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Cover Your Kingdom WBG Score: 8.5 Player Count: 2-8 You’ll like this if you like: Cover Your Assets , Goat Lords Published by: Grandpa Beck's Games Designed by: Jeffrey Beck This is the reviewer’s copy. See our review policy here By Steve Godfrey Take cover! It’s not safe in them there kingdoms. The lands are full of Leprechaun men trying to sell you dodgy insurance, Mob goblins rule the streets, Bragons won't stop talking about their six-figure job in the city, and the Hentaurs, well, they’re just clucking mad! How to cover your Kingdom. Each player takes a kingdom board and is then dealt six cards. Each kingdom board has two spaces on it, a mountain and a field. On a player's turn, they can do up to two actions, but they have to take at least one.  Discard a card and draw another. Settle by placing two identical creatures into its matching settlement. The creatures can either both be in your hand, or you can pair one from your hand with one from the top of the discard pile. Whenever you add a new clan, place it crossways to the previous one in the stack. Only clans on top of a stack are able to be targeted.  Add  a matching creature from your hand to the top of a matching clan. Recruit by taking a creature and placing it next to an opponent’s matching clan on top of one of their stacks, provided they have more than one stack in their kingdom. They then have the opportunity to counter this by playing a matching creature or a wild. This will go back and forth, and the player who played the last card wins. The played cards get added to the stack and either stay with the defender or go to the attacker, depending on who won.  Hire a creature with an ability. These don’t get added to clans but instead have special abilities that you can spend an action to use, then discard the card. Once the deck runs out, keep playing until all players have played their cards. It may be that you can’t do anything useful on your turn, at which point you just discard a card. Players then count up the points from all of their cards, and the player with the most points wins.  Should you cover your kingdom? To put it bluntly, yes, yes you should. That goes for actually covering your clans to protect them, and yes, you should play this game. One of the first card games I taught my two girls when getting into the hobby was Exploding Kittens, a game which also presents a similar take-that style element to it in which you can take pleasure in screwing over your friends, or in this case, their dad. While we will still happily get that one out and play, Cover Your Kingdom takes those elements we loved from that game and elevates them into something better and also takes away that element for more targeted meanness that a lot of games with a “take that” element often have. Which in this case means, if they're going after my clans, there’s a reason for it. You see, you can only really “recruit” from an opponent's clan if a) they have at least two clans, b) the clan is on top, and c) you’ve got a card matching one of those clans in your hand. So if you’re going to take that clan, it’s because the universe has aligned to give you that opportunity to do so, and let’s face it, it’d be rude to ignore the universe, especially if that clan is worth a tasty amount of points. This game is known in our group for easily eliciting a ton of raucous fun and laughter. Whenever someone tries to take a clan, there’s always an opportunity for it to escalate, and when it does, so does the reaction along with it. The more someone plays a card and is rebuffed by another, the louder the reactions it gets, and it’s honestly one of the great joys in the game. You see people's reactions change as they go from “haha victory” to “how have you got another card” and back again. It can be such a quick change in fortunes that the rest of us have nearly suffered from emotional whiplash. Of course, while the rest of us are enjoying the rally, we're also loving the fact that the points for that clan are shooting up and up, and chances are at least one of us is plotting on how we’re going to take that next turn. When Pigxies fly. Protecting your valuable clans is therefore a pretty important part of the game, so important in fact that they put it in the title as some form of frontloaded strategy tips (why don’t more games do this?) It's here that the strategy comes through. It’s easy to underestimate this as a simple, end-of-the-night party game, and in a lot of respects, it can absolutely be that, especially if you're in it for the laughs and not too bothered over scores. But, if you’re going to do well in this game, you need to think about when you're going to play certain cards and when you're going to keep some for the long game. Take the wild cards, for example. It’d be all too easy to just play them when someone goes to take a clan of yours, but ask yourself this. Is that pile that’s worth 15 points really worth throwing a big points card on to save it? Come to that, even if you do save it, can you protect it? Or is it better to let it go and save those cards for a pile that is really worth fighting over? The same goes for the special cards, where, if you can get a specific pair, could help you pull off an epic combo that could net you loads of points. On the other hand, if you’re feeling really childish and petty, in an epic display of “if I can’t have it, no one can” (which I sometimes encourage in this game), you could use the card that can take a stack out of the game altogether. The strategy really kicks in though when the deck runs out and all you're left with is the cards in your hand. Now it’s all about what people have left in their hands, and there’s this final tension of wondering which cards to discard and when to try and take something off someone, and also if you have enough to counteract someone else’s attack. It’s brilliant, especially when you consider that you're now on a countdown to the end of the game, and it’s those last cards in your hand that could stop any last-gasp attacks or nab you those last juicy clans. This is based on another Grandpa Becks game called Cover Your Assets, which I’ve not played, and while it sounds fun, I think the fact that you only have one pile and the theme means that Cover Your Kingdom is the one I’m sticking with. Although I’d still happily give Cover Your Assets a go. The theme is great and makes my geeky little heart happy. The parody kingdoms are a lot of fun, and I love the idea of having two clans exposed at any one time, which really opens up the decision space and ups the risk factor. The clans themselves are just great and make me smile every time I see them, from the names to the art on the cards. The Vulc-ents and the Sighclops being personal favourites of mine. Each clan has their own art, and while it’s basically the same on each card, there are subtle differences on each that make them a ton of fun to look through, and no doubt you’ll find something new each time.  There are also two gameplay variants in the box. One gives you bonus points for collecting types of clans, and the other one gives each player unique powers. We’ve not tried either of these since we’ve always felt that the base game is brilliant enough in itself and doesn’t need anything else. That’s obviously a personal choice, and for some groups, those variants may be the only way they’ll play the game. One day we may try them, but for now, we’re loving the game as is. I do like that they’re in there though. You can’t always cover your assets Even though the ‘take that’ element of it tries to steer away from that meanness, it doesn’t mean to say that you can’t have a bad game of this. If, say, you haven't got a way to cover those big point clans and someone comes for them and you’ve not got the cards to defend with, well, it’s gonna feel a bit crummy, especially if you can’t get that back. This could easily happen to anyone over the course of the game, and it’s kinda par for the course. However, if you’re not having much luck and this is happening a lot over the course of one game, then yeah, it’s not gonna feel great, and I can see people having a bit of a bitter taste in their mouth after a game like that. Trust me, I know it’s happened to me before and a few of the others I’ve played with. If that does happen, then let me know, and you could join us in the 10 point club, which is the lowest possible score you can get in this game. Not sure if I’ve ever seen a zero score before.  This is a game that plays well at three and really shines with a big group, and for that reason, I just want to take it everywhere and teach people because I know that ultimately whoever I’m with, we’re just gonna have a good old laugh with it, and if that’s not a great thing to bring to a game night, then I don’t know what is.  Right, I’m off to my neighbours because I hear they’ve got a pretty tasty high point clan of Vulc-ents ripe for the taking. Live long and GIVE ME YOUR CLAN!

Famous: Stage I WBG Score: 6.5 Player Count: 1-4 Published by: Electric Lute Designed by: Jared Lutes This is a free review copy. See our review policy here By Steve Godfrey I was in a band when I was younger, and I wrote the odd song here and there as well. So as a peek into my life, I’ll add an audio clip at the end of me singing a song I wrote back in the day... not really, can you imagine? People would boycott the site as punishment after hearing that... anyway, on with the review. How to get the band back together.  First, give everyone a player board. Each one has a different music genre, so give everyone their favourite or their least favourite; you never know, it may spark a love for a new music genre in them. Give everyone their hours dial and have them slot it satisfyingly into their player board. Then give everyone two leaders to choose from, keeping one.  On a player's turn, they can perform one of the four main actions as described on their player board. They pay the depicted amount of hours by rotating their dial (seriously, why is that thing so fun to play with?) and then moving up that track and taking the action. They may also perform one of the “other” actions on their board, again paying any hours if required. They may also discard cards from their hand for their discard bonus in the top left corner. The four main actions are: Write: This will be the main way to get song cards that you’ll need for endgame scoring and requirements to play certain levels of gigs. Rehearse : Rehearsing will level up a musician from your band. The total skill of your band will be important for endgame scoring and gigs.  Network: Here is where you get to take contract cards, which will give you a variety of things like private gigs, one-time bonuses, musicians to join your band, and ways to help you make actions cheaper and help manipulate endgame scoring.  Advertise:  This is how you get fans to come to your gigs, and as we’ll learn later, the more fans, the better. You also have a few “other” actions. These will let you play a card, go shopping, promote (this track is important in endgame scoring, and the higher up you are on it, the better), rest (this will get you a heart token), and exert. Exert lets you spend two heart tokens to gain an hour of time back.  At the end of a round, once everyone has passed, you move onto the weekend. Here you move your vans along the road/s you’ve set them on. If they reach a gig space, play that gig. Take all the fan dice you have next to the van and roll them. You can then manipulate them depending on what milestones you’ve reached on your street team/performance track. Total up the score and compare it to the gig card, then take the reward appropriate to your score. Once everyone has played any gigs, you can move vans to other tracks to head towards other gigs. The rest of the weekend is where you’ll resolve an event card, do some clean-up, and depending on which round you're in, score specific calendar events. These are just mini-scoring that will net you a few points depending on where you are on a specific track.  At the end of the final round, you do some endgame scoring. First, discard any contact cards in your hand for $100 each. Then divide your money by the number relating to your position on the promo track to get your score for your money. Score points for your musicians based on their personalities (each one has a different scoring condition). Now it’s time to make your album, your magnum opus, which will stand the test of time with novel titles like “Where did our printer ink go,” “This complicated latte,” and the hit single “Washer fluid warning”... that reminds me, I must top that up soon. First, pick up to five of the songs you collected in the game. Then add up the total skill levels of all of your band members and collect that many dice and allocate a number of dice to each of your five songs. Then roll the dice for each song and put the highest on that card. Each song has a multiplier number on it, so multiply that number by the dice you place on that card. Do this for each card, add the numbers together, and then multiply them by your place on the promo track to get your VP total. Add it to the points you gained from everything else, and the high score wins.  