head to the middle section to continue your development but now with more rewards, and of course, increased risks! Before heading to the central part of the board for the final battle. Exploring the rooms and locations as you move around this board is brilliant fun. It feels exciting and there is a real sense of discovery as you do this. Even if it is your tenth play or beyond, there are enough rooms here to make moving around this beautifully crafted world exciting. What happens at each location feels thematic, and there is an ordered progression you can take in order to calculate the risks in the development of your character. Another thing that may appeal with this game is the range of characters. Though not as many as the original Talisman, and of course all the expansions available for those now, you start with eight characters out the box to choose from. Seen here are those eight plus Voldemort, with whom you must do battle in order to win the game. There are four Death Eaters and four characters from the Order of the Phoenix. Goodies and baddies for those not familiar with the story! You must defeat Lord Voldemort at the end, either in order to gain his trust so you can join him. Or to stop his evil reign if you are playing as one of the hero characters. Each character has its own minor asymmetry to go along with these beautifully crafted miniatures. The character cards are double sided with different options of powers and starting abilities to increase the games variety at set-up. The powers seem well thought out and balanced, and link to the story in a suitable fashion. I would prefer a little more asymmetry myself, but that is just my own personal taste. As you move around the world of Harry Potter you will draw encounter cards. These seem varied, plentiful, and eventful. Most games I found I was cycling through the deck at least one and half times, but as you don't see every card yourself I think there are enough cards. There will be a mix of followers to add to your crew, items to collect, and events to undertake. This game certainly does feel like an event. A story will be told. An adventure will be had. As you develop your character, advance your powers and abilities, and travel into the central part of the board, there is a genuine and highly satisfying sense of progression. It really does feel good to increase your characters abilities and get better at this game as you play it. However, and this brings to me to the reasons you may not like this game, there are no guarantees in this game. As in life, what goes up, must come down! This game can become a little backwards and forwards, in that for every ladder you climb, there are many snakes waiting for you to fall down! Time to ride your luck! There have been a few games where I or another player have felt close to being ready to take on Lord Voldemort, but then with a few unlucky dice roles or event cards, have found ourselves losing most of our powers and abilities. Having to grind our way back. Invariably, the other player in this time will take their chance and win the game. Now, this is the luck of the draw. Any game with dice has some chance and luck in it. In one game against my son where I was transfigured into a Ferret there was one particularly unlucky series of events. When you are involuntarily shape shifted, it only last for a few turns, but you must drop all your items on the space this happens. Ferrets don't have pockets obviously! The issue was that on my next turn, I was sent against my will to the far side of the board. Without my items, I was then at the mercy of the die to get back and gather back my belongings. This took eight turns! In doing so, my son advanced to the final battle and won. You win some, you loose some. This happens in a lot of games, but it is common in Talisman. You must go into this game knowing there is an element of luck. However, you can re-roll bad rolls using your fate tokens, and when moving around the board, you do have a choice which direction you go. Some characters have the ability to avoid certain events, and as your powers increase you can navigate the more difficult events in a more controlled way. But, dice are dice after all. It wont always be in your control. Playing Talisman is a mixed bag of fun, adventure, luck, frustration, grind, and character advancement. It is light enough for most people to play with relative ease, but does take 1.5 to 2 hours to play. So, this is not a quick game. If you get a few unlucky rolls and lose, I doubt you will think about setting up and going again. With a game that is luck dependent and due to its game length usually played only once at a time, it needs to deliver something special to make you come back time after time. Talisman: Harry Potter does this for me. It comes from the theme. I love Harry Potter and the world this game transports you into is magical and full of wonder. If you don't like Harry Potter then I would recommend you look at the many other versions of this game. I feel that Talisman is one of those games everyone needs to play. And is worthy of everyone's consideration to own. It's a classic and a very important game from the last 40 years. worthy of a place in anyone's collection. The multitude of IP versions opens this wonderful game up to many more people. So, the question remains, which Talisman is for you?

