Playing Card Information

Crash a Wedding, Catch a Pigeon, and Overthrow a Tyrannical Imperial Power

Alternatively, if you play the kabutar as your last card or you're the only one left in the game as everyone else has no cards, then you win.▪️ In 2021, designer Zain Memon crowdfunded SHASN: AZADI, a standalone sequel to his game SHASN from Memesys Culture Lab co-designed with Abhishek Lamba, and in early 2025 the game finally started arriving for backers...at least for those in the U.S., with delivery elsewhere, not to mention a retail release, still to come.Here's what awaits in this 2-5 play

Everdell: The Complete Collection – An Extensive Review

This is not the first time the Opinionated Gamers have weighed in on the wonder that is Everdell. Chris Wray did a marvelous job of writing about the charms of the base game and the various expansions available circa 2020 … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2025/07/18/everdell-the-complete-collection-an-extensive-review/">Continue reading →</a>

Designer Diary: Tricky Kids

This removed the possibility of setting up your numbers to try to bully people in the way my boss Rob did in one playtest.Me, Steven, and his son Charlie after playtesting in-person for the first time — and Charlie beat me!I had already played the game over a hundred times when Pandasaurus signed it, and what I had learned was that every group made the core game unique — but as the same people played over and over together, they'd adapt to each other's strategies, which is why creating the Trick

Dale Yu: Review of Santorini

Santorini Designer: Gord! (Gordon Hamilton) Publisher: Roxley Games Players: 2-4 Age: 8+ Time: 20 minutes Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/45wiQaw Played with review copy provided by publisher You are a god out of Greek mythology. Compete against fellow gods to get … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2025/07/17/dale-yu-review-of-santorini/">Continue reading →</a>

Serve Dishes, Savor Umami, and Take a Trip to Frank's Zoo

Each player has a secret "favorite" card, with four favorites in a face-up market; each favorite shows three cards that make up the dish they want, e.g., two medium (4-6) and a high (7-9), with the highest total possible.On a turn, play one ingredient from your hand and another from the market, creating over time at most five dishes of three cards each. (You can replace a card in a dish, if desired.) Once per turn, you can discard a card with a steal icon to take an opponent's ingredient and add

Dale Yu: Review of 2001: A Space Odyssey

2001: A Space Odyssey Designer: Phil Walker-Harding Publisher: Maestro Media Players: 3-5 Age: 10+ Time: 30 minutes Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/3HvauWF Played with review copy provided by publisher In 2001: A Space Odyssey | The Board Game, players must fight … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2025/07/16/dale-yu-review-of-2001-a-space-odyssey/">Continue reading →</a>

Dale Yu: Review of Ruins

Ruins Designer: John D. Clair Publisher: Allplay Players: 2-5 Age: 13+ Time: 30 minutes Played with review copy provided by publisher Craft unique, transparent cards in this shedding game where you uncover ancient ruins and find treasure. On your turn, … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2025/07/15/dale-yu-review-of-ruins/">Continue reading →</a>

Designer Diary: Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship

(While the havens have some friendly troops who can defend themselves to some degree, they can't move or muster on their own, so if the Rohirrim need to rush to defend Minas Tirith, a player character needs to ensure that happens — and if the Easterlings are marching on Dale, well, another player character is going to need to do something about that.) This kept the characters as the major agents of change in the story and required them to be active and make tradeoffs, all over the board.Easy Mel

Synapses Games Acquires Medium and Get Bit!

and the party game Medium by Danielle Deley, Lindsey Sherwood, and Nathan Thornton.A press release announcing this deal quotes Thorton as saying, "We couldn't be more thrilled that Medium is getting a new life with Synapses Games, and we hope even more people get a chance to check out the game that means so much to us." I've asked Synapses Games whether it plans to release Medium: Testing Fate, a standalone title that GTG had announced in January 2025, and will update this post should I receive

Alison Brennan: Game Snapshots – 2025 (Part 18)

One of the notable differences between normal gaming conventions and the Gathering is the number of high profile designers walking around and the relatively high proportion of prototypes on the tables be they works in progress, or close to final … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2025/07/14/alison-brennan-game-snapshots-2025-part-18/">Continue reading →</a>