What You’re Proposing I generally don’t like tough decisions. Ranking my games on Pub Meeple often leaves me with some choices that are the equivalent of asking me to rank my two children. It takes a while, but eventually, I do it. After that, picking the games is easy. When it comes to playing games, though, I love it. Give me all the tough choices you can throw at me. Infamous clearly heard my plea and then subsequently said, “hold my dive bar beer” and gave me exactly that. All four main actions are important, and you’ll need to keep your hand in all of them if you want to keep in the mix (little recording joke for you all... ahem). It’d be all too easy to just say, “well, just keep an even balance between them then.” It’s a great plan, for a bit. That is until the game throws in a few twists. At any point, an event card could reward players for their progress on certain tracks. The calendar rewards will do the same as well, and no matter how hard you try, the competitive side of you will emerge, and you’ll want to make a break for those rewards. Everything is interconnected, and no matter how much you may want to advance on the writing track, there may be another part of the game that’s tempting you in another direction. Take gigs, for example. You may really want to focus on getting as many dice on your van as possible to get better rewards for a gig. To play a certain calibre of gigs, however, you’ll need particular skill levels and certain numbers of songs (You can’t expect your one cover of Zombie by The Cranberries to get you into the fancy places). So now you need to decide if you want the dice for now or set yourself up for potentially better rewards in the future. This goes to more than eleven. As the saying goes, “there just aren’t enough hours in the day,” and nowhere is that truer than in this game. First, let’s talk about the hours because my word is that thematic. Spending all of your time rehearsing, writing, and getting the word out takes the most precious resource a band has: time. But typically, you don’t have enough of it. For the majority of this game, you’ll find yourself performing two of the four main actions per round. Three if you plan well and/or manage to claw some time back, and that’s what makes all your decisions so much tougher. Fear not, though, because you've still got those extra actions, even though you can only do one per turn. Oddly enough, it’s the extra actions that throw in a lot of the variety. Shopping for clothes and gear is a great way to flaunt your cash to the other players as you go on a spending spree that would put the most extravagant of musicians to shame. At which point you’ll probably need some merch to sell to offset said spree, band back rub coupons anyone?  It’s the contract cards that will end up mixing your game up the most, though. In this admittedly large deck, you’ll find your artists for your band, service cards that will either make main actions cheaper or let you manipulate endgame scoring, and private gigs, which need specific requirements to play but will get you set rewards. Supporter cards will add to your street team track that will help you manipulate dice in the gig phase. Lastly, prospect cards will, for the cost of one hour, give you one-off bonuses. Speaking of bonuses, you can always just discard a card for its bonus found on the top left of the card. Something you’ll probably need to do just to keep to your hand limit. The cards themselves are a lot of fun with some interesting venues for private gigs. I love the artwork across all the characters, and all the musicians have their own unique art on them. The song cards each have unique song titles across them all, meaning that every album you go to craft will have a different track list every time.  This game is obviously a labour of love, and you can tell that this has been designed by someone who has lived this life, and I think that it will most likely resonate with someone who has had any kind of experience in a band, especially one that’s just starting out. It does enough to show you that starting a band ain’t easy and that yes, you will be playing for peanuts and probably selling merch out of the back of your car. I was in a band once, and so for me, this sparked a bit of a trip down memory lane. For example, I've played gigs in random places. I once played a gig in a library! Now, while I can’t say we ever got to even some of the heights that this game puts its bands in, it was still nice to have even a hint of recognition in there. Of course, you don’t need to know anything about that world to enjoy the game, but like a lot of other highly thematic games, how close you are to the theme will only help to boost your experience. Whoa, we’re halfway there. Strap yourself in for a game of this because it can be a long one. That’s not exactly a surprise if you read the box because the game even says that it's about 45 minutes per player, and I’d say that that’s about accurate, and for at least your first game, that’s sure to be longer.  You can certainly shave off some of that time with experience, but how much will depend on you and your fellow players.  As I mentioned earlier, those four main tracks are all important, and you’ll want to keep up on all of them, which can be great for all the reasons I mentioned above. But it also works against it. Having everything integral to endgame scoring and so interconnected means that you don’t really have any scope to explore different strategies each game. You can’t, for example, explore a song and band-heavy strategy because you’ll need cards to populate the band. You can’t go the gig-heavy path because you need the band members and songs to help you play the good gigs. They’re so tightly woven together that the game ultimately just becomes an efficiency puzzle of how you’re going to navigate all those tracks each game rather than giving you the choice of which ones you want to do. Don’t get me wrong, for a lot of people that may sound like their sort of game, and if it is, then I definitely recommend you try this game. Personally, I like to try different strategies and push different buttons each game, and I think the fact that there’s less of an opportunity to do that will ultimately end up hurting the replayability for me. If anything, I think the potential randomness of the endgame scoring will be the thing that will make or break this game for people, and I completely understand that. It can feel a bit disheartening putting all that work in to max things out as best you can only to have some poor dice rolls be your downfall. In a shorter game, this may not have been as big of a deal, but in a game of this length, it can really hurt the experience. Especially if someone else has managed to draw and buy a card to help manipulate their dice to give them a pretty big advantage. I can see a thematic element to it (you never know what song is going to catch people's attention), and I have seen some people say that they like this element, but for me, it's too much luck for a game like this. I certainly don’t fancy losing to poor dice rolls, and winning due to someone else's poor dice rolls doesn’t feel great to me either. Rockin’ all over the world Infamous: Stage 1 presents a thematic take on what it’s like to start a band and move them up the ranks to potential stardom. Not only that, but it portrays it with the knowledge of someone that’s been there and lived it, so the theme and the love for it really shine through.  The theme will certainly hit more with anyone who is even a little bit close to it, and for those that aren’t, this will be a fun look into that life. It manages to wrap it all up into a decently fun game with some good in-game choices. I do worry that certain elements, like scoring, coupled with the game length, will put people off. For me, I don’t think it’s got as much replayability as I'd normally like from this sort of game, but if it’s only being played now and again (as, let’s face it, a lot of games are these days), then it could well be enough for some people.  Right, this game has got me all nostalgic, and I’m gonna go and see if I can get the old band back together. I’ll probably have to change my guitar strings, though; it’s been that long... on second thought, perhaps I’ll leave it.

Joyride: Full Throttle Player Count: 2-6 You’ll like this if you like: Joyride , Gaslands , Thunder road Vendetta Published by: Rebellion Unplugged Designed by: Duncan Molloy , Pete Ward Duncan Molloy , Pete Ward This is a preview copy. See our review policy here This is a preview copy of the game and as such all components, rules and art are in prototype form and are subject to change.  The campaign goes live 28th October 2025 and you can find it here . By Steve Godfrey There’s nothing like the feeling (in gaming circles anyway) of knowing that you’ve finally got everything for a game. I’ve got it all for Joyride, the Turbo box, the upgraded wooden components, and it feels good knowing that I can sit back and relax knowing that a) it is neat and b) unlike a certain mermaid, my collection is indeed complete... What? What do you mean they’re releasing a new standalone expansion that can be mixed in with everything else? Oh, come on! Normally at this point I’d do a brief rules overview but I’m sure there will already be enough content on the Gamefound page on how to play. Alternatively I have a review of Joyride Duel: Next Gen in which I go over the rules here  The only thing I’ll touch on here are the new rules for this box. First is the new Pivot action (Friends fans, now’s your cue). It’s nice and simple, basically, move the back of your car round the number of spaces you're told to with the only caveat being it all has to be in the same direction. So no waggling your backside back and forth like you're trying to taunt your opponents. It's the same as the donut ability of the Junker in the core box. It's a great little addition to the rules that has helped me out of more than a few scrapes, and got me into a few as well. There is a new recharging rule for 5-6 player games. If you are in fifth place across the line, you get to recharge your abilities, repair a damage, and take a random item. Sixth place does the same as fifth place but instead gets to choose an item.  That's it for the new core rules changes. Everything else is game mode/track specific, so I'll get into those in a bit.  “On your left!” In this new box comes a double-sided board with two new maps: the beach and the mall. The boards are the same size as the base game, so you don’t have to worry that just because it’s a higher player count, it's not going to take up more of your table. Each map is designed to accommodate the higher player count, and each side has ten prebuilt scenarios across all player counts. Just as with the last iterations, though, you can feel free to create your own custom maps. We also get some new terrain to try and avoid/slam your opponents into. The tire barriers, while not as devastating as their solid wall counterparts, can still make life a bit difficult. When you hit one, take damage and steer once. It doesn’t use your steer for the turn. Not the most devastating, and the steer may actually help in some cases, but you’ve got to ask yourself if it’s worth damaging yourself just to bounce around the map like a pinball. Oooooh, a new pinball table map could be fun! Like most beaches and malls, you’ll find an abundance of trolleys in a variety of different states of wear. When you hit these, you treat them like cars in a collision, except in this case, sideswiping them reduces your speed by one. However, you treat head-on collisions as a rear-end rather than having the thing you're crashing into make a decision over how it resolves. This makes sense since trolleys aren’t sentient and can’t make decisions like humans can... yet!  And last but not least, Portals. Simply enter one as you would a checkpoint and then come out of the other one in another part of the board or across a multiple board setup. These are just great fun. It’s fun to use them as a shortcut across the board, but it’s even more fun to cheekily knock one of your opponent's cars into one, sending them even further from their next checkpoint… not that we at WhatBoardGame would ever condone that sort of nefarious behaviour… well, not all the time anyway. “If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball” With this box comes an abundance of new weapons, well six in fact, and I have to say this batch includes my now favorite weapon in the game. You have a Nitro 2.0, which penalizes you for rolling after moving. A nice little nod to all those “oh I forgot to roll my nitro, can I do it now” people. You know who you are. Marbles make fun use of the new pivot rule by throwing your back end out if you drive over them. Dumbbells reduce movement when you drive over them. The Thumper (not the bunny from Bambi) causes a one-move collision, good for annoying your opponent's plans with a little nudge. The wrench is a new type of item that can help or hinder by either shifting a car up a gear and healing a damage or shifting it down and taking a damage. This one always garnered confused looks at first until you mention that there’s a team mode. All of them are fun in their own right and are great to mix and match with the rest of the items. Here’s my favorite though. The Volleybomb. Normally, when an explosive item hits something, it explodes immediately, meaning that you need to have someone in your front sights to fire at. The Volleybomb can do the same; however, when it first hits a space, you can choose instead to fire it from that first space in any direction. It means you can ricochet off a wall and potentially hit someone behind you or around a corner, and it’s honestly a ton of fun. It makes it usable in a lot more situations than a lot of the fired items. Now, if the designers can make a pinball, multi-ball version to go with my pinball table map, that’d be awesome! I’ll take a full credit and all royalties by bank transfer for that, please and thank you.  More modes than Edna Mode Now it’s time to talk about the thing that I think we’re all really here for: the extended player count. Joyride has always felt like a game that should be played in a bigger group, and in fact, many people on the BGG forums have come up with their own ways of incorporating 5 & 6 player games. I’ve tried one myself, and it worked pretty well, but with the way the starting positions would have to work, it could potentially imbalance the game, if you care about such things. However, it’s great to have this version that is purpose-built for this player count and levels the playing field. Not only that, but there are a lot of people out there who won’t want to try customized setups and some that won’t even be aware of BGG and the fact that they're on there.  