Hues and Cues WBG Score: 6.5/10 Player Count: 3-10 You’ll like this if you like: Dixit, Decrypto, Wavelength. Published by: The Op Designed by: Scott Brady Party games come in every size, theme, and genre now-a-days. But where is the one for the graphic designers, artists, and the person that invented the Dulux colour chart? Well, thankfully, the good people at The Op have solved this. Hues and Cues is a cleverly devised game based on colours. All of them. Even the muddy green one that is a bit yellowish and reminds you of the Bogey Monster. But is it any good? Learning and playing Hues and Cues is as simple as spotting a rainbow during a British Summer. Well, so long as you are not colour blind, in which case, I would say this game is sadly entirely unplayable. Looking at colours is 99% of this game. The other 1% is arguing with the other players about what shade of pink most accurately reflects a Flamingo. To set-up Hues and Cues give each player their three player pieces of their chosen colour, lay out the board and place the deck of cards alongside it, then ask each player to place one of their pieces on the start of the scoring track. That's it! To teach the game, I suggest you just start! One player will draw the top card. On the card will be four colours. The clue giver described in this game as the 'Cue' giver, can pick one of the four colours to then offer a one word cue to the other players, hoping they will guess what colour they are referring too. You can say any word you like so long as it does not include a colour, repeat a previously used clue in the game, refer to the colours position on the board, or an item in the room you are in. Each player will then place one of their two player pieces on the board in turn on the colour they think the Cue giver is referring too. The Cue giver can then give a second clue, now with two words. Each player will then place their second player piece on the board with the benefit of both clues and the other players first guesses. The Cue giver will then place a gird on the board over the colour they were referring too. Any player with a player piece inside this scores two points. If they are on the exact colour, they will get three. Anyone with a player piece directly outside the grid scores one point. For the Cue giver, they will score one point for each player piece within the three by three grid. And that's the entire game. The game can play for as long as you wish, but the rules suggest that each player has a turn at being the cue giver twice. The game is incredibly simple but so much fun to play! As the Cue giver, there is a lot of satisfaction in coming up with a clever clue that sends people to the right part of the board. The scoring system encourages you to give good clues, so there is no reason here to deliberately mislead the other players. Some colours can be very difficult to direct people towards, but others offer great opportunities to score well. Either way, the second two-worded clue offers all players the chance to refine their clues and guess based on the information gained from the first clue and how people interpreted it. You will be surprised at how close most people come, most of the time! With so many colours on the board, you will be amazed at how each of your family and friends interpret simple clues like grass or sky so differently! Something that seems so obvious to you, often is taken completely differently by another player. The sky could by at night, or during a sunset, or in winter, or summer! But of course, I am just being nice. It clearly should have been sky blue! What were they all thinking?! Playing as the guesser, you need to try and interpret not just the clue given, but the person giving the clue. How do they see the world? How specific or general are they being? Do they actually know that some Crocodiles are actually more brown then green? Hues and Cues works brilliantly with all ages and player counts. There are 10 different colours of player pieces, but you can always use other things to mark your guess on the board and your score, or play in teams. You can play for as long as you like, and bring in other rules to suit the needs of the group. Perhaps you could add in a third acting round of clues. Or, maybe even the guessers can ask one 'yes or no' question each? There are many ways to make this work for your group. Hues and Cues would suit any group looking for a new simple to learn and play party game. This is jumping right up my list for games to bring out when I have non-gamers at my house. The board is so striking and the rules so simple, I think most people would be attracted to this game very quickly. The debate, laughter, and fun created from the games I have played have been immensely enjoyable and I look forward to this hitting the table many more times. The simplicity may put some more serious gamers off. But there is a lot of ways to make this game scale up as well. We tried playing a game where we gave clues that could only be names of other board games. It was great fun! It suited the group really well, and the interpretations of colours to popular games was surprisingly hilarious!

