Playing Card Information

He Loved Being at the Table

The Rummy family was always lurking nearby: Rummy, Rummy 500, Rummikub, Rummoli (the Poker/Rummy variant of Michigan Rummy that I grew up with).It felt like Dad was always working late, so games were usually limited to weekends, and my time with him was further limited thanks to a divorce that changed our family dynamic when I was just a child. For my father, games clearly felt like work, so he was less inclined to playing games and more inclined to other leisure pursuits—long meals, action movi

Designer Diary: Beastro

by <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/blog/1?bloggerid=19543" >Matteo Uguzzoni</a> <div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9551526"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/E780FEOgQwtbckMdRoWFOg__small/img/8sULHPPY7MoEFwVsKT2KkcwsrFM=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9551526.jpg" border=0></a></div> <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/457602/beastro" >Beastro</a> is a team-based, trick-taking game with hidden roles where you have to figure out who is on your team, outsmart the other players, and collect as many tricks as possible for your team. You play as a mythical Beast Chef that is trying to open (or burn to the ground) a new pop-up restaurant. We self-published the game in 2025 and released it during the<a href="https://www.newmillindustries.com/ignm" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener"> Indie Games Night Market</a> at Pax Unplugged in November 2025 (shot out to Daniel Newman from Newmill Industries for the great initiative!). In this designer diary we will talk about the ancestry of the game, our design journey, and a little about the self-publishing experience. Enjoy the read! Ancestry Beastro is the nephew of an Italian traditional trick-taking game called <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/99696/briscola-chiamata" >Briscola Chiamata</a> traditionally called Briscola. In my hometown it’s called Amico del Giaguaro, in English “Jaguar’s Friend”, and I’m sure there are as many names for it as there are bell towers in Italy. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Briscola" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">Briscola</a>, is the name for the family of card games that “Jaguar’s Friend” belongs to. It is one of the most popular, if not the most popular, may-follow trick-taking game in Italy (must-follow games are more rare, but if you’re interested I suggest you start with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tressette" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">Tressette</a>). <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9203285"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/Ptk7jWJ7gOWrqHfBUIuFtg__small/img/jyY35GAFS7MOCENa73qOZF_tDlU=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9203285.jpg" border=0></a></div> This person is not playing Briscola, but a solitaire version</center> The game is played with a Spanish suit deck, in the regional design variant that you find in your region (we play with the Piacentine design in Emilia Romagna, pictured above), with ten cards for each of the four suits: Coins, Cups, Wands and Spades. Briscola is usually played in two teams of two players that have to score sixty-one (61) points to win. The Ace, the Three and the face cards count toward the scoring (awarding respectively 11, 10, 4, 3 and 2 points), while the trump suit is defined by flipping a card after giving the initial hand of three cards to each player. After you play into a trick, you draw a new card from the deck and refill your hand to three. Therefore, players have a very limited information at the beginning of the game. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/71809"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/EGJMBcAbJZ3L7tMc4G9x9Q__small/img/TV_ONvieqEJnyDF6zx36ffBV1I0=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic71809.jpg" border=0></a></div> The only cards that score in Briscola</center> Briscola Chiamata, the auntie of Beastro Briscola Chiamata, the auntie of Beastro, is a five-player only game (2 vs 3) where the teams are defined by a wager phase. In “Jaguar’s Friend”, the variant we play in my area, every player declares how many points their team will score at the end of the round, starting from 61 and going up until the improbable 120 points, meaning all the points available in the deck. The winner of the wager becomes the Jaguar and they declare a card and a suit that they are looking for (for example the Ace of Wands), the player that has that card in their hand becomes the “Jaguar’s friend”. They are now a team - the Jaguar’s team - and their goal is to reach or pass the wager. The trump is defined by the Jaguar’s call, it’s the suit of the card they are looking for. Players that don’t have the called card are in the opposite team of three and their goal is to collective beat the Jaguar’s bet. Briscola Chiamata is a may-follow through and through so not all tricks feel very meaningful. For example the initial tricks, although not very impactful toward the final score, become ways to gauge who is who. The game is very popular among young people (at least in my town) and while old folks rarely play this variant, I remember entire summers playing it. If I have to pick some reasons why Jaguar's Friend is so successful I will say it is social deduction aspect of it, the shifting alliances, and the wager are all unique features of the variant. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9203278"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/Vxtik7ogAxaWvxiRdt2lbQ__small/img/ZGN9SPFhDxGVs4qbjf-jzYBrQuo=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9203278.jpg" border=0></a></div> This is the way you play Briscola in Italy, shirtless and in the streets!</center> All right, if you read this far, you’re probably a trick-taking appassionat*, so it’s time to move on to our actual design! A deck of cards crosses the Atlantic! <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9203291"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/jw_M-eOmNDT1xtSkaAsYEQ__small/img/5wVZqOD8AI1JVOuvJrgIaK2f1JI=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9203291.png" border=0></a></div> Unpub at Pax Unplugged, the best way to test your ideas</center> After my brother-in-law visited from Italy in September 2022, I was donated a traditional Briscola deck. I was very excited about it and I brought it to a game night with <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/70408/jason-corace" >Jason Corace</a> (designer of <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/147505/lords-and-ladies" >Lord and Ladies</a> and <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/340949/super-truffle-pigs" >Super Truffle Pig</a> and half of <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/61065/hello-mountain" >Hello Mountain</a>, our little publishing coop). The deck was so familiar to me. I vividly remember learning how to make sums playing games with Grandma, but this was alien to Jason. I was able to explain the Jaguar game to him with a traditional french poker deck and we started brainstorming on how to make a new game inspired by it. We set up our design journey with few goals in mind. The first was a broader player count from five, which is the only number that Briscola Chiamata can allow, to the more traditional three-to-six players. The second goal was to make a must follow trick-taking (we were advised that may-follow are not loved in the US market). The third design goal was to keep the hidden roles without adding the classic social deduction parts. We were worried that adding that part will break the flow of the game and lose the straightforwardness that we like about trick-taking games. We hosted our first playtest at Pax Unplugged that same winter in 2022. The game had a different theme back then, it was called Prestige and players were playing as Magicians setting up their magic show. We got a few so-and-so playtests - if you’re playtesting a trick-taking game and people have never played one, buckle up!. Then a family of five that used to play a lot of card games sat down and they had the best time! When the mom, always quiet, revealed that she was the Secret Assistant (a.k.a. Jaguar’s friend) the table almost exploded! She was able to trick everyone into thinking she was not. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9203298"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/16A00J_ywLt0URdf33fFgg__small/img/EDdfFsd2LvptQaaUG1y7TQqOq3E=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9203298.png" border=0></a></div> Prestige's components ..magic tricks in a trick-taking game how original!</center> After PaxU, we pitched the title to many publishers and every time we got great feedback. The folks at <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/8/amigo" >Amigo</a> and <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/21847/pandasaurus-games" >Pandasaurus</a> were fantastic and the game improved from their generous feedback. In the end, everyone decided to pass on the design. We heard all the reasons (and if you are a designer you know what we mean): “it’s not different enough”, “it’s too niche”, “we already signed trick takers for the next three years”, “we are not publishing trick takers anymore” etc.. Prestige becomes Beastro The following spring both Jason and I found ourselves surrounded by a lot of talented game designers, and with consistent playtesting we were able to bring the game to a completed state. Thank you Viditya, Marcy, Firex, Zach, Rook, Tori, Logan, Nat, George and everyone at the NYU Game Center, Pratt and Gumbo NYC. The game will not be where is it today if it wasn’t for the great discussions we had together. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9203301"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/g3PORoILJfbjtit5HXD5yg__small/img/H9ZAzzDoilv3WtoaILDNV8oIeg0=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9203301.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> External influences were important too. In that same period both Jason and I ended up being obsessed with the TV show The Bear, starring Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri, and so we decided to change the theme from magicians putting on their first show to a kitchen where players were up and coming chefs trying to sabotage the next hot restaurant in town for their own private interest or giant ego. We needed a title for the game and Beastro came along and with it the idea that chefs and line cooks were mythical creatures (Beast) trying to open their own pop-up restaurant (a Beastro!). Everything fell into place when we decided to involve <a href="https://www.jencorace.com/" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">Jen Corace</a>, an amazing illustrator from Providence, RI, that worked with Jason in his previous design Lords and Ladies. Jen happened to also be Jason’s sister so that helped the collaboration a lot and she happened to be incredibly talented and amazing. Even an onion is something that I will put on a poster if it's designed by Jen..look at this! <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9203302"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/9rDnx9klcb7ON9BsGyb4jA__small/img/I-WmPmZOWYDq-cs-CFr18eoQtOI=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9203302.jpg" border=0></a></div> I want this on a t-shirt</center> What is unique in Jen’s style is that every illustration has a handpainted nature to it, and the reason is because every illustration is hand painted! So Beastro's deck is the work of a real artist that works with the non-digital medium at a mastery level. Alright, enough of the history, below is a more in depth description of the design (thank you for reading this much!!). If you want to go deeper, <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/310700/beastro-rules-english" >here is the link to the ruleset</a> and <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jTiBDp4poPVNhNSyuEK6jvVSbwZBCnMQ/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">here’s a video of me pitching/explaining the game</a> (Italian accent included). P.S.: At the end there is also an appendix on how it was to sell the game during Pax Unplugged’ Indie Game Night Market and afterwards, if you are a designer that is just starting and is thinking about a first small self publishing experiment, maybe that part could be interesting for you! BEASTRO the final design <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9203388"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/oDiiwBviw-LvcuDCEOAH8g__small/img/LyrQKzRAbyvrShzH5rR-9BxYTKw=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9203388.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> The Wager We simplified the wager vastly. Players get 13 cards at the beginning of the round and they pick one card from their hand that they sacrifice for the wager. Everyone reveals their card at the same time and whoever plays the highest card is the Head Chef and they immediately take the role deck. Starting from the lowest card, one player after the other flips over a Suit card, denying that suit to be trump for the round (a similar system is used in various designs, most notably <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/383452/lunar" >Lunar</a> by <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/76303/masato-uesugi" >Masato Uesugi</a>, <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/53065/allplay" >Allplay</a>, 2024). The suit that is left is the trump for the round. All the cards used in the wager are then discarded. Team Formation The Head Chef gives out the roles, picking their Secret Chef, and the only public role is the Head Chef. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9203308"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/2Fz6tDqmtN74B4DV7v5Org__small/img/_Z8SRRcD4LTrsxCdXxUDZkozJ0k=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9203308.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> Trick-Taking We play a total of 12 tricks in a round. The Head Chef opens the round leading the first trick. The winner of the trick leads the next trick. It’s a traditional must-follow, so players are only allowed to play trump if they cannot follow suit, or if the trick was led with trump. Special cards (exception to the must-follow rule) There are two special cards that can be played at any time. The first is Secret Sauce, this card beats all the other cards, even trump. The only card that can beat a Secret Sauce is another Secret Sauce (there are two in the deck, or three in a six player game). <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9203309"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/-RqjpF7PN-kf1HVO9o-UDg__small/img/Kz7y75hMmOfQL2lMg9o_rV6hwoo=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9203309.