So what’s a game of Joyride like at those higher player counts? Well, it’s just chaos, isn’t it? But such beautiful chaos. The maps can accommodate more players, but since the size of the maps is the same, the extra cars on the board just make for more interaction, which means more collisions and more targets for those items. With more cars on the track, dropped items now have more victims, and more cars mean that there are potentially fewer opportunities to outright avoid them. Now you have to decide if it’s worth driving over something or just causing a collision. The extended player count also gives fired items more targets. Beforehand, fired items could be a bit more situational. You needed to have a straight shot, and with fewer cars, it could be difficult. Now, though, there are a lot more opportunities to score a hit and do some damage. What I love about this is that it just ramps everything up. It has the potential to make those collisions more impactful, obstacles (including cars) are now trickier to get around, near misses even nearer, and when you do manage to squeeze through a small gap in, say, a three-car obstruction, it makes it all the sweeter.  Teamwork make the dreamwork (if the dream is demolishing your friends cars) That level of chaos may not be for everyone, well maybe not in an all vs all game. But maybe team mode is more up your street. The base game had a team mode and the same goes for this version. The general team mode works the same as the base game but now there is a new way for teams to play. Set up the games as you normally would (I’m assuming a six player game here but it also works at other player counts.) Randomly give each player a fans token, there are two for each team. Players with matching tokens are on the same team. Place the Superfan tokens next to the first checkpoint. The game is then played normally with one major change. It’s the superfan that needs to complete the laps and go through the checkpoints, not the cars. The first player of each team to go though the first checkpoint picks up the super fan and carries them in an item slot. From now on you only keep track of which checkpoints and laps the super fan has completed, not the cars. At any point a car can drop the superfan in their rear arc and their team mate can pick them up by driving into that space. You can also pass them off to your team mate if they are in a space in your rear arc. I like to think of them leaping from car to car like something from, I’m assuming a fast and furious film (I’ve only seen the first one) I really like this mode. If you play a normal team setup then there’s a good chance that one of you would go for the win and the other would play demolition derby and distract the others and not worry about checkpoints.  Which is great fun, but if their teammate gets derailed then the other player may not be in a position to take over and win. Here though it doesn’t matter. You can still play that previous tactic but now both of you are able to pick up the slack should one of you get in trouble.  New cars, now with extra punny goodness. Last but not least, we have a new lineup of drivers, which now brings your total number of potential drivers up to 15! You have the Van Lifers, the Mall Cop, the Lowrider, the Food Truck, the Drifter, and the Delivery Van. All of them are great, but my favorites are definitely the Lowrider, who comes with a doggy companion that you can put on the track and makes people swerve off course; the Mall Cop, because the idea of what is essentially a golf buggy overtaking a sports car will never stop being amusing to me; and the Food Truck that has its own ketchup mechanic… what, did you expect me not to like a car with a dad joke? This one was practically made for me. The designers and publishers at Rebellion Unplugged are evil geniuses. Normally, I’d make a logical and well-thought-out argument as to who should and shouldn’t get this. But I’m having a hard time making an argument as to who shouldn’t. Well, let’s start with the easy one. If you don’t like Joyride in general, then don’t back this. It’s the same game; it doesn’t add anything that’ll make you change your mind. That’s it. Other than that, I’ve got nothing to say as to why you shouldn’t at least check this out. If you don’t own Joyride but want to, then this version is as perfect a place to start as any of the others, with the added bonus of the higher player count. If you already own at least one version of Joyride and love it and are happy with the player count, just treat this as a “more stuff” expansion. If you love Joyride but don’t own it yet, then this will work just as well as a first box. Again If you're interested in checking out the campaign then you can find it here . Right, I’m off to soundproof my house since I’m sure the endless shouts of PIVOT! is gonna start to disturb the neighbours.

I have a great fondness for card games. There's a unique pleasure in the simplicity of playing a game that revolves solely around cards. While I certainly appreciate a big box filled with components just like the next person, sometimes the desire for something more accessible arises. You want a game you can grab off the shelf and dive into right away. Card games fulfil this need with their straightforward rulesets and minimalist components. For this list, I specifically focused on games that consist primarily of cards, occasionally supplemented by tokens or chips for counting. It was crucial to me that these are not games just considered card games but then include boards or multiple components. In my view, those fall into the category of board games or tabletop games that happen to use cards. This is about pure card games. As with previous top-five lists on this site, I aim to provide more than just a ranking of games based on a specific mechanic. The intention isn't to merely present the top five games in a certain category, as you could easily just consult BGG rankings or skip to the number one game. The best game for you might not necessarily be the top-ranked one either. Instead, I'll select a mechanic and then explore the best five games within that mechanic, considering how each game works for different circumstances. This top five is presented without a specific order. These are five great games, each earning its place for distinct reasons. This approach allows you to make informed choices based on your preferred game style. Without further delay, here are my top five card games. ( I photographed the old Crew box as the other one was elsewhere!) The Classic Deck-Builder: Dominion And the best to play if you want to play something simple. Current BGG rank: 117 Published by: Rio Grande Games Designed by: Donald X. Vaccarino WBG Rating: 8 Several classic mechanics are employed in card games, and in this list, I aimed to include games that each utilise different core mechanics. Dominion stands out as the quintessential deck-building game, often referred to as the granddaddy of the genre. Its monumental success has inspired numerous designers to delve into the possibilities of this mechanic. With an extensive array of expansions (too numerous to count), Dominion has secured its place as a cornerstone in any board game collection. Originally released in 2008, Dominion has served as the gateway game of choice for many gaming groups. It boasts accessibility on all fronts—simple rules, an incredibly clear rule book, and minimal components. It basically cards! Despite its straightforward appearance, Dominion surprises newcomers to the hobby with its depth of gameplay. While seasoned board gamers have explored more strategic deck-building options, Dominion retains its unique appeal as a pure, historically significant game in the genre. And for people newer to the hobby offers something magical. The Revolutionary Co-op: Hanabi And the best to play if you want something clever but accessible. Current BGG rank: 507 Published by: ABACUSSPIELE Designed by: Antoine Bauza WBG Rating: 9 Alright, so here's the setup—it's a cooperative card game. We're in this together, cool? Our mission is to play these different suits in a specific order, from the lowest to the highest. Got it? Good. Now, here's the twist: you can't look at your own cards, but you can see everyone else's. I know, a bit weird, right? So, pick up your hand, but turn them outward away from you so you can't see them. Strange, isn't it? Okay, let's dive in and play. While there are a few games where you hold your cards the "wrong way," Hanabi was the one that truly nailed the concept. For many, it became the gateway game to introduce cooperative card games to their groups. The unique twist of not being able to see your own cards broadens the appeal to a wide range of players. When you can't see your own cards, the pressure is somewhat alleviated—it's tougher to play the right card if you don't know what's in your hand. However, this feeling is quickly replaced by the pressure to provide good information and remember the clues you've been given. Since you can't see your own cards, the primary actions in this game involve giving other players clues about their hands. With a limited number of turns before the game concludes, efficiency with your clues is crucial. Hanabi is incredibly addictive, offering a great sense of accomplishment when you do well. It never fails to elicit cries of joy, anguish, and happiness whenever I've played. It stands as one of my all-time favourite games, not just among card games, but an essential in my collection. The Highest Ranked Trick-Taker: The Crew: Mission Deep Sea And the best for getting non-gamers involved. Current BGG rank: 36 Published by: KOSMOS Designed by: Thomas Sing WBG Rating: 9 While it may not hold the title of the highest-ranked card game on BoardGameGeek, or even the highest-ranked card game in this list, The Crew claims its spot as the highest-ranked card game that I categorise as such, excluding Arkham Horror, which is featured in another category below. This game made waves in the board gaming scene in 2019 with the launch of The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine. It brought a revolutionary approach to cooperative trick-taking games, featuring exceptionally smooth gameplay, innovative takes on the mechanic, and a captivating story that unfolds seamlessly over a replayable campaign. Following the success of this release, a worthy follow-up quickly followed—Mission Deep Sea. This instalment pushed the genre even further by introducing a delightful method of incorporating randomised rules for each mission, that I just love. If you're a fan of playing card trick-taking games, The Crew might be right up your alley. While it may not shine as brightly in a two-player setup, it's certainly doable. However, with three players and more, this game truly comes alive. The game oozes class. You can feel the work that went into making this game. It is noticeably better than many other games in its class and I have had so many wonderful moments introducing people to this game. I am currently juggling three different campaigns, which is a breeze. There is minimal administration required. It's pure cooperative fun, and while some later rounds can pose a significant challenge, the sense of accomplishment upon overcoming them is truly gratifying. The Main Stream Hit: Monopoly Deal And the best to play with a more casual gamer. Current BGG rank: 2,451 Published b y : Hasbro Designed by: Katharine Chapman WBG Rating: 7 While this may not be my favourite game and wouldn't secure a spot in my personal top 50 card games, it undeniably earns a place as a mainstream hit that I couldn't overlook. It's a decent game, and I do enjoy playing it; however, I believe there are superior games out there. Yet, given its massive commercial success, I had to include it. If you're in search of a quick, light game for people not particularly into gaming, this is a solid choice. The familiar theme automatically puts people at ease, drawing on their past experiences with Monopoly. Even if they didn't enjoy the classic board game, the concepts in this card version are more accessible and easier to grasp. But don't worry, Monopoly Deal won't consume hours of your time, lead to arguments, and, surprisingly, it's quite enjoyable. If you're looking for a straightforward game to play with casual gamers, this could be the one. I would recommend exploring some of the other games on this list first, perhaps starting with The Crew or Hanabi. Still, there's no denying the commercial success of Monopoly Deal. The Solo: Arkham Horror: The Card Game And the best to play if you want a challenge. Current BGG rank: 27 Published by: Fantasy Flight Games Designed by: Nate French , Maxine Juniper Newman , Matthew J. Newman WBG Rating: 9 Alright, while this might have a higher ranking than The Crew, I wanted to feature both games. The reason this one made it into this category is that it excels in solo play compared to any other card game. But sure, it holds the top spot on BGG here too. Arkham Horror is an absolute delight. The narrative is dark, mysterious, and utterly captivating. The gameplay is intricate and fulfilling, completely absorbing me, making it perfect for a solo experience. While it offers a great cooperative experience if you prefer playing with others, I've mostly indulged in its solo mode, and it's been a love affair for me through out. Setting up can be a bit cumbersome, especially with the specific cards needed for each player that often get mixed up between plays due to my lazy packing away. If you plan on playing this multiple times, a better storage solution than what the box provides is recommended. The story is expansive, with numerous expansions available. However, a word of caution – don't dive into this if you have an addictive personality and are working within a budget; it might consume you! Although, recently, they've condensed the previous story arcs for each cycle into two boxes, making it easier to navigate the back catalogue, although the various versions available due to some retailers selling old stock might be a bit confusing. Regardless of the version you have, rest assured that you're in for a wonderfully immersive, exciting, and sometimes downright scary experience with this game. It stands as a masterpiece in the modern era of card games. Well there you have it. 5 great card games for different purposes. If you want more, you can check my insta here to find a run down on my top 31 pure card games based on my personal preference as pictured above. It ran for 31 days starting December 1st 2022.