Dungeon Academy WBG Score: 8/10 Player Count: 1-6 You’ll like this if you like: Paper Dungeons, Cartographers, Railroad Ink Published by: The Op Designed by: Julian Allain Dungeon Academy is such a simple game. Initially I was unsure why I was quite so drawn to it. The art is simple. The rules are light. But the game play is thoroughly entertaining. There are a lot of things here that just work well. The sense of accomplishment when you come out of a dungeon alive, and sometimes even better off, is strong. Beating the clock and getting out of the dungeon before the time runs out (if you play that way!) adds a lot of tension and satisfaction. And the missions along the way make this feel like a real adventure. In Dungeon Academy you are playing as brave adventuring scholars, fighting monsters and collecting potions. Trying to outscore your fellow students to gain your Dungeon Academy Diploma. Something you didn't even know you wanted until now right? Set over four levels, players will pit their wits, bravery, and coolness under pressure against each other to see who can be crowned top of their class to get the first pick of the post game biscuits. The game is set up using dice. 16 dice are randomly placed into the dungeon lid. You then place the dungeon itself into the lid that is filled with the dice and flip it over 180 degrees to drop the dice into the dungeon and set up the first game. When all players are ready with their dungeon map, pencil, and 'can-do' attitude, the lid is removed and the timer started. The timer can be set to 1 minute for an easier game or 30 seconds for a harder one. We play without a timer with my youngest and the game still works very well. I will explain the differences later. Once the game has begun, each player is assessing the dungeon as they see it from their own position at the table. There is no top or bottom. The dungeon is how you see it. Players can enter the dungeon from any space, they must not travel over a space they have already visited, and you cannot move diagonally. Other than that, you can do as you wish. You could enter in the top left space, move one space down and then immediately exit if you like. Or snake round, and visit each space. It is entirely up to you. As you travel through the maze of rooms, you will encounter various monsters along the way. Initially, the monsters come in four simple varieties. Large and small. Red and blue. Each player will start with a varying amount of blue and red potions based on the character they chose at the start of the game. The game comes with ten different adventurers to chose from, each with their own special powers and starting potions. When you encounter a monster, you must spend the right type of potion to defeat it. Red for red, blue for blue. The large monsters require two potions in order to be victorious. You can collect additional potions through the dungeon, but you must calculate your running total in your head as you go against the time pressure and speed of the other players. As mentioned, you can vary the amount of time allowed to do this based on your personal choice. I often play without a timer at all as the game comes with a clever mechanic of adding another type of time pressure, but without the possibility of complete failure for not exiting before the time runs out which can be too stressful for some players. Once you have exited the dungeon, you will claim the card with the number one on. The second player takes the number two card and so on. This determines the order in which you will get to pick from the available treasure cards. If your journey through the dungeon was a successful one. This means the the last person out of the dungeon will have the final pick on the treasure but they will have time to get out. There is still a pressure if you want to have a better choice of treasure, but not so much that you cannot finish the round. Ideal for younger and less experienced players. Once all players have taken a card, or the time is up if you are playing that way, players will then use the teacher standee to demonstrate the route they took. This is a fun way to show off your clever plan, and hopefully, prove you had enough potions to do it! I enjoy looking at how each player tackled the same task in different ways, and how each player used their own set of skills to maximise their points tally. They will place the appropriate potions on one of the top four spaces on their score sheet as they move through monster spaces; and acquire additional potions from the pool when they are able. Players who successfully manged to get in and out of the dungeon without breaking any of the movement rules of succumbing to any of the monsters can then claim their treasure and points. Players will score one point for each monster they defeat, and then add any potential bonus points from any previous treasure cards they have or personal player powers they posses. There are also four missions shown on the bottom on the player sheet which you can score if completed. They require different combinations of monsters to be defeated that round, the two red ones both large and small, the large and small blue, etc. If you complete at least one of these, you can pick one to score that round, and gain an additional one point for each monster of the type of mission you are scoring that round that you defeated. For example, if you successfully fought two large red monsters and one small red one, you could get three extra points for the first mission. There are four missions and only four levels, and as only one mission can be scored each round, you need to try to complete one each time you enter the dungeon. In the second round you will remove one die at random and replace it with the Labyrinth dice, and in the final fourth round you will replace another die with the Boss die. These replacement dice bring added elements into the game. The Labyrinth die brings certain restrictions to the routes you can take when moving through this space. There is also a banana peel which takes one gold from your total if you move through it, and a purse that rewards you with one gold. The boss die introduces extra monsters to fight. The Troll requires three red potions but rewards you with three gold. The Lich has the same reward but requires three blue potions. The Dragon requires three red and three blue potions in order to defeat it, also for a reward of three gold. The Chest will give anyone who travels through it two gold. There is one dice face which simply