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GAMA Expo 2025: Critter Kitchen, Sweet Takes, Temple Code, and Parks & Potions

by <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/blog/1?bloggerid=17" >W. Eric Martin</a> <div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/7594267"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/w72-A0u4uH2j_YqGwu4E0w__small/img/qFG2IdCRk89cQpOXZIQTyM-mcWQ=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic7594267.jpg" border=0></a></div>Let me return to the halls of GAMA Expo 2025 yet again, stopping at a few more booths to show you what's coming in 2025: ▪️ Publisher <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/46569/cardboard-alchemy" >Cardboard Alchemy</a> has received a lot of love for both Flamecraft and Andromeda's Edge — two vastly different designs — so I'm curious to see whether their next release, <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/393429/critter-kitchen" >Critter Kitchen</a> from <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/92270/alex-cutler" >Alex Cutler</a> and <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/75484/peter-c-hayward" >Peter C. Hayward</a> will be equally well received. This game and its <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/414479/critter-kitchen-a-la-cart" >Critter Kitchen: À La Cart</a> expansion will both be released in April 2025 through distributor <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/33626/lucky-duck-games" >Lucky Duck Games</a>. Here's what to expect: <div class='quote'><div class='quotebody'>It's Restaurant Week in Bistro Bay! Restaurants are competing in food challenges, while also planning an epic meal to impress a celebrity critic. As one of 1-5 players, you'll send your chefs into the city to gather ingredients to create amazing meals and demonstrate that your restaurant is the best in town. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8783588"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/lQGWJQnC8ZrtiNnUvpwDSQ__small/img/YgGmk_tt3M0smUm0RsbTNYevnRc=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8783588.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> Each round, new random ingredients are placed in locations throughout the city. Players simultaneously and secretly plan which locations to send their three chefs to, hoping to collect the best ingredients. Some chefs are fast, but can gather only one item, while others can carry three items but arrive late. Rumors are also available at locations and provide guidance on what the critic desires. Challenges revealed in rounds 1-6 offer the players opportunities to earn stars for crafting dishes with specific ingredient requirements. After round 7, the players must create an epic meal to impress the celebrity critic and cater to their appetites. A multitude of different critics, rumors, and restaurateurs mean every game is fresh!</div></div> <div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/7942803"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/eNVZmRV3niNcaQ1EQ2jMJA__small/img/ZeIadYUzAh93Dii3jIaZQz4foPY=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic7942803.png" border=0></a></div>▪️ <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/410378/temple-code" >Temple Code</a> is a <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2392/mastermind" >Mastermind</a>-style competitive deduction game for 1-4 players from <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/61192/yoann-levet" >Yoann Levet</a> that French publisher <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/30007/bankiiiz-editions" >Bankiiiz Editions</a> released in 2024, and Lucky Duck Games will bring the title to the U.S. market in 2025. I <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/blog/1/blogpost/158960/game-previews-from-gama-expo-2024-rivages-chateau" >previewed</a> Temple Code in March 2024 after sampling the game at GAMA Expo 2024, so one year later that preview might be useful again for those on the U.S. market seeing the game for the first time. <div style='display:inline;'><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8369367"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/cWNFu9L65E1F74Oai6mDSw__small/img/YW-BNLFxRiVqtKtoCq00DFnn6uA=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8369367.png" border=0></a></div><div style='display:inline;'><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8635868"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/2IJCFfhvFV8Lv5OlvMYMrg__small/img/yvq8hfupS8MntLhscjdkX5JYYkc=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8635868.png" border=0></a></div><div style='display:inline;'><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8635677"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/GJnUwap_6mzXD_hCrQGgmA__small/img/agYQZqNuBBTJAOPJOX52ThMGIO4=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8635677.png" border=0></a></div>▪️ <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/414927/parks-and-potions" >Parks & Potions</a> is the debut title from designer <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/159950/chris-eastridge" >Chris Eastridge</a> through his <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/56041/moon-saga-workshop" >Moon Saga Workshop</a> brand, and the base game and two expansions — <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/436645/parks-and-potions-bugs-and-bottles-expansion" >Bugs & Bottles</a> and <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/436644/parks-and-potions-potion-perils-expansion" >Potion Perils</a> — will debut in June 2025. Here's an overview of this 1-5 player game: <div class='quote'><div class='quotebody'>Players step into the boots of Park Rangers whose expertise in botanical alchemy transforms the wilderness into a sanctuary for healing. With the roll of the dice, players gather extracts from the park's flora, concocting potent potions to treat the ailments of animals from different biomes. Successfully healing animals and performing experiments earns points, directly reflecting your role in maintaining the park's well-being. Aim for animals in similar habitats to unlock bonus points, reflecting the depth of your commitment to conservation — or take the path of experimenting to find new potions. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8784144"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/9sWsCaPR0q4VqSLH6nAJcg__small/img/9SPlZasxTGfaWUEVHFQZTClXOzU=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8784144.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> Parks & Potions plays over 5-6 rounds, each representing a day of work. The game is divided into phases in which players roll dice to discover flowers to extract, manage their inventories, and use potions to fulfill objectives and cure animals. Strategic potion mixing and objective completion are key to becoming the most renowned ranger.</div></div> Bugs & Bottles allows a sixth player to join the game, in addition to treating insects, and Potion Perils adds more challenges and "time of day" dice that determine which potions are available when. ▪️ While exiting the exhibit hall on the first evening, I passed the <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/51/hasbro" >Hasbro</a> booth and snapped the pic, meaning to return the next day for details of this non-<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/463/magic-the-gathering" >Magic</a>, non-<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/4871/avalon-hill" >Avalon Hill</a> minimal game display: <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8784169"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/NjcVbFYBI37yOjk9ALmNLA__small/img/tVfVpUWHexcmWVA1r8Iz2q9FO7g=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8784169.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> Alas, I never made it back despite spending eight hours in the hall the next day — too much to see! — but I covered <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/394430/arschmallows" >Arschmallows</a> <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/blog/1/blogpost/162136/tell-tales-about-turnips-recover-a-secret-recipe-a" >in June 2024</a> and <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/373994/sun-moon-rising" >Sun Moon Rising</a> <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/blog/1/blogpost/138548/party-games-for-the-weekend-sun-moon-rising-glyphi" >in November 2022</a>, so that leaves only Sweet Takes, which turns out to be a licensed edition of <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/407581/gummi-trick" >Gummi Trick</a>, a 2023 release from <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/39436/hisashi-hayashi" >Hisashi Hayashi</a> and <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/14104/okazu-brand" >OKAZU Brand</a>. Who would have guessed?! Here's how to play this 2-5 player game: <div style='display:inline;'><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8784201"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/h7HeJcE6cJirSVUoMfk3qQ__small/img/8IjOD6YF0cO3lmfD7-HEFlVFUwI=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8784201.png" border=0></a></div><div style='display:inline;'><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8784202"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/l4HILZn5iLbceQeDph4G5A__small/img/gmGqlmwe9fniqYpniGwhg5RUgVQ=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8784202.jpg" border=0></a></div><div class='quote'><div class='quotebody'>Gummi Trick is a trick-taking game in which each suit played into a trick will have a winner. The deck contains multiple colors of cards numbered 1-10, and you use one more color than the number of players. Each player receives a hand of nine cards and three face-down cards that they cannot look at. The lead player in a trick plays a card, then the next player must play this color, if possible, throwing off a different color if they can't. The third player must play the first color, if possible, or the second color if they can't, throwing off a different color if they can't do either, etc. However, even if a player can follow one of the played suits, they can instead choose to play one of their face-down cards. After everyone has played a card, the highest card in each suit wins all cards in that suit, flipping other cards won face down and keeping the winning card face up. After twelve tricks, each face-up card is worth the listed number of points — with low-valued cards being worth more — and each face-down card is worth 1 point. Whoever has the highest score wins.</div></div> ▪️ While the focus at GAMA Expo is mostly on new and upcoming games and titles in a publisher's back catalog, you could also find unexpected items, such as these ancient titles in the <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/150/chessex" >Chessex</a> booth that carried extremely low wholesale prices, presumably because these games have been parked in a warehouse for years and Chessex would be happy to have them sit on a retailer's shelves instead. Weird to see <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/rpg/1854/skyrealms-of-jorune-3rd-edition" >Skyrealms of Jorune (3rd Edition)</a> on the table as I remember stocking that book in my role as caretaker for the RPG and miniature section of a San Francisco game store in the early 1990s...which is ironic given that I've almost never played those types of games. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8783596"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/kJQQa1nFFRtAkz_53O_q-w__small/img/omTDC9eaG1kLQOU8XOUw_3lHC3Y=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8783596.jpg" border=0></a></div></center>