Tokaido: Crossroads & Matsuri WBG Score: 9 Player Count: 1-5 You’ll like this if you like: Adding extra choices without complexity to the base game Published by: Stonemaier Games Designed by: Antoine Bauza This is a free review copy. See our review policy here . First published in 2012, Tokaido has a strong fanbase and has certainly stood the test of time. You read my thoughts on the base game here . There was then an expansion, Crossroads , that came out in 20113, and another, Matsuri , that was released in 2016. Stonemaier Games then took over the license and put out their own version of the base game, but not these two expansions. But now, have released these two great expansions in one simple box. They both offer a lot more choices without any extra complexity. It brings so much more to the table with this gorgeous game without removing the tension, adding any extra game length, or messing with what made the base game great. But it does remove the frustration from the original experience? Intrigued, read on! What's New In This Expansion? There are mainly two new things in this expansion, along with a few other smaller additions. First, there are 25 new Traveler tiles. 25! Some great new options and choices for which character you play as and the power that brings. Second, there is a new board that you add above the main board that offers a second choice for every stop along the way. How To Set Up Tokaido: Crossroads & Matsuri After setting up the base game, take out the new expansion board and place it above the main board. Add to it the six new decks face down, separated and placed on their matching spaces, as well as the dice into the final space on the right. There are four closed space tokens, add these next to this board. You may not use them in the game, it depends which cards come out. Finally, give each player one of the new Reference tiles, and then shuffle in the new Encounter and Traveler cards into their respective decks from the base game and you are now ready to play. How To Play Tokaido: Crossroads & Matsuri The game plays as usual, except that now, at every stop, there is a new second choice for each player to make. Lets go through them one by one. Panoramas : Now, when you reach one of these spots, you can either progress in the painting linked to the location you are at, or you can take one of the new Cherry Tree cards, which instantly gives you one coin and two points. Handy if you are not targeting the paintings, or have finished that particular painting, or just need some cash! Hot Springs: Your second choice here now is to take one of the Bathhouse cards, which awards four points every time. It will count as a Hot Spring card for the Bather achievement. Farms : This is an interesting one. You now have the option, if you can afford it, to bet two coins and then roll the dice. You can then double, triple, or even quadruple your money if you roll well! But you may also lose it all if you roll the X. Temples : Your second option here is to pay one coin to take an Amulet card. These new cards offer powerful, rule-bending powers that you can use on later turns. Shops : Here, you can now buy Legendary Objects. They can cost between one and three coins, but offer big powers and points! Encounters : Your second choice here is to pay a coin to take a Calligraphy card. They offer new end-game scoring opportunities that can unexpectedly shift the final scores in a big way! Inns : Finally, at the Inns, the first player to arrive will draw two of the new Matsuri cards. They will pick one, discard the other, then read it aloud. It will add new one-time or ongoing effects that will be relevant for all players. Is It Fun? Tokaido: Crossroads & Matsuri Expansion Board Game Review I like Tokaido a lot. I gave the base game a 7.5 rating. It can be a little too simple, though, and the choices a little light. And on occasion, well actually—most games can lead to some frustrating moments of getting blocked off by other players. Now, though, with every spot offering a secondary choice, missing something you really want is less frustrating. And you can no longer be forced to go to a place where you simply cannot do anything else. Turns can still be made more or less optimal by other players blocking you, of course, but the results are less catastrophic. But aside from just removing the frustration, they also add choice and intrigue. It makes your turns feel like they are full of a lot more agency. Your strategy needs to be more fine-tuned and thought out. Simply, it makes the game a lot better. And it does so with minimal changes to the rules, setup, teach, or game length. You could simply set up and start playing with someone who knows the base game and just give them the new player reference card. That should be enough to teach them! I love the fact that the designer and publisher decided to add in 25 new Traveler tiles too. The base game has a good selection. Ten, I believe. nd the original expansion brought 16 new tiles. So another 16 would have been nice. But no, they went for 25 new tiles! That's a lot of new choices. And some of them offer intriguing powers. I will leave you to find them out for yourself! Pros: A huge variety of new Traveler tiles adds tons of replayability Fresh powers and abilities keep each game feeling different A second choice on every spot keeps options open, and player strategy more varied Cons: The risk on the Farm betting option can be brutal. A swing from eight or zero coins is huge! The addition of 25 new Traveler tiles is an impressive and generous upgrade. It expands the game’s variety far beyond what I hoped for, offering fresh combinations and new tactical challenges every time you play. The new board and cards mean every spot has a second choice, which exponentially improves the game's strategy and agency without any lag to game time or rules. An impressive feat. A near-perfect expansion for me. Certainly improves the game from a 7.5 to an 8 overall for me now, and as a standalone product, this expansion is a 9 for me, for what it brings.

Origin Story WBG Score: 8.5 Player Count: 1-5 You’ll like this if you like: Trick-taking, with a theme, and a twist! Published by: Stonemaier Games Designed by: J amey Stegmaier , Pete Wissinger This is a review copy. See our review policy here Origin Story is a new trick-taking game from Stonemaier Games. To be a trick-taking game in the modern world, you need a twist. The are just so many of them. The advertised twist in this game is the blend of tableau-building with the base trick-taking. Players can develop their powers over the course of five games by playing Story cards to gain stronger abilities to gain more points, building their tableau as they go. And this, in turn, reveals the bigger twist: this is a trick-taking game with a theme. You develop your origin story as you play, and this really does come across. Your Story, or tableau, are how you become the hero you end the game as. And for a card game, theme is quite rare. So, with that said, let's get this game to the table and see how it plays. How To Set Up Origin Story First, place all stamina tokens within easy reach of everyone to form a shared supply. Shuffle the story cards and place them face down nearby in the general supply. Do the same with the event cards. Each player now takes a random player mat, which will act as their personal HQ for the game. Gain an alignment or victory point dial, set it to zero, and place it beside your mat. Either side up for now. Take one stamina token and place it in the stamina supply space on your mat. Draw two random superhero cards and place them with the reference cards face up on the space on the bottom right of your player mat. You can look at your final superhero choices now, but keep that secret from the other players. The player who most recently watched a superhero movie takes the dealer token and becomes the first player. If no one can remember or you all just finished a binge of crime dramas instead, assign it randomly. The dealer begins by gathering all 52 playing cards, giving them a good shuffle, and dealing eight cards face down to each player. You may look only at your own hand. Keep your poker face ready because, from here on, the trick-taking begins. In a two-player game, each player will have a “sidekick.” These sidekicks are not real players, but they will still take part in every trick. Deal each sidekick a hand of eight face-down cards, then flip two of their cards face up so everyone can see them. This gives a small glimpse into what chaos they might bring. In a solo game, deal eight face-up cards in a row from left to right next to two separate score trackers for two bot players. Place this next to five Vancardian cards, made up of either the easier single flash deck or the harder double flash deck, depending on how hard you want to make the game. The city is now ready, your heroes are gearing up, and it is time to play. How Play Up Origin Story The game is played over five rounds with eight tricks in each round. A trick is simply a round where all players play one card from their hand. The lead player plays first, then all other players must follow by playing one card in that suit if they can. If they cannot follow the lead suit, they can play whatever they like. The highest of the lead suit wins, unless any player plays a trump card, the Love suit. The highest led suit or trump card played wins the trick. The cards played that round are collected and placed in a face-down pile next to the player who won that trick, and that player leads the next trick. At the start of rounds one to four, each player gains one stamina from the general supply and draws three Story cards. Choose one to play face up onto your player mat over the space for the current round and discard the other two. These stories shape your character’s journey as the game progresses. You can do this after you have seen your eight cards for this round, so you can work with what you have this round. But the Story cards ideally will work together as well, over the rounds, to build up a functioning engine that all build towards your final Superhero choice. Players can choose their Story card for each round same time, as well as decided which ones they want to use this round. Just because you have the card, does not mean you can use it. You need to charge it up! To do this, simply place stamina tokens on the abilities you want to to charge. Each story card shows a stamina cost in the top left corner. Some have a single cost and then are permanent powers to be used all round, some have multiple spaces and allow you to choose how much to charge to use them multiple times as an when you choose. Abilities marked with the remove symbol mean when used, you must take the Stamina token from this apace, and place it back into your reserve. Meaning that power cannot be used again until charged again. Your character mat also shows a unique ability permanently printed on the board with its own stamina cost. This can be charged and used just like your Story card abilities. All charged abilities are open information for everyone to see. If you have any stamina left over, keep it on your mat for future rounds. You cannot add more after this phase ends. Once everyone is ready, each player simultaneously sets their alignment dial in front of them, revealing whether they are a hero or a villain this round. Heroes aim to win as many tricks as possible, earning one victory point per trick at the end of the round. Villains, on the other hand, are trying to lose every trick. If a villain wins none, they score four victory points. If they accidentally win one or more, that’s one trick too many - zero points! For both hero and villain, tricks are only counted at the end of the round. So if you use an ability during play to hand off a trick you previously won, it no longer counts as yours. Timing and trick management are key. As a Villain, you could win a trick, then give it to someone else, and still gain your four points for not winning any tricks! Each round ends after eight tricks have been played. When that happens, everyone follows a few simple steps to wrap things up. First, use any “End of Round” abilities shown on your charged story cards. In round five, you can also trigger those on your superhero card. If it’s the end of round three, make sure to resolve any “End of Round” abilities on the event card before discarding it. More on that in a bit! Next, score your points based on whether you were a hero or a villain that round. Then return all stamina from your abilities back to your stamina supply, ready for the next round. Pass the dealer token clockwise to the next player. For round three only, one player will reveal one random event card and follow its instructions. This will change the rules for this round, and this round only. This happens once per game. Even if the event introduces special scoring rules, players still earn points for their hero or villain alignment as usual. It is simply another twist in your heroic journey. When round five begins, the real drama unfolds. Starting with the player to the left of the dealer and going clockwise, each player chooses one of their two superhero cards given to them at the start of the game, which up to this point have only been reference cards. Reveal your chosen hero face up on your mat and gain its benefit. Discard the unchosen card. This is the moment you finally reveal who you truly are. This card will offer you extra powers and opportunities for final round points. After the fifth round, the game ends. The player with the most victory points wins. If there’s a tie, those players share the victory, because sometimes even heroes and villains have to call it a draw. But there will almost certainly be a sequel! Is It Fun? Origin Story Card Game Review Origin Story is Stonemaier Games’ bold leap into the trick-taking genre, and it lands with flair and a real sense of personality. The mix of classic card play with tableau-building and evolving powers is something fresh, breathing new life into a familiar format. Over the course of five rounds, you’re not just playing tricks, you’re crafting a character. It really does feel like that to me. Each story card builds your hero’s (or villain’s) journey, adding powers that make you feel stronger and more capable as the game goes on. The fact that you literally reveal your superhero identity in the final round is a brilliant thematic payoff, making the game’s title feel more than earned. The theme in this game is strong and it works so well entwinned with the mechanics. Mechanically, the game is tight and easy to grasp. It uses the standard 52-card deck, but layers in clever decisions around stamina management, story card choices, and how and when to use your abilities. The moment you secretly choose whether you’ll play as a hero or a villain each round adds delicious tension as all players reveal this simultaneously. You can’t just play the best card, you must play the best role. The pacing works well too, with the event in round three adding variety and a spicey mid-game twist, and the final reveal in round five creating a satisfying climax to a quick, but crunchy game. The two-player sidekick system is smart, keeping even smaller games feeling alive and unpredictable. It works so well and delivers a brilliant two-player trick-taking game. One of the best I have experienced. The art is gorgeous, the components are fantastic, and everything just oozes class throughout. As you play, the sense of discovery as your character develops in front of your eyes based on your choices is really quite something. Every game feels so different as each character you create feels so unique. There are 64 Story cards and you will use four each time, and 10 Superhero cards, and of course, you have just one each time. The combinations of engines that you can build from all this are huge. And finding one that works well, creating scoring combos is delightfully satisfying. That said, I am not a fan of the solo mode. It works fine and has a quick and easy flow, but it just feels "less." Less thematic. Less eventful. Less enjoyable. I hope others find more from this, but for me, this game is about the interaction between different players' choices and how their superheroes or villains evolve. Card play needs choices and player involvement. The Automa is brilliant in trying to recreate this in a solitaire mode, but it doesn't give me any warmth or personality. If you are desperate for a good solo trick-taker, then this may hit the spot, as it is solid. But if you are not desperate for that specific experience, do not expect this to be a solo option for you. That said, Origin Story may not click for everyone in multi-player either. The learning curve for mixing trick-taking with powers and stamina might be steeper than expected for more casual gamers, and it’s certainly not a simple game of Hearts or Spades. The theme is excellent, but it could feel a little light for players expecting a full superhero campaign, and of course, not everyone likes comic book style art or themes. But for me, when it clicks, it sings. It’s stylish, engaging, and clever; a rare combination. Pros: A genuinely thematic trick-taking experience Great sense of progression and payoff across the five rounds Clever hero/villain choice adds drama and tension Cons: A bit heavier than expected for a trick-taking game Can feel overcomplicated for casual players Theme may feel secondary to pure card play at times Origin Story delivers exactly what its name promises – the birth of something new. It’s a trick-taking game that manages to tell a story, make you care about your character, and keep the table buzzing with tension and laughter. It’s not for everyone, but for players who want their card play mixed with narrative flair and meaningful choices, this is a game worth suiting up and assembling your friends for.