Welcome Back Taluva, Rheinländer, Pitchcar, Ra: The Dice Game, and Ticket to Ride: Northern Lights

Moon's 2007 game Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries, with this new item being available solely in Scandinavia.I say "scaled up" because Nordic Countries was for only 2-3 players, similar to the Ticket to Ride: Switzerland expansion released that same year, whereas Northern Lights is for 2-5 players, with the game board still featuring Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark — but with vastly more routes featured on the map.According to distributor asmodee, Ticket to Ride: Northern Lights will be rele

Designer Diary: Fritanga

by <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/blog/1?bloggerid=19111" >Rafael Miralles Arenas</a> <div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8495326"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/fuA6Q760e-7FPO85kV20zQ__small/img/i-KDu9ip1gV9eFxCv6PfezDeAnk=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8495326.jpg" border=0></a></div>It all started as it usually does — when one of us has a crazy idea. This time, it was Rafael who broke the silence with his now-classic remark: "J, I've got an idea for a game." This time, it was about creating a board game. The problem, as always, was the cost. Making something with its own board was expensive, so Rafa proposed something unconventional: using the cards themselves to act as the game board. The idea, at first, seemed a bit difficult to imagine, but it captivated us from the beginning. We liked the challenge it represented, and most importantly, we fell in love with the concept. Even before we knew what the game would be about, we already knew one thing: It would have a "board", albeit an unconventional one. That was the first step of the prototype we've worked on the most so far. But the most important thing was still missing: How would the game be played? How would the cards that made up that "board" be obtained? The first thing that came to mind was to put a small character moving around on it. We were playing a lot of <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/videogame/282253/fall-guys-ultimate-knockout" >Fall Guys</a> at the time, and some of its tests served as inspiration. We loved the idea of the crumbling floor, reducing the space and forcing players to adapt or fall. We were also reminded of epic games of <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/videogame/77196/worms" >Worms</a>, with their environments blown to pieces while characters were eliminated by increasingly larger explosions. That's where the first version of the game came from. We imagined a group of rookie soldiers training on a practice range. Each turn, the terrain could give you an advantage, like a rocket launcher or an airstrike, or become your downfall if you stepped on a mine. It was chaotic, unpredictable...and we saw a future. Making progress on the design wasn't easy. Matching schedules and staying in creative sync was a challenge. Some days, nothing useful came out. Others, one of us would suddenly have a light bulb moment and call the other in the middle of work — and when that happened, we'd go for walks that same night for hours, tossing ideas around. If walking the dogs wasn't enough, we'd leave them at home and keep walking. Change of Identity After weeks of work, the moment of truth arrived: the first test game. It was at a friend's house. Although we were excited, the experience wasn't what we expected. Something didn't quite fit, so this was a key moment. We had to decide whether to keep going or leave it there. We analyzed what wasn't working. The military theme didn't quite convince us, and some cards were more chaotic than fun. On the way home, amidst that mix of frustration and reflection, Rafa didn't hesitate: "There's a game here.. This is going to be the first one we publish." And then something unexpected happened. We decided to change the theme completely. What if, instead of soldiers, the players were food? What if the battlefield were a giant deep fryer? It was as if everything suddenly fell into place. The disappearing ground became boiling oil, the explosions became dangerous splashes, and the characters became food struggling to avoid frying. We even added a new mechanism: the game could be played in teams. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8931243"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/Gaqm6-7og1NkUjuw0qIoUw__small/img/-MAKitWSSyV63Rl9NidTdSlpb_U=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8931243.png" border=0></a></div></center> Added to that idea was another one we thought was very original: introducing an extra player that's absent from the map but still influential on the game. Thus, the almighty Chef was born. Little by little, the mechanisms began to be refined, card effects made more sense, and the game's identity solidified. We ran a lot of tests on our own, modifying effects, discarding unnecessary items, and fine-tuning details. The second test arrived, this time with another group of friends. We explained the rules and stood back, silently watching as they played. They tried all the modes, and the best part was seeing that they were having fun. We didn't have enough players to play Chef mode, so we joined in...and the fun continued at the table. The mixture of pride and relief was incredible. We're not professional authors. This was our first serious attempt, and seeing that it worked, that it connected with others, gave us hope. Mom, I Want to Be an Author After those first games, we decided to take it a step further and believe we were doing something right. As we read in The Art of Game Design, to be a designer, you just have to say it, so that's what we did: "Well, come on, we're authors." With that mindset and the prototype in hand, we headed to a local convention. We brought a makeshift box, rules full of inside jokes, and tons of excitement. To our surprise, people had a great time! They laughed, discussed the cards, improvised voices. There was something about the game. That gave us a confidence boost. Looking for more opportunities, we found the Meeple Factory prototype competition. We signed up almost without thinking twice, with some hastily taken photos, a set of rules filled with absurd humor, and the (optimistic) hope of being a finalist — and we were. The day we received the email was a rush. After celebrating like crazy, we looked at each other and said, "Okay, we really have to work hard." <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8931244"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/U-tbliWEEs7WELK7Qa7WJA__small/img/I6OxaiO5KspvFMnWMLWsvnexxg4=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8931244.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> It's Alive! With three months to go, it was time to get down to business. We had a lot of ideas, but also a lot of work ahead of us. We did a thorough review of everything: what worked, what didn't, what was superfluous, and what had potential. We refined rules, removed cards that didn't add value, tested new mechanisms, and, above all, began to give the game its soul. We decided that if we were going to stand out, it had to be for what we do best: absurd humor — so we threw ourselves into building our own crazy universe. We gave each character personality, silly names, and visual details that told stories. We wanted each card to feel like a scene from something bigger, almost like an episode of a TV series. And that's how "No te frías" was born, which later became <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/402678/fritanga" >Fritanga</a>. The Contest We arrived at Meeple Factory with our nerves on edge, but also a mixture of excitement and pride. We'd worked hard and knew that, at the very least, the game was fun. From the first game, people were hooked. They laughed, teased each other, and loudly commented on the card effects — and that, for us, was winning. Obviously, not everything was perfect. Some cards didn't quite fit, and some games were weaker than others, but the best thing was that every game taught us something. We took notes, adjusting things as we went. The <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/2366/devir" >Devir</a> team even came to our table, which gave us a mixture of excitement and nerves, but we held our own. And in the end...we won. When they announced it, we didn't know whether to laugh, hug each other, or just be in shock. It was a huge rush and confirmation that all that effort, all those nights of grinding away at the game, had been worth it. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8931242"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/Rykq3_yj9tHGBiEWp-5xGQ__small/img/IRGFbYmi-0XQPoNJTXDPrU0vtgA=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8931242.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> Final Thoughts Creating this game has been a crazy time. A good one, of course. There have been moments of frustration, of coming up empty of thinking we wouldn't make it, but also laughter, absurd ideas that worked, and many, many hours of excitement. Every character, every card, and every rule have a little piece of us in it. We know it's not the most complex or polished game in the world, but it's made with a lot of love. And if you laugh, get into the game, or have a good time while playing it, then it will all be worth it. Thanks for goofing around with us! <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/157474/rafael-miralles" >Rafael Miralles</a> and <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/157473/jose-luchoro" >José Luchoro</a>