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> The second special card is Sabotage. This card is worth zero, so playing it means that you will not win the trick, but giving away Sabotage cards in other people’s tricks is good because the team with the most Sabotages at the end of the round will score negative points. Be careful not to give Sabotage to someone that will end up being on your team! Also the Sabotage card is the tie breaker in case the teams collect the same number of tricks (6 vs 6). The Sabotage card also does not follow the must-follow rule and can be played at any time. Beast Chef Powers! This is our latest addition to the design and we are very excited about it: every Beast Chef in the game has a special power action that can be used only once during the entire game. These are usually very powerful moves that can allow a last minute trick grabbing, but they are not enough to flip a game in your team’s direction (an inspiration for something similar is <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/343566/tricktakers" >TRICKTAKERs</a> <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/138840/hiroken" >Hiroken</a>, <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/44003/joyple-games" >Joyple Games</a>, 2021). <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9203306"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/Bjb4HDR8ipTQCj07wYIRaA__small/img/wycXTvHspHbRAvnQEJEu6BkTlUg=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9203306.jpg" border=0></a></div> Chupacabra helloooo?! Amazing illustrations by Jen Corace</center> Restaurants Every round is played at a different pop-up restaurant that has two special scoring conditions that every player can score independently. This was Dan Thurot favorite features, <a href="https://spacebiff.com/2025/12/16/venus-beastro-hedgehog/" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">read his review here.</a> <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9203310"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/hYSoEmenG_2nNrpQtmhtxA__small/img/q73c4vpV028lyUcwf07sBtuYcno=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9203310.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> Addendum - Self printing and selling Beastro! We hope that this next section could be helpful for you. The reality is that every story of self-publishing is different but we learned a lot from this experience so why not share it? The final product While Beastro’s prototype had components, we decided that if we have to self-publish we should keep it simple. So we turned everything into a card, and our game is now a deck made of 86 cards: 62 playing cards, 12 restaurants cards, 6 Beast Chef cards and a role deck of 6 Cards. The game was selected for the <a href="https://www.newmillindustries.com/ignm" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">Indie Game Night Market</a> in November 2025, and we got news of the selection in August so we sprinted into work! We started with the illustrations and in this section we were really lucky. We trusted Jen completely with her illustrations. She and Jason came up with the list of ingredients, Beast Chefs, and Restaurants, so she was able to complete her portion of the work in no time - I think it was less than two weeks. After we got the illustrations we were ready to design the game's box. One insight I heard on a podcast from the folks at <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/46474/cmyk" >CMYK</a> is that you should be able to understand how to play in three steps just by looking at the back of the box, so we tried that. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9544611"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/WdcWyDnOd2K9m7m3F9E4Wg__small/img/j81D_cORwvc_NRDPL3Uh01pKMTs=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9544611.jpg" border=0></a></div> The three steps rule applied to Beastro</center> We decided to print in China, and in 2025, that was not a good idea. I mean, we were really happy with the result, but the tariffs, the rush fee, and the cost per unit turned out to be higher than we expected. Another mistake we made was not to print a demo copy before placing the full order. Even if it’s insanely expensive, it could save you money down the road if, for example, you have to re-print a card because of a typo or you forgot a card. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9544614"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/RiBYCQZpyt5iLXbU95UiWA__small/img/wZk48xhwefRcvynI-6j5uJgkmtk=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9544614.jpg" border=0></a></div> Someone ordered a Secrdt Sauce?</center> After Pax U Selling Beastro at PaxU was incredibly rewarding. The evening was just a great experience of sharing our design, receiving compliments, and having a good time. We were sad that we were not able to go to other designers’ tables and learn more about their games, but we were able to connect the following days and on the festival’s discord. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9266630"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/0rODM26mjgN5ltyex7NL9g__small/img/1KxhGNysKG8dY05qkmXdjaNWJaM=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9266630.jpg" border=0></a></div> Hello Mountain (us), selling Beastro. I'm beaten, Jason is rocking it</center> In the days afterwards we saw some reviews popping up. Some people shared that they got a copy and it felt very rewarding. With that momentum we decided to setup <a href="https://hellomountain.games/" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">our website</a> and try to sell copies online. The game was reviewed a couple of times more and with some social media activity we were able to sell a steady number of copies for the weeks preceding Christmas and some more in the new year. Some copies, together with the Italian ruleset, went to my hometown crew of “Jaguar’s friend” players in Italy, and some came with me to Tallahassee, Florida, where I relocated in the meantime. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9551618"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/uEY_aMGA_4x9TXfsqd1bow__small/img/xBJrV6ZxuQ5u89818T75A9xeR4w=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9551618.jpg" border=0></a></div> A small selection of Beastro's enthusiasts - check out <a href="https://www.facebook.com/greatgameslibrary/" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">Courtyard Cafè and Games</a> if you are in Tally</center> To conclude this designer diary: we would like to thank again everyone that helped us along the route and playtested the game - every playtest was incredibly helpful! To self-publish a design that is only cards is definitely something we will suggest if you trying to self-publish for the first time. It will lower the costs, simplify your work, and you will reach a level of quality that otherwise it will be very hard. We feel blessed to have such an active and open community of indie game designers that we can be part of and we hope to keep designing and bringing to life quirky, easy-to-play games in the next future. Thanks for reading! Matteo and Jason <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9551619"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/xsf30f1s3wR5lfjJFQD8Wg__small/img/Rx-aF-3i_Yf0XFuyIQxOeXDc6gc=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9551619.jpg" border=0></a></div> Happy playing, courtesy Arianna Richeldi</center>