Altay: Dawn Of Civilisation WBG Score: 8 Player Count 2-4 You’ll like this if you like: An abstract deck builder mixed with area control. Published by:   Ares Games Designed by:   Paolo Mori , Ole Steiness This is a free review copy of the game. See our review policy here Altay: Dawn Of Civilisation was one of the big hits from Essen 2024. I did not get a chance to play it until more recently, but was intrigued due to the mix of mechanics within the game, and the mixed reviews from the Dice Tower. This is an asymmetric, area control deck-builder, loosely based around a civilisation theme, that scored five out of ten from Tom Vasel and eight out of ten from Chris Yi. That's quite a difference! Why is this game so polarising? Or was one of them just wrong? Let's get it to the table and find out. How To Set Up Altay: Dawn Of Civilisation First, place the main board down in the middle of the table along with the resources and coins. There is a handy storage tray in the main box for this, which holds them all, so simply take this out. You now need to set up the Action card display, the cards you can buy during the game. You need two cards of each type per player. Make sure you include the cards with the point value on the top if you are not using all the cards in a lower player count game, and place the highest value point cards on the top. Now set up the Achievement decks. You need one card of each type for the bronze and silver technology levels, and all cards in the gold Wonder level. Shuffle each deck and place them face down, drawing the top three cards face up into a starting display. Now place a level three conquest marker on all the white mountain areas, and a random level one or two marker on all other areas. Place a victory point marker on the three middle mountains. Now, each player takes the cards and 15 settlement pieces in their chosen colour. Each colour has a slightly different asymmetric power. The green Elevenfolk prefer to generate food and culture. The red Firefolk favour warriors, battle, and conquest. The blue Smallfolk diversify and generate a multitude of different resources, whereas the yellow Earthfolk have two starting villages and a colonist to fill them quicker. Each player chooses one of the green farmland spaces on the board, removes the conquest marker there, returning it to the box, and places one of their settlements there. All players now shuffle their cards and draw a starting hand of five. Each player gains one random level three Wonder card, gives one player at random the starting token, and you are now ready to play. How To Play Altay: Dawn Of Civilisation Players now take turns using all five cards in their hand. Players are looking to conquer new lands, build up their deck of cards, and complete the three-tiered achievement cards. The game ends when either one player places their final settlement on the board, or one player has no settlements on the board anymore, which is far less likely. When either end game scenario is met, finish the current round so all players have equal turns, then move to final scoring. Points are awarded for all developed technologies and Wonders, action cards acquired during the game with points on them, each territory with at least one settlement on it, each captured settlement, and finally the conquest markers you gained during the game, totalled and divided by three. As players take turns to play their hand of cards, cards can either be used to generate resources, build new settlements, store resources between rounds, or attack neighbouring areas. If you cannot store or use a resource, then you must discard it, or you can play the variant where you can exchange unused resources for money. Money can later be exchanged back for any good at a ratio of five coins to any good. Resources are mainly used to meet the requirements of Village cards, which require two Food in order to build a new settlement. When you build a new settlement, it must either be on the space where you have an existing settlement, or in a neighbouring space so long as the conquest marker has been previously removed. You can remove conquest markers, just as you may attack a neighbouring player. Play Attack cards from your hand, and total the Attack symbols on them with the number of settlements in the area you are attacking from. This is your total attack value. If this exceeds the number shown on a neighbouring conquest token, you simply remove the token from the board and add it to your collection for end game points. Some conquest markers generate resources as you take them, so look out for symbols on the markers as you gain each one. When you fight another player, the same happens, except they now have the chance to fight back and play defence cards. The winner of the fight removes one settlement from their opposing player's area, and again, takes it into their play area for end game points. The defending player can draw back up to five cards if they played any cards. You can play cards without defence icons on, up to the amount of cards the attacking player used, simply to recycle through your hand quicker if you choose. You can also use resources to buy new cards from the display of Action cards. Each has a cost shown on the top right. Simply discard the required resources and take any card you buy and add it into your discard pile. When your deck of cards runs out, which it will after your second turn, shuffle your discard pile and draw five new cards. This way, from turn three onwards, you have the chance to have and play new cards that you bought in either round one or two, added to your hand. The final thing you can do on your turn is use resources you have generated that round, or previously stored, to develop Achievements or wonders. You need to do a level one Bronze achievement first, then you can try a Silver Achievement, and then, finally, a Gold. If you want to try a second Bronze, that is fine, but only if you have completed the first. The achievements generate extra powers that can be used during the game, either once or each round during your turn, or at the end of each turn. The wonders mainly generate end game scoring opportunities, but one gives you the chance to have another turn when it is completed. The achievements also allow you to build more settlements as an instant one-off power. To start an Achievement or Wonder, you simply need one of the required resources. Take the card and place the resource onto the card and you are off and away. When you place the final required resource on the card it is considered completed. In three or two-player games, the game board is reduced in size. Nothing is done to mark this, but you won't place as many conquest tokens out at the start of the game, and your eye will quickly adjust to the reduced playing area. This is done to keep the game tight and encourage more player interaction via fighting. However, this will simply not happen as much in reduced player counts, and in three-player games without the red Firefolk involved. There is a small expansion that allows you to use the islands in the game. You can now travel over the sea and battle for and own the islands. Some people have complained that the absence of this in some versions of the game causes problems and reduces the ability to experience the full board. I can see this being an issue in higher player counts. It would be frustrating not to have that. But in some two-player games I have played, we did not make it over there. The game ended before we could. But, I would encourage you to look out for this mini expansion if you want the base game. There is also a new larger expansion coming out in 2026 that will utilise the sea areas more. Is It Fun? How To Set Up Altay: Dawn Of Civilisation Board Game Review Altay: Dawn of Civilisation is at its best when it’s a bustling table of four players, each pushing their asymmetric power to the limit. The game throws together area control, deck building, and a dash of civilisation-building in a way that feels simple and easy to master, but interesting and rewarding. Conquering lands while balancing resources and your development of the technologies is satisfying, especially when your deck finally starts humming and you feel like a strategist pulling multiple levers at once. If you like games where you grow stronger, faster, and cleverer each round, like most deck-builders, this one will keep you leaning forward in your chair. Eager for your next turn. "Watch this..." Of course, Altay is not for everyone. If you don’t like conflict, brace yourself, because fights will happen, and losing a settlement can sting. However, it doesn't hurt you like other area control games. And you can always win a fight that comes upon you, not just the ones you initiate. But the game is a much lighter rules teach than its civilization veneer might suggest. Some players will feel it does not offer the depth a civilization game should. Or indeed, does not feel like a civ game at all. Often, you will be completing cards, playing cards, finishing achievements, and not even noticing what it was you did. You don't check the name or look at the art. Just focus on the benefit. The game feels way more abstract that the box art suggests. The theme does melt away somewhat. Where Altay shines, though, is in its polarizing nature of tactics. It’s a game designed for those who want to fight as much as they want to build their deck. If you enjoy big turns from a quick deck build, with minor asymmetric powers, and aren’t afraid of a game that rewards boldness over caution, then this is worth a try. But if you prefer a calm puzzle where you quietly optimize in your corner, Altay may feel more like a neighbour knocking down your fence than a friendly trade partner. That said, in a two-player game, or a three-player game without the red Firefolk, games can tend to be a little more isolated with only a few fights breaking out. I had one two-player game with only one fight, and that was right at the end when we finally got close to each other. So, for two, this is a little more relaxing and multiplayer solitaire. But you can manipulate this however you best want with the asymmetric powers of the four factions in the game, and which ones you choose to use. And of course, during the game, if you want to avoid or reduce conflict, buy a few fighting cards to ward off the other players. Everyone can see what you buy. Your purchases are not just for your use, but also for posturing! Pros Minor asymmetric factions that encourage varied playstyles Satisfying mix of deck building and area control Bold interaction keeps players engaged and invested Achievement and wonder system adds depth and long-term planning Cons Player conflict can feel annoying when you don't have the deck to fight back Civilisation theme becomes more abstract Very dependent on the right player mix for best experience This is a light weight game. Can be disappointing if you want something more heavy. Altay: Dawn of Civilisation is one of those games that makes you sit up and pay attention, whether you’re having the time of your life or quietly wishing you’d played something else. It thrives on table presence, conflict, and asymmetric cleverness. If you want a game that sparks stories and heated discussions long after the box is packed away, this could be a hit. But know what you’re walking into. Altay is more abstract than you think; it's a lot lighter than the box art and size, mechanics, and theme all suggest. This can be a very different game based on the player count and factions used in the game. I can see why the Dice Tower reviewers clashed on this so much. It is a polarising game for sure. But when I want something quick, simple, light but fun, this is going to stay in my collection alongside games like Splendor, Century Road, and Azul. I can see myself playing it in a two-player mode more than anything else and seeing this more as a race game than an area control game. Who can get their settlements out quickest and most efficiently? That version of this game is an 8. The area control battling abstract game that Tom Vasel didn’t like is out there. You just need to decide why you want this game.