blocks your path, and a final key space that if seen, must be moved through into order to exit the dungeon. These dice bring a lot of replayability to the game. As only one side of the dice is seen each game, each final round will be a little different. Playing Dungeon Academy feels highly satisfying throughout. The game is simple and can be explained and played with most people of ages 6 and up within a few minutes. But the enjoyment that comes from successfully navigating a dungeon in a clever way is highly rewarding. The potions you use up each round must be carefully monitored as they do not regenerate between rounds. You don't want to enter the final round with under three potions of each colour ideally in case the Dragon shows up. You can always avoid fighting monsters, but then your points total will be lower. There is an element of push your luck in this game which brings a lot of fun. The possible paths through the dungeons are obviously very high! It all depends on your own bravery, and risk/reward levels. Do you want to go big early to try and get first dibs on the treasure in the early rounds, to try and race ahead in the points total. Or do you try to build up slowly but in a steady way in order to be better prepared for the final rounds when the monster gets tougher and the rewards bigger. The treasure cards can give you opportunities to score extra gold for doing certain things in later rounds. Some will allow you to fight certain monsters for free without requiring potions. Others can be a complete waste of time such as the Rubber Duck! There are 20 cards in all, and there will be one per player available each round. So long as you successfully navigate the dungeon. This game is the perfect filler. It takes just 20 minutes to play, offers a fun and rewarding challenge, and feels fresh each time it hits the table. There is a small amount of luck involved regarding the dice rolls, but enough free will and choice to mitigate this. I like the pressure to get out first so you can pick from the treasure cards before the other players. But there are times when I don't even try and rush, I just plan my route as carefully as possible. Sometimes because I can see there are a lot of points available or other times because I am low on potions and don't want to risk dying. If you do fight a monster without the required potions, you are not of the game, just that round. And your potions will reset to the starting allocation. I have seen this done intentionally once, as the player saw it as a better way to prepare for the subsequent round. But this is rare! The dungeons obviously look different each game. The mechanism by which this is done is very smooth. The dungeon that you build feels sturdy and functions very well for this purpose. The lid adds a nice touch of drama too. The reveal when all players are ready feels like the lid being lifted from a fine meal in an old school restaurant. I like the tension this builds and then the race to interpret what is revealed before your eyes. I would thoroughly recommend this game to anyone looking for a new filler game, or something to play with their children. There is some pressure here, but as discussed, you can remove the timer to mitigate this. I have found my children really enjoy this game as much as I do, and due to its simplistic nature and length, it has seen a lot of plays and will continue to do so for a long time to come.

Before I start, I want to make clear this is a spoiler free review. The Adventures of Robin Hood WBG Score: 9.5/10 Player Count: 1-4 You'll like this if you like: Legends of Andor, Forgotton Waters, Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion. Published by KOSMOS Designed by Michael Menzel There are many storytelling and narrative games on the market, but I would argue, none that offer as smooth or elegant an experience as this new release from Kosmos Games. The Adventures of Robin Hood is designed and drawn by Michael Menzel, the genius behind Legends of Andor and this game very much has flavours of that, in its look, design and rules. If you were a fan of that game, I think it highly probable you will love this one too. Robin Hood, Robin Hood. Riding through the glen! The game is set on the edge of Sherwood Forest, next to Nottingham Castle and its surrounding village. The board is a beautiful piece of art that starts with minimal icons, words or images other than the drawings itself. It instantly grabbed me in its simplicity and beauty, but it also has so many hidden treasures buried within. The game gracefully introduces you to the mechanics of movement and your available actions in the first level tutorial which you will be playing within minutes of opening the box for the first time. There are no rules to learn bar the clever movement mechanic; you just start playing. Each character has five pieces to it. Two miniature figures, two short movement pieces and one long one. When you want to move to a new position on the board within the forest, castle or village, you cannot simply pick it up and move it like most games. There are no spaces on the board to traverse between. This is more of a real-world experience, where you can travel as far as your character can manage 'energy wise'. You lay out your movement figures, avoiding any tree, character, building or obstacle, and reposition your figure as far as you can get it physically. This is not a real-time but 'real-geography' movement game! With that learnt, you now know enough to start the first game. Inside the box, along with the character figures, beautiful board and various wooden pieces is a hard back book. It looks like a leather-bound Robin Hood novel, and will be your go to for learning, playing and experiencing everything else in this game. Every part of the board that you interact with has a number associated with it. Then, depending on which chapter of the game you are playing, you will turn to the appropriate page in the book and read out the next part of the story, often giving you a choice to make in this branching adventure. It all works like clockwork and plays out like a wonderful winding campfire adventure. A tale that you are very much part of. Robin Hood, Robin Hood. With his band of men. At the start of the game, you make a choice as to which hero you will play. Robin Hood himself. Little John, Maid Marian or Will Scarlet. In a two player game you can easily play as two characters each, and it's also possible to play all four yourself in a solo. I played most