Did the playing cards disappear in the palm of your hand #shorts #viralreels😱❗️#magic #trendings

Did the playing cards disappear in the palm of your hand #shorts #viralreels ❗️#magic #trendings.

Boydell Bats 5,000, Awards Aplenty, and The Problem of Cherry Picked Games

In a discussion group about this post, I gave a much shortened version of my 2021 post "Choice and Bias: Why New Games Top the BGG Rankings", writing that "Ratings reflect the raters, so if you want to combat 'bias' in BGG ratings, then get 'normal' people to rate games on BGG." I concluded by writing: "Until UNO is #1 on BGG, all of the rankings are a lie." This leads into our next item...▪️ The Toy Foundation announced the winners of its TOTY (Toy of the Year) awards at the opening of NY Toy F

Dale Yu: Review of Tantrix

Tantrix Designer: Mike McManaway Publisher: Gigamic Players: 1-6 Age: 6+ Time: 30 minutes Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/3EJU5fH Played with review copy provided by publisher The hexagonal tantrix tiles each have three different colour lines that must be juxtaposed while respecting … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2025/03/21/dale-yu-review-of-tantrix/">Continue reading →</a>

Designer Diary: Monkey Palace

We were fortunate to have been referred to the publisher Dotted Games — an Asmodee studio started by the owners of Bezzerwizzer Studio — by Bryan Bornmeuller of Office Dog (another Asmodee studio), who we had been working with on our game Crafting the Cosmos, which is due to come out in early 2025. Thank you, Bryan!We were excited to have the opportunity and immediately began brainstorming ideas. TAM came up with an early idea, and he came over to my house to dig through my old bins of LEGO elem

Dale Yu: Review of Finca (2024)

Finca Designer: Ralf aur Linde and Wolfgang Sentker Publisher: Pandasaurus Players: 2-5 Age: 10+ Time: 45 minutes Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/4hMgV4E Played with review copy provided by publisher Sprawling estates, or fincas, are ripe for the taking in each region … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2025/03/20/dale-yu-review-of-finca-2024/">Continue reading →</a>

All By Myself: A Quartet of Solo Mini-Reviews

January & February are big “on the road” times for my job – which means less time for mid-week gaming with friends and family. On the other hand, it does mean I play a lot of solo games. In the … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2025/03/19/all-by-myself-a-quartet-of-solo-mini-reviews/">Continue reading →</a>

GAMA Expo 2025: Tricky Kids, Beasts, 365 Adventures: The Dungeon, and Ham Helsing: Monster Hunter

At the end of the month, note down your score and move on to the next month, where a new atmosphere text and a new rule await you.I'll note that copies of the 2025 edition of 365 Adventures: The Dungeon will be among the door prizes that people can take home at BGG.Spring thanks to convention sponsorship by SWAF.One of the pages from the 2025 dungeon• Tricky Kids, a trick-taking game from Danielle Reynolds in which you set the values of the seven cards in your hand each round, with those values

GAMA Expo 2025: Ape Town, Feed the Kraken, Shadow Ninjas, and Disney Villainous Unstoppable!