Tricky Kids WBG Score: 7.5 Player Count: 2-6 You’ll like this if you like: Trick-takers with a twist! Published by: Pandasaurus Games Designed by: Danielle Reynolds , Steven Ungaro This is a review copy. See our review policy here I love trick-taking games. And there seem to be so many coming our recently. We have covered a lot here . So, to stand out in the cluttered word of trick-taking card games, you need a twist. And most do. So, the question here is what twist does Tricky Kids bring, and is it any fun? Well, lets get it to the table and find out. How To Set Up Tricky Kids Shuffle the main deck and deal each player nine cards. The deck is made up of three suits, but all cards have blank when it comes to numerical value. Say what now? I know. More on that soon. Lay out seven score markers in a row, left to right. Each player will look at their cards and discard two of them, leaving each player with seven cards. Give each player a marker, and then each player will write onto their cards with their marker a figure from zero to 21. The total of their seven cards cannot exceed 21. It can be below if they wish, but that would be a waste. If you gave one card the score of 21, the rest would have to be zero. You could give the cards any score you want, just stick to these restrictions. The game plays over three rounds. You are now ready to play. However, you can if you wish add in the the Tricky cards. Shuffle the Tricky rule card deck and turn one card face up each round. It will add a new rule for each round. At the end of the round, discard that card, and draw a new rule for the next round. How To Play Tricky Kids One player will now spin one of the pens. The player the pen points at becomes the first player. They can now play any card from their hand. Each other player in clockwise order must now follow suit, meaning they play a card of the same colour from their hand. If they cannot follow suit as they do not have the same colour card in their hand, they can play any card they want. The player who plays the highest numbered card in the lead suit wins that trick. Ties cancel each other out, and the next highest card under these in the lead suit takes the win! The winning player takes the score marker for that round. This means the points available for each trick vary greatly! In this case, for round one, if yellow was the lead trick, it would be worth three points, pink two, and blue two. Whereas in round two, yellow drops to one and blue jumps to four. The winning player circles the colour they scored with that round, so they don't forget. Each player takes the card they played and places it face up in front of them. The winning player then plays the next card from their hand, starting the next trick. After the seventh trick, all players check that their played cards do not total over 21. If they do, they lose all points they gained that round. If this occurs in round two, they must also discard a score token from round one. And if it happens in round three, they are disqualified from the game entirely! After each round, collect all cards, shuffle them up, deal another nine cards to each player and place our seven new score tokens. After three rounds, the game ends, and players tally up their score tokens. Most points wins! Is It Fun? Tricky Kids Card Game Review Tricky Kids doesn’t just throw you into another trick-taking game with new suits and a quirky backstory. No, this one hands you a marker and says, “Go on then, make the game your own.” Writing the numbers onto your blank cards is great fun, and feels strangely naughty. Like you’re scribbling on something you shouldn’t! But it also sets the tone for the game brilliantly. You’re building your hand before the round even begins based on the score markers available that round, and the colour of cards in your hand. And from that moment you’re invested. It’s unpredictable, playful, and that’s where the fun lives. Who May Like It If you’re already into trick-taking, but feel like you’ve seen it all before, this is the kind of twist that keeps the genre alive. It’s part strategy puzzle, part chaos engine, and it rewards players who enjoy adapting on the fly. Families and casual groups will get a lot out of the silliness too, especially when someone inevitably busts over 21 and loses everything, to the table’s delight. And if you’re the kind of gamer who likes your cards to have a little personality (and doesn’t mind that personality being literally your handwriting), you’ll find Tricky Kids hits the sweet spot. Who May Not Like It If you’re a trick-taking purist, look away now. There’s no polished, tightly balanced hierarchy of suits here. Instead, it’s messy, unpredictable, and occasionally cruel. Some players will hate the randomness of the shifting rules, or the brutal punishment of going over 21. And yes, if the thought of marking up your cards makes you break out in hives, this is going to be a hard pass. Tricky Kids is all about embracing the chaos. I you’re not up for that, it might not be your game. But it does suit younger players, who enjoy the novelty, control, and naughtiness of writing on the cards. Pros Brilliantly inventive write-your-own-cards twist Every round feels different thanks to the shifting score values Fast, light, and always entertaining Optional Tricky rule cards add replayability and silliness Cons Chaos and luck can outweigh strategy Harsh penalties for busting past 21 Traditionalists may find it too loose and swingy Writing on cards isn’t for everyone Tricky Kids is exactly what a modern trick-taking game should be: fast, chaotic, and full of “I can’t believe that just happened” moments. The freedom of creating your own hand, the constant swing of the scoring system, and the threat of losing it all in a heartbeat make it equal parts clever and ridiculous. It’s not for the serious-minded, but if you’re after something fresh that’ll have your group laughing, groaning, and scribbling away, Tricky Kids more than delivers.

Wyrmspan: Dragon Academy WBG Score: 9 Player Count: 1-5 You’ll like this if you like: Wingspan, but want a bit more complexity, and dragons! Published by: Stonemaier Games Designed by: Connie Vogelmann This is a review copy. See our review policy here I liked Wingspan. I gave it 8 out of 10. It's a modern classic for a reason. You can check out my review here . I liked Wyrmspan a little more. It has some lovely additions to the "span" mechanics." I gave that 8.5. You can check out my review here . I also liked Finspan. I gave that 8.5 too. It's just so simple and quick. It gives you most of what you want from a span game, but in such an easy way. You can check out my full review here . So, an expansion for Wyrmspan should make this the best Span yet, right? Well, maybe. Let's get it to the table and see how it plays. How To Set Up Wyrmspan: Dragon Academy Set the game up as usual, but replace the previous round tracker board with the new one. It's slightly bigger and offers new options at the bottom for end-of-round benefits. You can discard the old one. You won't use it again. But can you really do that? Nope, me neither. It's still in the box! And joyfully, everything in this game fits in the original box, nice and easily. There are also five Dragon cards and two Cave cards that need replacing with new updated versions. The differences are shown here. You can see the new cards on the top with the DA tag on the bottom left of the card. The replacement Dragon cards also have minimal difference, just tidying up some language and minor balance issues. New cards on the bottom this time, just to keep you on your toes. This expansion also comes with 80 new Dragon cards, 25 new Cave cards, seven new objective tile, and five new Dragon Guilds. Oh, and a card tray to make tidying this all up a lot simpler. Funny the base game didn't have this? But all sorted now! The new objectives, like everything else, can simply be added into your main box, mix well with the base game components, and simply offer more variation to the game. Some also mention the new card type in this expansion, Fledglings. More on that soon. So, you can obviously only use this if you use the new Dragon cards too. But the idea is you permanently mix all the new components with the base components. The only other new component is the 45 new training cubes. Add these to the centre of the table for all players to use when needed. You are now ready to play. How To Play Wyrmspan: Dragon Academy The game plays as usual, with these three changes to the rules. Fledging cards These new cards offer a new scoring system, as well as a way to build up their engine. At the end of the game, players will score points as multipliers, based on the total number of Fledgling cards they have on their player boards. If you have one, then it's one point. If you have two, it's two points each for a total of four. This continues to multiply with every extra card, and is irrelevant of their final status. As you can see, on these new cards, there is a space for one of the new training cubes. When you activate these cards with the Explore action, walking over them with your Explorer, you can add a training cube to the card, optionally pay the cost shown on the first symbol on the left, then move the cube one space to the right. When you have paid all the costs over several Explore actions, you can then unlock the purple ability on the bottom, often giving large end-game scoring opportunities. With these new cards, you sacrifice powerful when played or end of round powers given by other Dragons, with these end game scoring multipliers. Having a good mix of all of these powers is key. The Fledging cards live in all three of the caves, unlike the Hatchings from the base game, which primarily live in the bottom caves. So, you could Entice them anywhere. End of round changes When each player decides they no longer want to take any turns, or run out of coins to do so, they must place their Explorer meeple onto the new End of Round tracker board, onto one of the spaces on the bottom, depending on what round it is. For rounds one and two, choose one of the spaces on the left side. For round three, the space on the right. You do not need to do this for the final fourth round. When the round ends, and all players have placed their Explorer meeple onto one of the spaces, you will run through, top to bottom, the end of round actions. First, activate any end of round bonuses, then score that round's objective. Then, refresh all cards in the display, before finally taking the income as chosen by your Explorer placement that round. As you can see, you can choose from a mix of coins, eggs, resources, cards, and in the third round, Dragon Guild movement. It is funny to not get all six coins back, like in the base game, and this mean you may have less turns, and the game can be quicker this way. But you will get resources for this sacrifice, if you make that choice. And that enables you to do more, and avoid dead turns. Free to play Dragons The final small change in this game is that there are now free-to-play Dragon cards. As you can see with the three cards below, there is a new blue flower symbol on some cards. This means you can either pay the shown cost to entice these cards or take the displayed blue flower action to gain the card for free. You need to meet certain criteria for this to be the case, such as the Andean Coatl, which will be free to place if it is your third or fourth dragon in its respective cave. Is It Fun? Wyrmspan: Dragon Academy Board Game Expansion Review Wyrmspan was already a brilliant twist on the span  formula, giving players the same smooth engine-building feel as Wingspan  but with a bolder theme and a little more crunch. It balances strategy and accessibility in a way few games manage. You always feel like you are building towards something, whether chasing Guilds, objectives, or simply watching your cavern fill with colourful dragons. The pace is tight, the turns are satisfying, and it never outstays its welcome. The game flows better for me, and there are a lot more opportunities for exciting cascading turns. It’s a game that rewards clever sequencing, but never punishes experimentation, which makes it as fun for casual players as it is for those chasing every efficiency. Why the Expansion Makes the Base Game Better Dragon Academy layers in variety and clever new systems without overwhelming the base rules. The Fledgling cards introduce an exciting scoring puzzle that tempts players to delay short-term power for big end-game payoffs. The new end-of-round tracker not only refreshes how rounds flow but also offers real choices about what income to take and when, making every round feel more dynamic. Throw in new objectives, Guilds, and even the convenience of the new card tray, and you have an expansion that fixes small gripes with the base game while pushing the design into new territory. It’s more flexible, more tactical, and more rewarding. Who May Like It (and Who May Not) Fans of engine builders who love a strong end-game puzzle will lap this up. If you enjoyed Wyrmspan but wanted more variety in cards and more decisions around resource timing, Dragon Academy is exactly what you’re looking for. On the other hand, if you felt the base game was already on the edge of being too much, the added layers here might tip it over. The expansion doesn’t bloat the game, but it does ask players to juggle more possibilities. So, for families who liked the streamlined feel of Finspan, this may not be the right step. But for anyone who wanted Wyrmspan to go bigger and deeper, this is essential. Pros Fledgling cards create a brilliant new scoring puzzle. End-of-round tracker refreshes the pacing of the game. Lots of new content: dragons, caves, Guilds, objectives. Card tray and upgraded components improve usability. Everything fits neatly into the base box. Cons Adds a few extra rules that may slow down new players. The Fledgling scoring system can dominate if not balanced. Players who found Wyrmspan “just enough” may feel this is “too much.” Final Thoughts Dragon Academy takes an already great game and makes it better. It adds depth without unnecessary complication, and variety without clutter. The Fledgling cards change how you think about engine building, the end-of-round tracker smooths the flow, and the extra Guilds, objectives, and dragons keep every game fresh. If Wyrmspan was the game that gave the span  series its teeth, then Dragon Academy is the expansion that sharpens them. I liked Wingspan. I liked Wyrmspan a little more. I also liked Finspan. So where does Dragon Academy sit? For me, this expansion takes Wyrmspan to the next level. The new scoring system with Fledglings, the sharper pacing with the end-of-round tracker, and the wealth of new dragons and objectives make this the most satisfying span  game yet. I’m giving Wyrmspan: Dragon Academy a 9 out of 10 . This is the way I want to play a Span game.