Race with Robots, Antagonize with Ants, and Toy with the Tarot

Good sirs, one might ask this question solely about androids!▪️ Instead of a tag team of robots, you can control an army of ants in ANTgravity, a 2-4 player game from Paweł Siemek that Lucrum Studio is crowdfunding for release in 2026:ANTgravity is a dynamic tactical game in which cosmic ants battle each other for control over the flags, while also struggling against...unusual gravity. Each player commands their own team of ants, utilizing their unique abilities and advanced space technology. Th

Cardstacking pro explains how he turns simple playing cards into ...

Bryan Berg poses in Dallas, Texas, with his record-setting tallest house of cards. The tower is 26 feet tall. Berg, who learned how to stack cards as a kid, does so without using glue or any adhesive.

Channel Powerwolf in 1589, Steal Eggs from Giants, and Become an Equestrian Entrepreneur

Newborns hatch, and players clash in clever contests of positioning and card play with no destruction and no direct attacks — only smart, tactical maneuvers to claim victory.Each of the five Colossi and their cities offer a unique chain of powerful actions and unlock unique banner cards to fuel your strategy, with only three Colossi appearing in each game.▪️ Italian publisher Scribabs has announced a new title in its series of games inspired by and set in the worlds of heavy metal bands.The 1-5

2025 Jogo do Ano Nominees Announced

On the eve of the revelation of the winners of the SdJ award this Sunday, the nominees for a very different kind of game award have been announced. The Jogo do Ano is the Portuguese Game of the Year award, … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2025/07/11/2025-jogo-do-ano-nominees-announced/">Continue reading →</a>

Designer Diary: Ofrenda

by <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/blog/1?bloggerid=10786" >Orlando Sá</a> <div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8574369"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/9ZFHtzDq5LIV-t3x_oM-tQ__small/img/vvSMCznidJHIzqfA1QZ17lo4M0w=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8574369.jpg" border=0></a></div>Mechanisms First There's a question often asked in game design: What comes first, the theme or the mechanisms? For <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/432705/ofrenda" >Ofrenda</a>, we began with the mechanisms. The core idea was simple, yet rich in possibility. Players create a tableau of cards, with each card featuring a color, a symbol, and a scoring condition. Every card placement matters, influencing not just the card itself, but those around it. The central premise remained unchanged throughout development: Give players the enticing possibility of scoring every single card played, knowing that it will be practically impossible to do so. It is a puzzle of tension, potential, and consequence. Streamlining the Core Initially, André and I experimented with different card-selection methods. However, it quickly became clear that the rules needed to stay smooth and simple to let the spatial puzzle shine as the game's "crunchy" centerpiece. Drawing inspiration from <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/40692/small-world" >Small World</a>, we used a streamlined card-selection style in which players choose from a row of available cards. Skipping cards means placing your precious resources on them, making those cards more attractive to other players. It's a smooth and intuitive system that fit well with the eventual theme of making offerings. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8951897"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/Vch_DU5DkbpJQBlSlSlU6g__small/img/fwULoFiEs0IUYXMsQZJTLkffP_U=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8951897.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> Babel Was Not the Way Thematically, our first idea centered on the Tower of Babel. Colors represented different groups of people, and symbols depicted languages. In this version, players built a pyramid of cards, and placing on an upper level required you to have played both cards below it. This idea had metaphorical weight, but in practice, it became too restrictive and punishing. We therefore decided to set it aside in the "maybe one day" drawer. An Altar in Brussels Both of us design games separately and together. With our shared creations, we have come to realize that games need to be placed in the drawer for some period of time to marinate (or to age if you are not a fan of culinary metaphors). One day, one of us will wake up with a small breakthrough idea for a theme or mechanism, and the sparkle will be reignited so that we restart actively working on the design. As often happens in life, the breakthrough for this game came unexpectedly. During a Day of the Dead celebration in Brussels, we were moved watching people honor their loved ones – not with grief alone, but with color, warmth, and joy. Both of us are Portuguese, and the contrast between this celebration and our own was striking. In our culture, All Souls' Day is solemn, quiet, often somber — but in Mexico, despite sharing Catholic roots, Día de los Muertos is a celebration of life and memory. The way people were interacting with the altars, placing objects next to the photos of loved ones who had passed away, lighting candles and decorating everything with marigolds was heartwarming. It was beautiful. It was special. This image of an altar adorned with portraits, candles, and marigolds sparked a powerful thought: What if the game were about building an ofrenda? <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8932864"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/bt4HtbYMXoEHUshfrItklA__small/img/sDrOdLdDQVaYRHwDaHrElW2gcc8=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8932864.