debuted in late 2024.Outset has picked up other titles over the years that I never noticed previously, such as Don Eskridge's 2019 game Spies & Lies, which I covered at the time and which Outset released in 2021.▪️ Shadow Ninjas is a one-vs-many game for up to five players from Kedric Winks, with the one player controlling two guard dogs and the other players controlling a set of ninja tokens, most of which show a shadow ninja on its reverse side and one or more of which show a real ninja.Player

Dale Yu: Review of Botanicus

Botanicus Designers: Samuele Tabellini Ferrari, Vieri Masseini Publisher: Hans im Gluck Players: 2-4 Age: 12+ Time: 45-60 minutes Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/48klTBL Played with review copy provided by publisher How about creating your own botanical garden? As an aristocrat in … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2025/03/18/dale-yu-review-of-botanicus/">Continue reading →</a>

Designer Diary: Takeover, or How I Stopped Hating Ladder Climbers

These community cards gave us the flexibility we were looking for, a way for players to play beyond the hand they were dealt.In Takeover, instead of passing your turn as in traditional ladder climbers, you have two alternative actions: deploy and plan. Deploy lets you discard a specific power card for its effect. Plan lets you draw 1-3 cards from the deck and place those cards into a shared market called The Undercity, after which you make one of two choices:• Plan A: Use cards in hand with card

Preview: Auctions of Alchemists

Designer: Tanax Publisher: Tanax Games Players: 2-4 Playing time: 30-60 minutes Preview is based on prototype played online, there may be changes before the final production.. In Auctions of Alchemists, players will use strategic bidding to gather the resources needed … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2025/03/17/82545/">Continue reading →</a>

Larry Levy – Review of Star Realms: Rise of Empire

Designers: Robert Dougherty, Darwin Kastle Publisher: Wise Wizard Games Developer: Derek Funkhouser Players: 2 Age: 12+ Duration: 30 minutes Times Played: 14 Star Realms is a popular deckbuilding game that was first released in 2014. Designed by a couple of … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2025/03/17/larry-levy-review-of-star-realms-rise-of-empire/">Continue reading →</a>

GAMA Expo 2025: For All Mankind, Verdant Arizona, Gems of Iridescia, Vine, and Gnomes & Wizards

You then use dice and a rock-paper-scissors-ish system to attack your opponent, trying to be the first to wipe out three monsters.▪️ Roberto Panetta of Rock, Stone & Dice Games showed off the final look of Gems of Iridescia, which he crowdfunded in Q4 2024 and expects to release in Q3 2025.▪️ Gnomes & Wizards from Bobby Powell of CavernWire Games went through a nearly identical production cycle, but advanced one year, crowdfunding in Q4 2023 and hitting the market in Q3 2024.▪️ The next title fr

Designer Diary: Blabbi, a Game of Made-Up Words

I'm Adrian Yu, co-founder of the independent game company Blabel and co-designer of Blabbi: A Game of Made-Up Words, which my younger sister Olive Yu and I created as our pandemic project.As a multidisciplinary artist, film director, and creative director, I never imagined I'd create a board game. I'm a big gamer (mainly video games), but growing up, my parents often warned me that while games are a great outlet, they aren't a career. I always disagreed but never seriously considered it as a car

Josiah’s Monthly Board Game Round-Up – February 2025

February 2025 Games I played for the first time this month, from worst to best, along with my ratings and comments. Slavika – 3/10 Slavika is a take-that card game with a theme of Slavic folklore. These less-familiar creatures … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2025/03/15/josiahs-monthly-board-game-round-up-february-2025/">Continue reading →</a>

Designer Diary: 23 Knives

I had to wake up to the fact that intentionality should be in every moment of a game (lesson #2).All the locations I thought should be variableI started to focus on making the locations distinct and meaningful, and since I realized that variability doesn't create replayability and that giving players five different ways to do the same things was a bad design decision, I made the locations static and allowed players to move around them however they wanted, which allowed players more meaningful ch