Cretaceous Skies WBG Score: 9.5 Player Count 1-4 You’ll like this if you like: Euros with a theme, it can be done! Published by:   Spielcraft Games Designed by:   Ann Journey This is a free review copy of the game. See our review policy here Cretaceous Rails is one of my games of the year. I simply adore it. You can read my full review here . The game was released with an expansion which I have only just got to try, Cretaceous Skies. It is wonderful! And you can read my full review here in this post. There is a new expansion coming out soon along with a reprint of the game along with this expansion if you want to get a copy or you can try your luck at retail here . The game is also being made along with a new smaller, meeple-only version in a smaller box. This seems a shame, but I suppose it offers the game at a cheaper price point, in a smaller box which is good. But the dino minis are so cool! But I suppose it's nice to have a choice. This all goes live in October 2025. You can check the link here . Anyway, let's take a look at this first expansion and see what it adds and how it plays. How To Set Up Cretaceous Skies This expansion comes with four separate modules. You can add just one, all five, or any combination. Whatever works for you. I like to include them all! They are all pretty simple, don't add much time to set up or to teach, and all make the game a little bit better. Let's go through them all one-by-one. Variable Start Expansion: During setup, don't give any player any starting trains, dinos, tourists, or jungle pieces. Instead, deal out two variable start cards per player, plus two extra, and then each player draws a pair of cards and takes the shown starting resources. Then, when you select your home hex on the main board, place a number of rails shown on your starting cards plus one. So, still one rail, even if you have no starting trains. End Game Scoring Tiles There are five in total. Randomly select two and place them face up next to the main board. Then, at the end of the game, you will score these end-game bonuses as well as the usual scoring. 5th Executive Expansion There is now an opportunity to get a fifth executive. During set up, place the four new Executive cards next to the resort card board along with the 5th Executive of any player in the games colour. Then, during the game, at any pint, any player can draw one of these cards as they would any Resort card, then build it, gaining their fifth Executive. Each player can only do this once. They then have a fifth turn each round, from the moment they do this. Cretaceous Skies Expansion This is the main part of the expansion and the only part that needs a How to Play. The above is enough for the other three. Here, add in the new Pteranodon minis onto each space on the main board with a flower symbol. Three on each tile, and two on the starting board. Then give each player their 16 new Aviary tiles which will be arranged at random in a four-by-four grid next to their player mat. This is your Aviary. You are now ready to play. How To Play Cretaceous Skies At any time, you can opt to forgo a main action selected from the action tiles and instead take any Pteranodon from the main board, provided it is adjacent to one of your rails, and place it in your Aviary. Initially, this must be one of the central four tiles. Afterward, it must be orthogonally adjacent to another tile with a Pteranodon. As soon as you do this, you will gain access to the power of the tile you placed the Pteranodon on for the rest of the game. The tiles gives you the ability to hold more than one good on your train cars, to lay extra rails when you take a Safari action with various coloured tourists, take various extra actions when you capture various dinos, reduce the ratings on your resort cards, or improve your end game scoring options. Is It Fun? Cretaceous Skies Board Game Expansion Review This mechanism of sacrificing an action and capturing Pteranodons to build your engine and make subsequent turns more powerful or gain additional end game points, adds an exciting layer of choice. Instead of simply following the core actions, players can unlock permanent powers that change how the rest of their game unfolds. The sense of progression feels strong, as each new Pteranodon captured not only rewards you with a lasting bonus but also expands the possibilities for future turns. It keeps the game feeling fresh, offering different strategies depending on which powers you choose to unlock and when. And at the end of the game, it is a great way to make your final tally jump up if you pick the right Aviary tile matches with your in game strategy. The variable start tiles are a simple but nice addition. They add a layer of strategy to the start of the game, where you can base what you want to do on the options available with the starting resources, and then plan your first few turns accordingly. It feels like you are in more control from the off with this. The end game scoring does a similar thing, giving you additional focus on what you want to achieve. If the longest rail track is out, that's a simple thing to aim for early on, with a big swing of points on offer. It's extra points, extra focus. A nice little add-on. I see no reason why people would not include both the variable start tiles and end game scoring in every game. The fifth Executive is a nice addition for me too. I will always use it. But it does slow the game down a little. The earlier you get it, the more turns you will have in the game. There are only four rounds in the game, and an extra turn each round after getting this is not too much. But what I found is most people aim to get their fifth Executive ASAP, and generally have it from round two onwards. That's an extra nine turns in a three-player game. Maybe ten more minutes? I can see the issue here for some. But I love it. I always want to do more in this game. Now I can! Especially with the Pteranodons needing a sacrificed action to activate. Here is a way to get those actions back. On the flip side, the Aviary system may not work for everyone. The adjacency requirement and tile placement rules mean your options can sometimes feel restricted, especially if the path of tiles does not match your preferred strategy. Players who dislike being forced into certain choices may find the mechanic frustrating rather than rewarding. It can also feel like the game is punishing you if your tiles are not well positioned early on, leaving you unable to access the powers you want. For fans of the base game though, this expansion will be a lot of fun. Fans of the engine-building part of Cretaceous Rails will enjoy seeing their abilities grow even more over time, while players who like the spatial and tactical puzzle in the game will appreciate the challenge of positioning rails and capturing the Pteranodons to get the most useful Aviary tiles to them. Those who prefer a more straightforward or relaxed style of play may struggle with the restrictions, but gamers who enjoy layered strategy and clever planning will find this more advanced system highly rewarding. I for one will include all four of these module sin every game moving forward, even with new players. They do not over complicate the game, add extra strategy, and make the choices even more fun. This expansion made a great game even greater. I cannot wait to try the next expansion. Pros New permanent powers create a satisfying sense of engine building and progression Strategic depth increased and early game choices seem more forgiving Great for players who enjoy long-term planning and engine building Cons Does add a little more complexity, but not much. Your Aviary tile placement does affect your choices a lot This is a near-perfect expansion. Four tight little modules. All easily incorporated into the original game with minimal added rules, added time to the game, or added complexity; but a lot more strategy and fun. A must-have for fans of the base game.