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by <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/blog/1?bloggerid=10014" >Steph Hodge</a> <div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/5144995"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/g32yzFv-0QwHCYgi8vX6ww__small/img/sb200ochVXjrV58zh-77tKebppg=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic5144995.png" border=0></a></div>▪️ <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/21847/pandasaurus-games" >Pandasaurus Games</a> always has a lot of really cool games in the pipeline, and they recently announced a few titles being released this summer, but don't forget about their other just-released titles as well! <div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9086369"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/q8z1jLt70WjTwtVEXvPbvQ__small/img/pS4iaDTSZwm_sQdYHFRMOVSPOvs=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9086369.png" border=0></a></div><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9344596"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/dCc29ngMNPfMSgWDS2OcEw__small/img/rWWw3665gUkEmhJXWVYtaJPDhiU=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9344596.jpg" border=0></a></div><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9474732"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/IcKUoliV8iDb9RcRRE4FBg__small/img/YRhBbmM31ujZd-QMePciJX9T34Y=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9474732.png" border=0></a></div>▪️ <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/453037/shackleton-base-below-within-above" >Shackleton Base: Below. Within. Above.</a> is a new expansion just released! This expands the very popular <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/408180/shackleton-base-a-journey-to-the-moon" >Shackleton Base: A Journey to the Moon</a> which was released last year. In the box, you can expect to find 3 new corporations to mix with your base game, new scoring milestone tokens, and more content for the solo gamers out there. ▪️Also recently released were the two small expansion packets for <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/385761/faraway" >Faraway</a> and <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/416851/castle-combo" >Castle Combo</a>. Don't underestimate a few cards being added to your games; they add a big punch! Check out <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/448182/castle-combo-out-of-the-oubliette" >Castle Combo: Out of the Oubliette!</a> & <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/451708/faraway-under-starry-skies" >Faraway: Under Starry Skies</a>. And now for all of the summer releases! I have three exciting new games that have been announced for release this August! [imageid=8660175 medium rep]▪️ Time to check out <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/437245/kingdom-crossing" >Kingdom Crossing</a> from designers <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/12293/marco-canetta" >Marco Canetta</a>, <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/12294/stefania-niccolini" >Stefania Niccolini</a> the team that brought you <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/381819/zhanguo-the-first-empire" >Zhanguo: The First Empire</a> & <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/207691/railroad-revolution" >Railroad Revolution</a>. This game plays 1-4 players in 45-90 minutes. From the newsletter: <div class='quote'><div class='quotebody'>Welcome to Brightspring! In a faraway land in the midst of a verdant forest crossed by the Crystal River lies the small kingdom of Brightspring, ruled by the wise Queen Beavery, who is facing a problem: Her four regions are separated by seven bridges, and to divide her time evenly between the subjects of these regions, the kingdom would need an eighth bridge... Help the Queen build a new bridge! Scour the kingdom, recruit the best artisans, gather construction resources, and create magnificent decorations. Note, however, that you can never use the same bridge more than once in the same day.</div></div> <div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9563393"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/xuLnVC8ypyeBUDcOQ6k_oA__small/img/b42HuToJFzn4obeU0UxMVxi6IOc=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9563393.png" border=0></a></div>▪️ Seems like a perfect time for <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/469599/sandcastles" >Sandcastles</a> to be released as we get ready for the warm beach weather. For 2-6 players and plays in 20 minutes. More on the mechanics from the newsletter: <div class='quote'><div class='quotebody'>Over 15 rounds, players draft a single tile per round and add it to their sandcastle: a personal 5×5 grid anchored by a Starter Tile. The catch? Tiles are revealed one at a time, and once you take one, you're out of that round. Wait too long hoping for something better, and you might be forced to take whatever's left. Tiles score through a mix of mechanisms: adjacency bonuses for matching starfish colors, row-by-row window counts, birds on sky tiles, and flat values for shells, shovels, and buckets. This gives players a satisfying puzzle to optimize across their grid. Designed by <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/92270/alex-cutler" >Alex Cutler</a> (<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/393429/critter-kitchen" >Critter Kitchen</a>, <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/431481/a-place-for-all-my-books" >A Place for All My Books</a>), it's a clean, quick game that's equally at home on a family table or as a warm-up for game night.</div></div> <div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9563449"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/iOvN0oqwnxh6PztOHdNgIA__small/img/2DF6pyXzYPTw0ayVtbAvIi8YyCI=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9563449.png" border=0></a></div>▪️ Finally, a new release of a classic game from 2003 called <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/6351/gulo-gulo" >Gulo Gulo</a>. This is a family game that will play well with kids and large gatherings, as it plays 2-6 players in 20 minutes. From the newsletter: <div class='quote'><div class='quotebody'>Re-introducing Gulo Gulo 🥚 Some games never should have gone away. Gulo Gulo is one of them. Originally published in 2003, this Kinderspielexperten Nominee spent years as a sought-after out-of-print gem. Now, with all-new art by <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameartist/13186/jennifer-l-meyer" >Jennifer Meyer</a> and a freshened-up ruleset, it's finally coming back to retail on August 21. The premise is as follows: you're a family of wolverines racing to rescue Gulo Junior from a nest guarded by suspicious swamp vultures. The nest is packed with colorful eggs, but hiding somewhere in the middle is the alarm pole. You need to reach in and steal the right one without knocking anything over. It's harder than it sounds, but also extremely fun to watch.</div></div>