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> The Ofrenda This new theme brought renewed energy and fresh mechanisms, like candles and flowers, tied to a redesigned game board. Candles can be picked up when drafting a card, then placed as soon as a candle space is surrounded by three portraits. This added an extra dimension to the gameplay as the portrait-scoring conditions are based on the cards around it, but the candle-scoring conditions are based on the player's entire board. Also, not having a candle available when you're able to place one is painful because you can do it only at that specific moment, which is also true with marigolds. Late in the game, you'll have situations in which placing one card surrounds several candle and marigold spaces at once, so the lack of candles or marigolds can have a huge impact and the timing of when to surround spaces becomes crucial. Suddenly, the game clicked. We just needed to refine the scoring mechanism... A Light in the Darkness While discussing the new theme, we were also talking about the movie Coco, and its warm and colorful style. One key image from it stood out — lit portraits as a metaphor for remembrance and love — so we wondered, what if our portraits could also light up? That's when we had our last breakthrough: Cards wouldn't score by default. Only those whose conditions were met would flip to their lit side. Once flipped, they glowed – literally brightening the player's board with color. The more lit cards, the more colorful the player's ofrenda becomes. Lit cards score 2 points for each lit neighbor and 1 point per unlit one. The same applies for candles and marigolds, but they score only for lit cards around them: 2 points for each around a lit candle, and 1 point for each around a marigold. It was simple. It was thematic. It worked. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8951900"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/03S1tVnyqCdwncZIwZozbg__small/img/T6UbbAHva9u45XJJX9Kvpl_ZbC0=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8951900.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> The Canvas Emerges Following this shift, we playtested extensively. The new mechanisms worked seamlessly, and the rules felt intuitive. By making the placement of cards free of any restriction on the player board (which was completely different from other versions), players could plan when and how to play their cards in hand. The game became this blank canvas in which as you add more things to your board, you restrict yourself further. Each later placement in the game becomes either a painful realization that a certain card will not score or a thrilling moment when one or more cards are flipped at the same time. Fine-tuning the objectives of the cards and candles was key. They needed to be challenging, yet avoid causing unnecessary frustration. We got to a point where we felt that the game was accessible for non-gamers, yet crunchy enough for seasoned players. That delicate tension was what we strived for from the beginning. A Celebration with Care After pitching the game, we were thrilled by <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/29313/osprey-games" >Osprey Games</a>' enthusiasm. Their development process was collaborative, transparent, and above all, respectful of the culture we were honoring. Hiring a Mexican cultural consultant and a Mexican illustrator was vital to keeping grounded in the traditions we were depicting. <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameartist/146220/alex-herrerias" >Álex Herrerías</a> took great care creating a different portrait for every card, making each feel like a unique part of the story we are telling as we assemble our ofrenda. The development team of Osprey wanted Ofrenda to be a genuine tribute to this tradition, not only a background theme for the game. We hope that all these steps taken ensure that Ofrenda treats this beloved tradition with care, respect, and authenticity. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8951899"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/r4VafNFzijqV-6U0t_hkoA__small/img/AqFMVhVxk87DK7cxp2pWmLhIJwQ=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8951899.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> We hope you have as much fun playing the game as we had developing it. <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/126390/andre-santos" >André Santos</a> and <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/101308/orlando-sa" >Orlando Sá</a> A Personal Offering from Orlando I received my first copy of the game the day before one very important person in my life passed away. Since the game has already been produced, I want to dedicate this game to that person, whose departure made the world a bit more empty and a bit more sad because her smile is no longer to be seen between us. Tucha, este jogo é dedicado a ti!