Tokaido Duo WBG Score: 7.5/10 Player Count: 1-2 You’ll like this if you like: Quick, chill board games where you can chase multiple paths Published by: Stonemaier Games Designed by: Antoine Bauza This is a free review copy. See our review policy here . Tokaido Duo is a stand alone game set in the world of Tokaido. A game we reviewed here . It changes a fair few things from Tokaido, mainly making this a two-player only game. However, after Stonemaier acquired the rights to the game from the original publisher, they have now added in a new solo version, making this now play one to two player. They also tidied up the rules and made separate player guides. If you have the original and want to play solitaire, you can simply buy the solo add on pack here (be sure to click on your local store first!). If you don't own this game yet and want it, be sure to get the new updated Stonemaier version here to get access to the new elements. But is this game any good? Let's get it to the table and see how it plays. How To Set Up Tokaido Duo Place out the game board and take one character board and character guide for each player. There are three character guides and boards each. One player takes the green meeples, painting tiles, viewing pegs, and colour marker; and the other takes the purple ones. Place the meeples on their starting spaces marked on the board, and lay out the money into two separate piles next to the board. Each player places their colour marker in front of them, along with their three character boards and guides. Next, place the eight Boutique tokens on their spaces on the board. Do this at random. Add the 26 Ware tokens into the cloth bag and give them a shuffle. Place the bag next to the board along with the three dice. Place the three Wave tokens on the top of the board; they can be placed either side up. This affects the variety in the game. Place the Hot Spring token onto its space on the bottom left of the board. Each player adds their viewing pegs into the starting spaces on the Pilgrim board, then shuffles their Painting tiles and places them face down onto randomly assigned spaces on their Artist board. In solo mode, just set up one board per character or one player. The opposition, known as the Automa, takes three character cards instead. Place a single coin on the starting spot for each of these cards. There are a few different difficulties of character cards. You can pick whatever works best for you. The game recommends you start with level two. Also, place one coin into two central areas on the game board and one purple painting token onto the Coastal Town on the top left of the board as shown here. The Automa's meeples are placed on the southern end of the board. You are now ready to play. How To Play Tokaido Duo Players will now take turns rolling the three dice. Each die represents one of the three characters that each player has. The player who rolled chooses one of the three dice and moves the corresponding character the shown number of spaces. The other player then chooses from the remaining two dice, leaving the first player with one remaining die to activate. Play then moves to the next player, who now has the first and third pick. When you move your character, you must move the full extent of the movement shown on the dice. If you land on a space occupied by another player that isn't a Mountain Town, you must move forward one extra space. The Mountain Towns can hold two characters. The Pilgrim moves around the edge of the board in a clockwise manner. The Artist moves around the central areas, crossing over the orange hatched trade routes, moving from grey image to image. The Merchants move along the orange trade routes from Mountain Towns to Coastal Towns. The Merchant is either buying or selling goods. From the four Mountain Towns in the center of the board, when you land on these, you will either take two, three, or four tokens from the bag and add them to your character board, depending on the number shown next to the Town they are in. You must draw as many tokens as shown, but you can only hold up to five Wares on your board. So if you end with six or more, you must discard down to five after you have drawn all your new tokens. When at the Coastal Town, the Merchant will be able to sell the Wares matching the token added at random during setup. You will sell for two, three, or four coins, as shown by the token at the Coastal Town. Add the Ware tokens back into the bag, and add the coins to your player board. Whenever you get ten or more coins, you must exchange these for one gold coin and add this to the bottom of your character board. When you get your sixth gold coin, the game will end. At the end of the game, each player will gain points for their Merchant based on how many gold coins they acquired during the game. The Artist is either painting or gifting. When painting, reveal as many face-down Painting tiles from your Artist board as there are characters within your area. The nearby spaces in the middle and edge of the board directly next to your current position count for this. Opposition characters, including the Artist, which could be in the same space as you, all count towards this. Painting tiles are revealed from top to bottom, from left to right. If the icon of the arrival area matches the icon on the top leftmost tile on your Artist board, then you may Gift that Painting by removing it from your board and adding it back to the box. If you Gift your final painting, that triggers the end game. The Artist will score points based on the amount of Paintings they were able to Gift during the game. The Pilgrim can help the other characters during the game by gaining extra money for the Merchant from the Coastal Towns, or gaining the Wave tokens from the Seashore spaces, gaining additional powers for any character they choose. When they visit the Temple or Garden, however, they gain points themselves, either moving the viewing peg up one space on the Temple or Garden track, depending on where they are. At the end of the game, they gain points of the Temple space multiplied by the Garden space. If they reach the final space on either track, they trigger the end game. When the end game is triggered, make sure you use all dice from that current turn, then each player adds up their total points scored from all three of their characters. Most points, wins. In the solo game, the Automa characters all follow a clockwise path around their respective spaces. The Automa's Merchant only visits Coastal towns this way. When the Automa's Artist lands on an area without a coin, their coin on their Automa track moves up one space. The Merchant moves up a space when they land on any Coastal town without a Painting tile. The Pilgrim moves up when they land on a Garden, Temple, or Coastal tile without a Painting tile. If a coin reaches the final space, this triggers the end of the game. The dice are thrown and organized in order of how physically close they were to the other side of the table. The dice are selected by a prescribed method as shown in the solo rules, which I won't go into here, but it makes it clear and simple for you as you play. The Automa scores victory points equal to the sum of her three final spaces reached on the Automa tracks. Is It Fun? Tokaido Duo Board Game Review Tokaido Duo  offers a fascinating spin on the original Tokaido , focusing on a two-player experience with a thoughtful solo mode added in the new Stonemaier edition. The premise of controlling three different characters, each with their own path to victory, creates an engaging puzzle where your choices ripple across multiple strategies. The dice draft mechanism adds a layer of tension, as every roll gives both players opportunities and dilemmas. For fans of elegant games with a serene pace, this blend of movement, timing, and character interplay can be deeply satisfying. However, Tokaido Duo  may not be for everyone. The game’s relaxed tempo can feel too slow for players who prefer high-stakes interaction or quick payoffs. Managing three separate characters at once can also be fiddly, and some might find the bookkeeping of Merchants, Artists, and Pilgrims a little overwhelming in a compact two-player setting. Solo mode is welcome but may not scratch the itch for those who prefer dynamic opponents over predictable Automa routines. In short, if you are looking for drama or heavy conflict, this will likely fall flat. I have also found some luck in the game around which Wares you pull, based on which Coastal towns you are near and can sell to next. This can be a little frustrating for some. Although, this is a quick game. 25 minutes I have found to be plenty for most games, even when taking it easy. So, you are never to upset when the dice or bag draw doesn't go your way. For the right audience, though, Tokaido Duo  is a peaceful yet strategic experience. It retains the charm and beauty of the original while carving its own identity through clever dice drafting and varied character paths. Fans of relaxing, thematic games that feel like a journey rather than a battle will find plenty to enjoy here. It is best suited for pairs who want a thoughtful head-to-head game or solo players seeking a meditative puzzle. Like its predecessor, Tokaido Duo  is more about the experience than the competition, and that is where its beauty lies. Pros Clever dice drafting creates tension and choice Beautiful theme and artwork carried over from the original Tokaido Offers both a tight two-player duel and a solo puzzle Three-character system adds variety and depth Cons Slow pace may not appeal to everyone Managing three roles can feel fiddly Solo mode can feel predictable Low direct player interaction Tokaido Duo  is a beautiful reimagining of a modern classic, set now in a one or two player world. Offering a tighter, more strategic experience while keeping the calming spirit of Tokaido  alive, this game will appeal to fans of Tokaido . It may not appeal to players who crave speed, direct conflict, or heavy complexity, but for those who enjoy a thoughtful, relaxing game with layers of subtle strategy, it shines. Whether played competitively as a duel or reflectively in its solo mode, Tokaido Duo  captures the essence of a journey well taken, thoughtful, peaceful, and rewarding in its own quiet way.

Smitten & Smitten 2 WBG Score: 6.5/10 Player Count: 1-2 You’ll like this if you like: Nice, simple, card games Published by: Stonemaier Games Designed by: Ryan S. Davis , Jamey Stegmaier This is a free review copy. See our review policy here . Smitten is a delightful 18-card game that represents art from various Stonemaier games. It challenges one to two players in a quick, simple, but enjoyable card-laying experience. The game came out in 2022 to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Stonemaier Games and represented nine games created by Stonemaier at that point. Each game was shown on two cards from the deck of 18, with nine separate art designs. However, when you formed a grid of three-by-three with them, as is the idea in the game, they form one cohesive picture. The games featured were Tapestry, Euphoria, Wingspan, Between Two Castles, My Little Scythe, Charterstone, Pendulum, Viticulture, and Between Two Cities. Scythe is in the background when you form the tableau. It's pretty cool! In 2025, Smitten Two was released. It is the same premise but with nine new pairs of cards. Nine new cards, representing nine new games within the Stonemaier universe, with nine new card powers. This time, the games featured have not been confirmed by Jamey yet, but my best guess is we have Wyrmspan, Apiary, Stamp Swap, Tokaido, Rolling Realms Redux, Vantage, Finspan, Libertalia, and collectively they create an image, of what I am guessing to be Expeditions. There is one other game included, but I am unsure what this is. Maybe an unreleased game? Or perhaps, Red Rising which is not featured in Smitten, and could be here? But it just my guess. OK, enough of that, are these games fun? Let's get them to the table and see how they play. How To Set Up Smitten & Smitten 2 Shuffle the 18 cards into a deck and place one random card face down away from the play area, this is out of the game. Next, choose a difficulty level, easy, medium, or hard. This determines how may cards you start with. Easy you get four cards each, medium and hard you get three. But in hard, there are also some extra rules, covered below. In solo, create two "hands" by shuffling the deck, then placing two cards face up and one card face down into each of the two piles. The two hands represent two players, so when you play a card from one hand, the other hand now represents the other player, or "partner" as it is referred to in this game. You are now ready to play! How To Set Up Smitten & Smitten 2 The aim of the game is to place all 17 cards into their prescribed position in the grid. You are creating two separate three-by-three grids. One made by each player. Or in a solo, one from one hand, and one by the other. But of course, as one card has been taken out of the game, one grid will be incomplete. So you win when you place the 17th card. Ignore the effect of the 17th card, and now place the previously discarded 18th card to complete your two grids. You loose if you ever cannot place a card, or follow a placed cards instructions. Players place cards from their hand into a grid. The first card can go anywhere on the table, but subsequent cards must be placed adjacent to a previously played card. Cards must be placed in their correct position as shown on the symbol on the top left of each card. One in the top left, five in the middle, etc. When you play a card, the other player (the partner) must then follow that card's actions, as shown on the card. At the end of each turn, both players draw cards to replenish their hands if possible, with the active player drawing their card(s) first. Players can play cards whenever they see fit. There are no turns in this game. It's not player A then player B. You play simply when you feel you have the right card to play. To decide who should play in the multiplayer game, the only information you can discuss is whether you are able or willing to play a card, simply stating, “I can play/I want to play” or “I can’t play/I don’t want to play.” You can also say “I can play, but I don’t want to play.” The player who decides to play becomes the active player. If a cards action instructs the "partner" to play a card, the second card played in this sequence by the partner does not trigger its 'when played' action. In the hard mode, you cannot play or place a card if it results in one grid having more than two cards difference compared to the other grid. In solo, you can play any card from either hand. If you lay a face-down card, flip it face up first. Whenever a card has been played, if the partner has a face-down card, you must immediately flip it over to be face up. For the easy solo mode, at the beginning of any turn, either hand may set a card aside face up and replace it, face up with the card that was set aside during setup. If you want to play hard mode, use the above hard mode rules, and/or you must ensure that the first and last card played must come from the left hand. Is It Fun? Smitten & Smitten 2 Card Game Review I find the art to be a little clearer in the first game. I much prefer it. The above picture shows the final grid, and you can see the main picture representing an image of Scythe, and the individual components representing each game really do stand out. Scroll up to see the darker, busier final grid from Smitten Two. It does not quite pop as a single image to me. Smitten  and its follow-up Smitten 2 are tiny-box card games that celebrate the Stonemaier catalogue in a clever and artistic way. With just 18 cards, players work together to build two three-by-three grids where the art from across the company’s titles combines into one bigger picture. Each card also carries a rule twist that keeps the puzzle fresh. The cooperative play is quick, accessible, and charming, making this a strong choice for couples, solo players, or anyone looking for a pocket-sized puzzle that takes minutes to learn but has just enough bite to stay interesting. That said, Smitten  will not be for everyone. The rules around hand management, adjacency, and partner-triggered actions can feel fiddly, especially in harder modes where balance between grids becomes stricter. With so few cards in the deck, luck can sometimes dictate the flow of play, and the cooperative restrictions on communication may frustrate players who prefer open table talk. This is a game that thrives as a light, thematic diversion but may struggle to satisfy gamers who want depth, strategy, or replayability beyond the novelty of the art. Pros Gorgeous art from across the Stonemaier catalogue Quick setup and fast playtime Works well solo or cooperatively Portable and highly accessible Cons Limited depth and replayability Luck of the draw can dictate success Restrictions on communication may frustrate some Hard mode can feel fiddly Ultimately, Smitten  and Smitten Two  shine as celebration pieces, both for Stonemaier fans and for players who enjoy quick, puzzly co-ops. The game has beautiful art, minimal setup, portability, and a clever core concept. But be mindful of the light gameplay, occasional frustration with restrictions, and limited scope. If you are looking for a filler game with table presence and charm, or if you are a Stonemaier enthusiast keen to see their universe represented in miniature form, this will be a delightful addition to your collection.