Dale Yu: Review of Treat, Please!

Treat, Please! Designer: Courtney Shernan Publisher: Solis Players: 2-4 Age: 10+ Time: 30-60 minutes Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/4cbRgAX Played with review copy provided by publisher You live a cozy life with your fellow dogs and loving human. Each … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2026/05/06/dale-yu-review-of-treat-please/">Continue reading →</a>

Dale Yu: Review of Questline

Questline Designers: Marc-Andre Lavoie and Martin Lavoie Publisher: Thunderworks Players: 1-6 Age: 14+ Time: 15 minutes Preorder link – https://thunderworksgames.com/products/questline-card-game Played with review copy provided by publisher In Questline, players compete to earn the most reputation stars by … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2026/05/05/dale-yu-review-of-questline/">Continue reading →</a>

Designer Diary: Colossi

by <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/blog/1?bloggerid=20006" >John Drexler</a> <div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/7591462"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/PeX341Ah5O4DBUNphPWgRA__small/img/2mljdsXohFJhoA_8uFXYAi0H2iI=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic7591462.png" border=0></a></div> This is the story of how I published my first game <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/393230/colossi" >Colossi</a>. I learned 100 hard lessons along the way. But the most interesting are the bookends: how it started, and how I eventually realized I was done designing. The Conception In 2016, I was trying to design a huge, wildly ambitious superhero RPG with my friend Walter Somerville. Being new designers, we of course picked the hardest possible first project. The game was doomed, but it got our creative wheels turning. One afternoon I was on a walk with my friend Mitch, and I tried to explain a combat system I'd been developing. It was just one piece of this massive, sprawling idea. The explanation came out garbled. Mitch nodded politely, tried to play it back to me, and his version was completely wrong. It was also better than mine. That's where Colossi started. Years later in 2020, humbled by several other failed ambitious projects, I excavated just that one combat mechanism: preparing cards in three environments at once, because you don’t know which hand you’ll play next. And that was a good enough idea to build a much smaller game around. I think a lot about <a href="https://catacombian.com/blog/where-do-good-ideas-in-game-design-come-from" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">where good game ideas come from</a>. Good game ideas are everywhere, for those with eyes to see and ears to hear. A painter sees the world in color, light, and shadow. Game designers see games everywhere: complicated real world systems, war, funny social situations, etc. Our job is just to stay open and pay attention. In this case, a great idea came from a friend's misunderstanding of my bad idea. Sometimes you get lucky. Day 1 <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9542965"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/2FKSJprsC7hxe8sRyaRCFw__small/img/ezZ0wX1AOSuUa1RXDpg5KTYcfxc=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9542965.png" border=0></a></div></center> The picture above is literally day one of Colossi. Pencil, paper, and the simplest possible implementation. I prototype fast and furious: get the idea out of my head and onto the table so I can see whether it has legs. <a href="https://catacombian.com/blog/escape-the-mind-palace-keep-your-game-prototype-playable" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">I've written about this at length elsewhere</a>. A game only becomes a game when someone can pick it up and play it. Before that, it’s merely a thought experiment. Colossi came to life because I kept putting it in front of people, starting on day one. From that first sketch, the structural hook was already there. Three Environments. Both players have identical starting decks. And, critically, you don't know which Environment will resolve first. So you're preparing three hands at once across three lanes, hedging across all of them. Because when a fight breaks out, you better have a well constructed hand with synergies and combos in that environment (originally called “Zone”). "How much craziness can this scaffolding hold?" My design process is typically: 1. Build a strong and compelling base scaffolding. 2. Pressure test how much wild stuff the scaffolding can hold. I strive for the experience where a player picks up a card and says, “No way. Am I seriously allowed to do that? And if I combo it with this other card… that must be broken…” And then it works. A lot of the cards from my first iteration were simply elemental cards like water, fire, and electric, to build up power to win an environment. But I gradually started layering in crazier card types with big exciting effects. The Colossus cards represent your special abilities as a Colossus. These cards all feel like cheating. Heap lets you tuck any number of your cards under itself and count them all toward its power. This allows you to make use of low power cards, dramatically change your hand size, and negate negative effect cards all at once. It’s a great example of a huge, out of the ordinary moment that makes Colossi feel so exciting. Manifest literally says "play another card from your hand, even if you're not allowed to play that card right now." I kept waiting for Manifest to break the game. But it just worked. Another breakthrough was Abduct. There is a set of Beast type cards, that directly attack your opponent by forcing them to lose cards. Everyone starts Colossi with identical decks, which I was attached to because it puts tactics ahead of luck. But the game really came alive when I introduced a Beast card that lets you steal a card your opponent has played and making it part of your deck. Slowly, over the course of a match, the decks drift apart. By the final Skirmish, the composition of what you're drawing from is meaningfully different from what you started with. In a few games, testers abducted their opponent’s Abduct card! Things got crazy, but the game didn’t break, and it was still pretty fair. That gradual asymmetry was a breakthrough. The identical starting decks give the game its fairness. Abduct (and eventually other cards that warp the decks) gives it an arc. Now that Colossi’s foundation felt solid, I started asking how many crazy cards I could fit into the game. The answer, it turns out, is quite a lot. I developed the player decks quite a bit, and got it to a place where there was a fun and surprising set of synergies and counters. But the game needed more. The first big addition came from a test with Walter. He suggested that every Environment should have its own unique rule, something that rewrites a part of the game. That single observation cracked the project wide open. Sacrifice Mountain makes you discard cards onto an opponent's deck. Magnetic Maar pulls cards from other environments into play. Glass River has you prepare cards face-up, totally inverting the strategy. Suddenly every session played like its own mini-game. Each Environment now had personality, and felt like a real place. This was the right level of complexity for new players. But some of my testers had now played the game dozens of times. I had lots more ideas for things that were too crazy to fit into the base deck. Things that you don’t want to happen four times in a game. So I added Items: single-use cards that are randomly distributed to Environments and let you pull off enormous, game-warping plays. A few of my favorites: Ebenezer: Discard your entire hand. If you discarded at least 4 cards, this card gives you +15 power. Wager: Guess out loud who will win this Skirmish. If you're right, draw 2 cards from your deck and prepare them on the next Environment. If you're wrong, discard all the cards you have prepared on all Environments. Terraformer: Destroy both non-active Environments, and replace them with new ones from the deck. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9542966"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/UTbug7yVeqvbGGrgD9sbVw__small/img/i7BMw1nR7EZMF7d6hJi4KHUe188=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9542966.png" border=0></a></div></center> The random combinations of Environments and Items created a genuinely dynamic problem to solve. Matching the synergies and counters in your deck to the environments and items available turned into an addictive game loop. Layer on the dynamic of your opponent bluffing and putting together counters of their own? I had a good game on my hands. Hiring an Artist These environments were the centerpiece of the game. They deserved oversized cards and gorgeous art. I found my artist <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameartist/71550/sean-thurlow" >Sean Thurlow</a> (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/seanthurlow/" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">Instagram</a>) right here on a BGG forum! Sean does environment art professionally for video games and animated shows. Handing Sean the brief of "here are twenty ridiculous Environments, go nuts" was a dream. Art sells games. Without Sean, I would not have had a successful Kickstarter. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9542974"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/sklKWIZlcdlxdqHZyhOp9w__small/img/WRFJrO8Hs1dLxTJZygLUxOwppR8=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9542974.png" border=0></a></div></center> The Graveyard For everything that made it into the final game, two or three things got cut. My list of cut content is bigger than the game itself. Most of the cut cards fell into the following categories: 1. Too many edge cases: The most instructive cut was a card called Hypnotize: "choose an opponent; for their next turn, they must play three cards in a row." It was a fun deviation from the normal gameplay. It was also an edge-case machine. What if the hypnotized player also has a Hypnotize? What if another card interrupts them mid-turn? What if they only have two cards in hand? Every playtest produced a new ruling, so out it went. 2. Redundancy / too same-y: since I’m optimizing for big, crazy, exciting moments, it was critical to not have a lot of cards that do nearly the same thing. I even had a good number of cards like Recreate that let you copy a Divine Gift or Beast effect an opponent had just played, and it was fine, but it just repeated an effect you just saw, and it fell flat. 3. Mechanically sound, but a vibe killer: I like games where you can really mess with your opponent. But I ran into some ideas that just felt awful. Some cards felt like you were a big brother bullying your little brother, and at the table it just felt bad. Putting It Down After 18 months of grinding on this game, I burned out. Colossi was close to done, but I couldn't tell what "done" meant anymore. It felt like there was no end to testing and idea generation. I got overwhelmed and tired, and went to work on other games. I made a web based <a href="https://thesocialgame.gg/" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">social game</a>. I developed new board game ideas. I set Colossi aside for nearly a year. The revival happened at a work retreat. A coworker had heard I made games and asked me to bring one along. I was down on Colossi at the time and brought it reluctantly. They loved it. They pushed me to finish it. It had problems, but I had fresh eyes and more design experience. This was the test where I really honed in on Items, and refined how you use them. I was ready for the final stretch. Testing and development are arduous. Progress stalls. You lose perspective. You need kind people around who will remind you that the thing you made is worth finishing. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9542972"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/0xtPe0enSgXpwRLKr-0bqg__small/img/F9-vdICAJma6nnVJYK_SZia2JSE=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9542972.png" border=0></a></div></center> Knowing When To Stop When I came back to Colossi, I was energized and started piling on new ideas again. Now that I had the right form factor for Items, the ideas were flowing. I played it dozens more times, mostly with my friend Chris Thornton. Chris is a star playtester and a brilliant designer in his own right. He'd been brainstorming alongside me for years. After one test he said, “Every new idea either breaks the game, is redundant, or would turn Colossi into a fundamentally different game." The graveyard was bigger than the game. It was extremely difficult to come up with new crazy things that made the game better. And that was the sign that I was done. This is a great heuristic to know when something is done. There’s no stone left unturned. You’ve tried everything. And every new idea hurts the game instead of enhancing it. It was a weight off my shoulders. Because he was right. The foundation was holding absurd amounts of crazy: players stealing each other's cards, cycling half a deck in a turn, manifesting Beast cards out of nowhere, forcing mass discards, and the game still played fair, fast, and exciting. The cup was full of water, and it wouldn't take any more water. Time to print. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9542975"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/oYCTQlI2xugP85VT5ZfPUw__small/img/fJTuEtefBzTPvtQHFMl800bRwwQ=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9542975.png" border=0></a></div></center> Self-publishing I ran Colossi as a <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/catacombian/colossi?ref=bggforums&term=colossi&total_hits=27&category_id=34" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">Kickstarter</a> through my own publisher, <a href="https://catacombian.com/" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">Catacombian</a>. Many backers took a chance on the game, got it into production, and carried it across the finish line. Self-publishing means you learn every part of the pipeline whether you want to or not: manufacturing overseas, freight and customs, CE testing, warehousing, fulfillment (domestic and international), distribution, retail outreach, reviews, advertising, and the long, slow work of getting the game onto shelves. Each of those is its own game, with its own rules, and most of them do not come with a rulebook. I would not have done any of it without the playtesters, the backers, and the wave of designers and publishers I pestered for advice along the way. The board game community is weirdly, disproportionately generous. If you're working on something, keep asking people for help. They will help. It is noteworthy that the story of Colossi mentions so many other people. Game designers have nothing without friends, testers, and collaborators. Thanks Colossi is available now on our <a href="https://catacombian.com/colossi" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">website</a> and in select retail stores. If you'd like to go deeper on the design process, including a longer conversation about where good ideas come from, I talk extensively about this process in my <a href="https://catacombian.com/blog" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">blog</a> / <a href="https://notesonplay.transistor.fm/" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">podcast</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@catacombiangames" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">YouTube</a> / <a href="https://www.instagram.com/catacombiangames" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">Instagram</a> / <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/catacombian.com" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">Bluesky</a>.