of this in a three, using all four characters. The game has a very good mechanic for leveling out the difficulty and balance depending on the number of characters in the game. As such, I didn’t play with four characters when only three people were playing to make it easier. It was more as I was determined to not miss any of the story. I liked the idea of having more characters to do more things, but there are some stories that seemed to only happen when certain characters where in the game, and it was this that lead me to play with all four characters. There is no real difference to the characters other than their colour and the odd specific task for one of them as directed by the book. But no matter who you play as, you will be involved throughout. And each decision should be undertaken in a cooperative manner anyway. This is group game. You are all trying to achieve the current chapters task. Each game follows a chapter in the book and continues the story following on from the previous one. There will be a specific mission and objective for each chapter, which once done, ends that particular game. You will be trying to achieve this against the ticking clock of the game which sets a certain amount of turns for each player count. This is managed excellently through one single bag. In this bag will be a mixture of different things. I don’t want to go into it too much for fear of spoilers. But they are all different size and shape so easily identifiable when rummaging in the dark. One of these things will be disks specific to each player. Drawing these out one by one determines who takes the next turn. But there will be other coloured disks that will enact the AI of the game. Part of this will be the ever-reducing time allowed in the game to complete your current mission. Complete the objective before the final hourglass is removed and you are victorious. Each chapter offers you two main attempts to complete it, with a clever mechanic and specific wording in the novel adjusting depending on whether it’s your first or second attempt. Feared by the bad. On your turn, your main options other than moving, are to interact with a specific thing or person on the board, give things in your possession to other players, or to fight! This is done through the simple act of removing small cubes from the bag. You have three attempts to pull a white cube, from the mix of white and violet ones. This becomes increasingly more difficult as many more violet cubes are added to the bag as the game progresses. But failure has no major effect other than a wasted turn, and will at the very least, mean that three violet cubes from the bag are removed as compensation for your failure. Thus, increasing your odds for the next attempt. When you defeat a soldier, you will flip over their image on the board to show the reverse side, which generally speaking will be empty land. You will then place a sand timer over the top of where they were, to show they cannot immediately reappear. This area is then safe for your characters to be in. Things like this make you think how clever this game is. This feeling is a regular one experienced in this game. At particular points you will flip over a part of the board to reveal a certain character or object. This could perhaps have moved from another place on the board. As such, another tile will flip to show it disappearing and something else being left in its place. The whole mechanic is so clever and works so well, and like an advent calendar, offers constant and exciting surprises for you to reveal as you play the game. The initial board looks beautiful. Like a work of art. But it is fairly empty. This is because, hidden within it, in multiple places, are small, medium sized, and large tiles, waiting for you to flip them over. Come the end of chapter four, the board will look totally different to when you started. And there will be a lot more surprises and story to come. Loved by the good. All of which brings me to the reason why I love this game so much. The story is engrossing. The art is sumptuous. The mechanics are smooth and original. But what makes this game stand out is the absorbing way in which the game draws you into its clutches. From minute one, I found myself entirely consumed by this game and what it was trying to show me. There has been so much thought and care put into the design of this. As a player, you cannot fail to appreciate it. The best way I can describe this is by comparing it to a theme park. Bear with me! If you have ever been to one, a good done, you will know what I mean. Looking around and seeing the attention to detail that has been put in all around the place. Seeing those little finishing touches in the queue, fence, signpost, or pavement that makes you think how much love has been put into every last little thing. It makes the overall experience better. It is why we have theme parks and roller-coaster parks. There is a difference. One just wants to you enjoy the ride. The other wants to wrap you up in a theme from your first step and make everything you do feel special. It’s not that less focus is put on the ride itself. More that more attention is put on the overall experience including the ride. This is what this game is doing. This is how it feels when you play it. Imagine a game that teaches itself to you? Well, this is that game! Robin Hood. Robin Hood. Robin Hood. After my first game I rated this as a 10/10. I knew I was too quick to make any significant judgement, but I felt strong in my belief that after completing it, I would not feel that different. Having now played the game multiple times, in different player counts, and trying out different story arks and methods, I can safely say that my initial judgment has been confirmed. This game feels special because it is special. OK, maybe I was a little caught up in the first game hype, but it is certainly still close to a ten for me. Some people may not like the games simplicity of game play and over reliance on story. Which I would respect. But if you want a great story telling game then this could be one for you. What it does with the board, rules, and a few other surprises, are all excellent. But it is the story at the end that will make you either love or hate this. And I for one am ready to join Robin and his band of merry men and women and have many more adventures. I am confident this game will see multiple expansions like Andor has done. And the second they are out I will be buying them. This truly is an excellent game.