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.
Have you ever wondered what happens when a death-metal screaming red panda meets ladder-climbing poker?
So you’re a Viking. And you’re dead. You’re a dead Viking. That’s where Langskip starts off, in this light, small box game from Crab Studios. It holds the unusual honour of being the second Viking-themed race game I’ve played.
This special feature looks at the games produced by The Dark Imp, and designer Ellie Dix
The Crew is great, but what if you want something that isn’t completely co-operative? What if you like a bit of teamwork laced with competition, and enjoy nothing more than crushing your rivals underfoot?
Silver & Gold. Designed by Phil Walker-Harding and published in 2019, this small box flip and write game promises treasure island fun for the family, but does it deliver? Let’s have a look.
