Expand Your Game

Skyrockets: Review Information: Mechanics:  Real-Time, Scenario, Cooperative, Variable Setup Player Age:  10+ Player Count: 2  - 5 Players Time to Play: 10   Minutes Game Designer:  Charlie McCarron Game Artists:  SillyJellie P ublisher : Floodgate Games Year Published:  2023 BGG Complexity:  2.0 Disclaimer:  A review copy for the game was provided by the publisher. Introduction: In skyrockets , players are cooperatively trying to keep the sand flowing in the five sand timers without them running dry. This is done by playing a card from your hand and flipping the two timers denoted on the card. The countdown timer needs to be flipped four times in order to reach the end of the track and everyone wins. Run out of sand on any of the other timers a total of three times and everyone loses. This is the base concept but there are an astounding 30 scenarios for players to master, each with a different twist and method of playing. Game Anatomy: Fir...

Five Tribes: Rapid Review Information: Mechanics:  Variable Setup, Mancala, Set Collection, Auction, Bidding Player Age:  13+  Player Count:  2 - 4  Players Time to Play:  40 - 80   Minutes  Game Designer:   Bruno Cathala Game Artist:  Clément Masson Publisher : Days of Wonder Year Published:  2014 BGG Weight:  2.85 Rundown: Five Tribes is a mancala style game where players are picking up meeples from one tile, dropping a meeple on each tile passed, then landing on the last tile where the last meeple must match a meeple on that location. All the meeples of that tribe will be picked up and discarded or placed in front of the player (depending on the tribe). The meeple action will resolve and the player will also activate the action of the tile. This will go on until each player has had a turn and then players will bid for the turn order of the next round. There will be multiple rounds until all possible moves have been pla...

Mich in the Downgeon: Buzz Review Information: Mechanics:  Flip and Write, Modular Setup , Print and Play,  Polyomino Player Age:  12 + Player Count:  1 - 5  Players Time to Play:  20 - 40  Minutes  Publisher : Rawr Games Game Designer:  Alexz Martínez Year Published:  2024 Disclaimer:  A preview copy for the game was provided by the publisher. Basics: Mich in the Downgeon is a flip and write game available as a print and play currently on kickstarter. It is being crowdfunded by the company that created Kaikoro. In this game you are exploring a dungeon (downgeon) by drawing the lines on the two cards that are flipped each turn. When drawing the lines you must follow these rules: - You are able to rotate the shape. - You cannot draw over a path that already exists, or draw through obstacles. - You must continue from the side or vertex of an already existing line. When exploring, certain shapes will be outlined on the map that will c...

Cruxy: Review Information: Mechanics:  Word Game, Pen and Paper, Crossword Player Age:  10+ Player Count:   1 - 4 Players Time to Play:  20 - 30  Minutes Game Designer:   Charles Chevallier Game Artists:  Sonja Müller P ublisher : Red Cat Games Year Published:  2023 Disclaimer:   A review copy for the game was provided by the publisher. Introduction: Cruxy introduces a unique twist on word games where players are competitively filling a crossword sheet. The goal isn't to fill the entire crossword sheet, it is simply to meet all of their player's conditions. These conditions are; specific letters used, length of the word, and passing through certain objects to collect them. The first player to meet all their conditions is the winner.  Game Anatomy: Sheets: This game is filled with variety. There are 25 unique double-sided sheets with increasing difficulty and variance. This creates a whopping 50 different scenarios and the great thing i...

Decorum: Review Information: Mechanics:  Deduction, Scenario, Cooperative, Variable Setup,  Limited Communication Player Age:  13+ Player Count:   2  - 4 Players Time to Play:  30 - 45   Minutes Game Designer:  Charlie Mackin, Harry Mackin, Drew Tenenbaum Game Artists:  Michael Mateyko P ublisher :  Floodgate Games Year Published:  2022 BGG Complexity:  1.92 Disclaimer:  A review copy for the game was provided by the publisher. Introduction: Decorum is a scenario-based cooperative game about decorating a house together. Players are adding and removing furniture until both players' conditions are met. Every time an action is performed the other player (without giving too much away) will state if they like, dislike, or are indifferent to the change. There are changes to the game based on player count, however, this review will focus on the back-and-forth of a two-player game. Game Anatomy: House Board: The house b...

Mercurial: Rapid Review Information: Mechanics:  Hand Builder, Engine Builder, Resource Management, Hand Management , Dice Rolling Player Age:  14+  Player Count:  1 - 4  Players  Time to Play:  45 - 90  Minutes  Game Designer:  David Goh Game Artists: David Goh, Agus Setiawan, Thomas Tan, Jeannette Wang, Chen Wei, Yang Shao Xuan, Beverley Yim Publisher: Good Games Publishing Year Published:  2023 BGG Weight:  3.12 Disclaimer:  A review copy for the game was provided by the publisher and  Lets Play Games. Rundown: Mercurial is a spell-slinging game where players are building a hand of alterations as they slowly channel the engine that is their spells. On a player's turn they will either take and play, or cast their spell. Once a player has gained a number of heroic cards based on player count (2, 3, 4 players = 5, 4, 3 heroics) the game will end and one last spell for each player will oc...