Discover Anthropologie's unique watercolor dog playing cards that double as art

Everybody wants them.

Josiah’s Monthly Board Game Round-Up – April 2026

April 2026 Games I played for the first time this month, from worst to best, along with my ratings and comments. Barcelona – 7/10 Barcelona is the third Dani Garcia game I’ve played. My first was Arborea, which is well-loved … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2026/05/04/josiahs-monthly-board-game-round-up-april-2026/">Continue reading →</a>

Patience is a Virtue

Often, that meant Schmeven and I were explaining what actions were possible at each of the three locations available to Slim on that turn, which meant talking through the possible outcomes of SIX different actions.Every turn.When I do a full teach of any serious strategy game for new players—this exact scenario happened just two weeks ago, when I got to play Chicago 1875: City of the Big Shoulders with a couple new players—I just turn my brain off completely when it comes to building my own in-g

Adaptation Diary: Making Witchcraft! Digital

by <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/blog/1?bloggerid=19992" >Mantita Games</a> <div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/7442805"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/sfgo3BXIx9lE_OP1sOnzwA__small/img/R3D3u6uZQ2cUI8ehs3c-VxUzXy0=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic7442805.jpg" border=0></a></div> We'd been kicking around the idea of a digital card game for a while, and when we landed on <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/383499/witchcraft" >Witchcraft!</a> it all clicked. It's a fantastic game, with a really powerful card mechanic, and on top of that it has the kind of complex, demanding strategy that hooks us. We love hard games — the ones that make you think — and Witchcraft! was a perfect fit. So we got to work. [heading]The challenge we thought would be the big one: the interface[/heading] The first thing that worried us was how to translate the reveal/hide card mechanic to a screen. It's the game's most distinctive feature, and on the table it's completely intuitive — the card is split in two and you can see both sides clearly. In digital… well, that was another story. How was the player going to keep track of which side they were playing? How would they choose? Our first instinct was drag-and-drop. We went all in and built a system where, when you picked up a card, two distinct zones appeared and you dropped it into one or the other depending on the side you wanted to play. On paper it looked great. We tried it on mobile and it fell apart: clunky, unclear, artificial. Our second idea was to put two little buttons, one on each side of the card. Our designer really went for it here — he came up with some lovely buttons, full of personality — and with that solution we reached our first testing phase feeling pretty good. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9531720"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/ZYgqBv7ny3oI216i9E9Mkw__small/img/Sm9yKKZrYQPiyjTCiD7O6JWtxrU=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9531720.png" border=0></a></div></center> And then the first two people who tried it told us the same thing, with almost the same look on their faces: why can't I just tap the side of the card I want to play? We looked at each other. We felt a bit silly. And right then it hit us — the solution had been right under our noses the whole time. No dragging, no buttons, no inventions. Just tap the card. Sometimes the road to the obvious is longer than it should be. [heading]Meanwhile, on the visual side[/heading] While we were tangled up with the interaction question, there was another thing on our plate: how all this was going to look. And here we had a huge head start — <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameartist/34140/albert-monteys" >Albert Monteys's</a> illustrations. Honestly, just dropping them into the mobile layout already did half the work. I mean, wow. With illustrations at that level, the question wasn't whether they'd hold up — it was how we were going to make the design around them live up to them. Luckily, the original game's graphic design was done by <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameartist/119639/meeple-foundry" >Meeple Foundry</a>, so we weren't starting from scratch — not even close. Everything was very well prepared to edit and tweak, and there was a clear design language that helped us enormously in figuring out where to take things. From there, we put together some pretty scrappy wireframes — really scrappy — and handed them to our designer, Lorenzo Berzosa, who helped us pull it all together in a consistent, coherent way. We knew what we wanted on each screen; he turned those sketches into something that actually holds up visually. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9531731"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/s6IfGwL3nb9f1xDq8hHdYQ__small/img/-ekBdBwN0_CDiqLVNZFI6Y0LXyc=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9531731.png" border=0></a></div></center> <center>Ugly wireframes</center> <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9531732"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/Yf0Df9zBm5xhR1KjtdaTRg__small/img/Z8vrvGJ5S29U4L8rhnHqtylugE8=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9531732.png" border=0></a></div></center> <center>Actual designer work</center> [heading]The challenge we didn't see coming: the tutorial[/heading] In our heads, teaching people to play Witchcraft! wasn't going to be complicated. The rulebook is short. The mechanic didn't seem convoluted to us. We had it figured out. Our first tutorial was a disaster. Most of our early testers got lost in the tutorial. Yes, lost. They understood the individual actions, but not how they connected to each other or why they mattered. That's when we remembered one of the harshest lessons in development: just because you understand something after months up to your neck in it doesn't mean it's easy to explain. If anything, it usually means the opposite. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9531740"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/79F8ZZeLcGjRLImcbMtl-A__small/img/NZL5Eu3iMjLLyHSRmO4a2PL5TtM=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9531740.png" border=0></a></div></center> We went back at it. We rethought the pacing, changed the order of the concepts, cut things, swapped explanations for playable examples, cut again… and bit by bit the tutorial started to work. There was no single magic change — it was pure iteration: try it, see where people get lost, adjust, try again. Even now there's still room to grow, especially because the game has so many strategic layers and it's hard to cover all of that in five steps. [heading]And then came the fun part: the campaign[/heading] I'll admit, the campaign was by far what I enjoyed programming the most. It was exciting and challenging in equal measure. On the architecture side, we were able to put together something pretty solid that let us configure each tale almost automatically, and from there it was test, test, and test. I got pretty obsessed with the final tale. In fact, I started to believe it was impossible. I remember anxiously asking Salt & Pepper: but has anyone actually beaten the game? Is it even possible? Until one night, at three in the morning… I did it. The achievement system popped up right on cue telling me I'd completed the campaign, and I almost teared up. An epic moment I keep with a lot of fondness. [heading]Magical challenge unlocked[/heading] It's been a long road. A lot of design revisions, a lot of hours in front of the code, and the involvement of a bunch of testers who got really invested and contributed ideas and suggestions that ended up shaping the game you can play today. This digital Witchcraft! is, in large part, theirs too. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9531734"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/f6ZZvk6T-ogQbhSy9K-diQ__small/img/YcZTpHgewRqPPOReYhPXwMsDBHI=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9531734.png" border=0></a></div></center> On April 15th, 2026 we went live in the <a href="https://mantita.games/witchcraft/" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">stores</a>. And with the launch comes another pile of lessons learned… but that's for another day. Thanks for reading.

Race for the Galaxy: Xeno Counterstrike Designer Preview

Introduced in the Xeno Invasion expansion, the Xenos are a violent xenophobic alien race that cannot be negotiated with.Taking place after their invasion of galactic space, Xeno Counterstrike portrays the galactic empire's expansion through the frontier zone into Xeno space.Xeno Counterstrike features two play experiences: a frontier game, with powerful new worlds to explore and settle, and a bonus counterstrike game, which continues the invasion game from Xeno Invasion and takes the fight to th

