Game Category: Social / Party
Horse racing might not be the first theme you think of when you’re choosing your next game. Other than people who like an occasional flutter on the Grand National, I don’t know a single person who’s actually into horse racing as a sport.
There’s something about seeing how far you can push the whims of Lady Luck, in a safe environment, that appeals to pretty much everyone.
The Gig is a new mixture of genres to me. When it comes to board games, regular readers know I love roll- or flip-and-writes. While I’ve tried lots of different kinds, I’ve never played one with a real-time element.
Did you know that First-Class stamps are going up to 95 pence soon? 95p!!! If you’re going to send something in the post, you might as well make the most of it. What better way to make the most of an outrageously expensive stamp than to send someone a game?
The rather wonderful people at Big Potato Games sent me a selection of their games to play, so I made the most of the Christmas break to test them out. A collection of people from 9 to 70-something helped me out, and here’s what we thought.
Holidays, as I understand it, are coming. As I write this, Christmas is barrelling down on us like a festive red-and-white juggernaut, and it’s the time of year when families reach for games. If your experience of games at gatherings can be summed-up with Charades and Pictionary, you might be pleased to know that there are loads more to choose from.
Roll-and-write games are bigger now than they’ve ever been. The runaway success of games like Railroad Ink and Ganz Schön Clever paved the way for more ambitious, complex games like Hadrian’s Wall. There are plenty of games out to the gap between those light and heavy titles, and Rolling Realms is one of the latest.
You’re sitting in a busy train station, wearing a pink carnation in your buttonhole, and reading a copy of The Times. A man in a fedora sits down on the bench behind you and says “The geese have flown south for the winter”. You reply with “Yes, but they’ll return in the spring”.
Complete challenges, earn points, laugh, and get to know your guests a bit better. Let me tell you, when you play Final Challenge, you’re going to know everyone around the room a lot better than when you started.
Tiny Towns is a damning indictment on urban sprawl, overcrowding, and an ever-expanding society’s need for quick, affordable housing! Actually, it’s not. It’s a really cute abstract puzzle about space optimisation, forward planning, and the most adorable little wooden buildings.