Dale Yu: Review of Foldris

Foldris Designer: Jinwoo Seo Publisher: Korea Boardgames Players: 1-7 Age: 8+ Time: 15 minutes Played with review copy provided by publisher A pen and paper game inspired by Tetris. Players draw shapes on their paper, folding it when a line … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2025/07/10/dale-yu-review-of-foldris/">Continue reading →</a>

Bid for Rails Made of Cards, Stack Cards to Thwart Beasts, and Serve Cards as Snacks

This is a ladder-climbing/shedding card game in which 2-5 players play stacks of seafood from their hand with the aim of having the most valuable stack in play.In more detail:Stacks can be played of matching numbers, but they must match the last played card by suit or number. Players score the top card from their stack if the next player passes, so the bigger the stack, the higher the scoring opportunity. Play continues until a player sheds all cards in their hand, or the draw pile runs out twic

Compile Moves from Greater Than Games to Synapses Games

(If you're not familiar with the game, read or watch my July 2024 overview.)In March 2025, publisher Greater Than Games announced the upcoming release of Compile: Main 2, which together with the mini-expansion Compile: Aux 2 would add fifteen new protocols to this two-player duel game about competing artificial intelligences.Then in mid-April 2025, all GTG projects went on hold, and parent company Flat River Group laid off most of the staff "in response to ongoing economic pressures resulting fr