On-The-Go with the New Releases from Hachette Boardgames USA

by <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/blog/1?bloggerid=10014" >Steph Hodge</a> <div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/7268927"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/vz_DTOzh6LL1InIq3653rg__small/img/Q1z8kA8BBno3u9_x-4SqtVWntKM=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic7268927.png" border=0></a></div>▪️ <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/16092/hachette-boardgames-usa" >Hachette Boardgames USA</a> has been on it with announcing new games! Today, I will highlight some of the smaller games coming out in the next several months. [imageid=8969959 medium Rep]▪️ <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/404845/canal-houses" >Canal Houses</a> just released this April and should already be hitting the stores. From the <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/155/gigamic" >Gigamic</a> catalog, Canal Houses is a 20-minute game where you build up the beautiful streets of Amsterdam. The colorful houses and charming artwork are used for scoring at the end of the game. From the newsletter: <div class='quote'><div class='quotebody'>Each round, players pick a card from their hand and build it simultaneously, then pass the remaining cards to the next player. Refresh your hand by drawing a new card type—base, floor, or roof, and keep crafting your architectural masterpiece. To complete a house, you’ll need to build from the ground up: start with a base, stack any number of floors, and top it off with a roof. Simple to learn and quick to play, Canal Houses is the perfect mix of strategy and charm.</div></div> <div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9341318"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/0eV7TJ4KaCaKyIidKk9c4w__small/img/nWr-NiOmpYV1zzI24YuIQWH13aE=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9341318.jpg" border=0></a></div>▪️ Another new release from Gigamic is <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/428776/pirate-king" >Pirate King!</a> this June! Pirate King is a push-your-luck card game for 2-5 players and will play in about 15 minutes. Pick your captain and build your deck, but don't be too greedy, or you just might bust out. <div class='quote'><div class='quotebody'>Every round, players will reveal cards simultaneously, one by one, from their own deck. Revealed swords lets players gain creatures with special powers. Revealing gold allows players to draft treasures into their decks. Be careful though, reveal 3 skulls and you bust! With its wacky effects, unpredictable treasures, and monsters to battle, Pirate King offers a dynamic experience blending tactics, luck, and dirty tricks. Ideal for groups looking for a fast-paced, fun, and slightly chaotic game.</div></div> <div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9519854"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/utXqwT6Wkn-WM64X2ZOM1g__small/img/6d25t6KAPXQXh2LfSuRs4F8q9ME=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9519854.png" border=0></a></div>▪️ <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/468567/leaf-it" >Leaf It!</a> is a new dexterity game from <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/33419/edition-spielwiese" >Edition Spielwiese</a> releasing this June. Leaf It plays 2-4 players and takes about 10-20 minutes. There is a mix of memory and dexterity as you have to assemble the canopy and then dismantle it, collecting the most valuable animals as you do. From the newsletter: <div class='quote'><div class='quotebody'>Leaf It! requires a mix of steady hands, a good memory, and a little bit of luck. When it's your turn, you must place a card onto the growing canopy, making sure it doesn't collapse. The Rule: You must always cover the animal on the previous card. The Strategy: Try to remember exactly where you (and your opponents) placed the cards with the most valuable animals! After all cards have been placed it's time to Dismantle the Tree! Players take turns carefully drawing cards back out of the treetop. Grab the cards you remember having the most points. Be careful: the canopy is highly unstable. If you cause it to collapse, you will be penalized!</div></div> <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/9553171"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/kC-dwLVBUN_bIUKNT9tojQ__small/img/DWx0S52MTxudEMGfXb3GFALN5mY=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic9553171.png" border=0></a></div></center> <div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/3646116"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/qhHd-RmJrun9TqHtqmQIlw__small/img/-p7ZBSugKK3afa7APXXHdky92Rk=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic3646116.jpg" border=0></a></div>▪️ <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/3490/huch" >HUCH!</a> is a new partner with Hachette, and they just announced 3 mini games releasing this May! All of the games support 2-5 players and can be played in about 15 minutes. <div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8644688"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/SYq7spKLxPWeN9_M5ljcXA__small/img/5VRDmklJzl40juDFvMAvDilT1os=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8644688.jpg" border=0></a></div> <div class='quote'><div class='quotebody'>In <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/419328/blue-penguin" >Blue Penguin</a>, each player tries to attract the cutest penguins—the smaller they are, the cuter they are! The problem is that penguins always follow the bigger ones. On their turn, each player places a “penguin” card and draws a new one. The player who plays the card with the highest number collects all the cards played that round and becomes the first player for the next turn. The game ends once all cards have been played, and scores are calculated based on colors, not numbers.</div></div> <div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8644667"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/b2nauuu9tlGXXJAg205zfA__small/img/bR-0esf6LZuFmm6VRXjuxH14p2A=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8644667.jpg" border=0></a></div> <div class='quote'><div class='quotebody'>In <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/419327/meteo" >Meteo</a>, players try to pick the best weather conditions for a last-minute vacation. At the start of the game, six visible “weather” cards are randomly paired with hidden “sky” cards of different colors, and each player gets to secretly look at one. The “sky” cards are revealed one by one. At any moment, a player can interrupt the process by saying “I’m going!” to stop the reveals and claim the cards they think will earn them the most points.</div></div> <div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8723428"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/bdjHt6J_VgtR-Ma9C15BXA__small/img/OlCyK58Fti45EBq-Czj4tkAfxlg=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8723428.jpg" border=0></a></div> <div class='quote'><div class='quotebody'>In <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/437130/wool-street" >Wool Street,</a> players buy and sell cards representing woolen garments in six different types, hoping to collect those that score points while selling off those that bring penalties. On their turn, players draw a card and must place it on a pile of the same garment type (e.g., sweaters with sweaters). Then, they can choose to sell a garment card by placing it in the center of the table or buy one from the center. The first pile to reach 7 cards scores 2 points per card of that type for players who bought them; the second pile scores 1 point, but the fourth and fifth piles result in point losses!</div></div> If you are on the go or are looking for some quicker games for the collection, these seem like they would fit the bill.

Dale Yu: Review of DC Breakout Arkham Asylum

DC Breakout Arkham Asylum Designers: Brian, Sydney and Geoff Engelstein Publisher: Wizkids Players: 2-6 Age: 8+ Time: 30-45 minutes Amazon affiliate link: Played with review copy provided by publisher Make a mad dash out of Arkham Asylum – … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2026/04/29/dale-yu-review-of-dc-breakout-arkham-asylum/">Continue reading →</a>

Designer Diary: President

The issue was that every extra rule took energy away from the real experience: reading the table, making alliances, lying convincingly, spotting opportunities, and reacting quickly.That became my filter for every design decision: does this rule improve the social engine of the game, or does it merely make the system denser?If it only made the system denser, it had to go.Scaling to Ten PlayersFrom the beginning, I wanted a game that could work in big groups. Part of that came from watching large

Dale Yu: Review of Gretchen’s Garden

Gretchen’s Garden Designer: Jay Bendixen, Ryan Boucher Publisher: Lookout Games Players: 2-4 Age: 10+ Time: 45 minutes Amazon affiliate link: Played with review copy provided by publisher In Gretchen’s Garden, players compete in selecting the most precious succulents … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2026/04/28/dale-yu-review-of-gretchens-garden/">Continue reading →</a>