Dale Yu: Review of Cook Islands

Cook Islands Designer: Klaus-Jurgen Wrede Publisher: Trefl Players: 2-4 Age: 8+ Time: 30-60 minutes Amazon affiliate link: Played with review copy provided by publisher Wspaniała przygoda na Oceanie Spokojnym, podczas której gracze biorą udział w wyprawie Jamesa Cooka i odkrywają … <a href="https://opinionatedgamers.com/2025/03/14/dale-yu-review-of-cook-islands/">Continue reading →</a>

GAMA Expo 2025: Flow, Ace of Spades, Transgalactica, Koinobori, and Red Carpet

You face Lord Overkill, a supernatural being, but your prowess as a gambler goes beyond sleight of hand.Channel your magic through poker plays to take out Lord Overkill's minions one by one and descend into Hell itself to duel the monster who ruined your life.Ace of Spades is a single-player game, or a two-player game if you prefer to play it in co-op mode, that uses poker mechanisms to resolve dangerous duels against the worst spawns from Hell.▪️ In other newness, Devir has licensed two titles

Designer Diary: Popcorn

by <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/blog/1?bloggerid=16396" >Victor Saumont</a> <div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8623640"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/79sRNcylJAgftl7Q39HAjg__small/img/WhtNJlNuyyqUkLFnq63gnljpE3k=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8623640.jpg" border=0></a></div>Hello! My name is <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/155469/victor-saumont" >Victor Saumont</a>, and <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/430563/popcorn" >Popcorn</a> is my second published game. Since I have always enjoyed reading designer diaries, I thought it was my turn to share the creation story of my game, which premiered at the Cannes Festival...for board games — the famous <a href="https://www.festivaldesjeux-cannes.com/en/" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">FIJ</a> — in February 2025, seven years after the initial idea. Discovering Modern Board Games Although I have been involved in the poker world for ten years, it wasn't until early 2018 that I discovered modern board games thanks to a game of <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/178900/codenames" >Codenames</a>. That game was a huge revelation for the creative person I've always been, leading to a new obsession alongside cinema and poker: game design. I started playing as many games as possible, creating my first prototypes (which were often failures), attending board game festivals, and quickly joining a group of French designers (<a href="https://societedesauteursdejeux.fr/2024/07/29/la-leaf-ligue-extraordinaire-des-auteurs-franciliens/" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">La Ligue Extraordinaire des Auteurs Franciliens</a>, or L.E.A.F.) to test my early creations with other aspiring designers and more experienced ones. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8702626"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/KjRv6X8zRe9YfQ960ztKXQ__small/img/bJEI9a9z-3yMPeOK1--6pYDUDD0=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8702626.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> Popcorn: Theme Before Mechanisms After a few unsuccessful attempts with prototypes — often abandoned after the first crash test — I had the first idea I wanted to pursue further: a board game about cinema. Cinema was my first passion. At 13, I dreamed of becoming a filmmaker. I made a few short films and documentaries about poker, and wrote some TV series projects, so when I discovered this newfound passion for board games, that was the first theme I wanted to explore. From the start, my vision was clear: I didn't want players to create a movie during the game, but rather manage a cinema by choosing the right films to screen for the audience. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8702627"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/JAC12IjBtjh-y0I_4zWxyw__small/img/gaW4lYwiOmMqy6xFMwIFerUHLBI=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8702627.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> The Aging of Films My primary goal for this project was to stick as closely as possible to the theme. I had often heard that a designer starts a project with either a mechanism, a theme, or a specific component. For Popcorn, it was undoubtedly the theme that came first and drove the research for the game's mechanisms. The first idea that excited me, and the only one at the beginning of the process, was the concept of films aging over time. A movie that has been showing for several weeks attracts fewer viewers and generates less revenue each week. In the early drafts of the design, each film granted victory points, which quickly evolved into bags of popcorn, with values decreasing over time. My initial intent was to reward players who knew how to choose the right moment to change their films and optimize their programming. I researched whether this aging mechanism had been used in recent games and came across <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/217861/paper-tales" >Paper Tales</a> by <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/76303/masato-uesugi" >Masato Uesugi</a> (published by <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/28651/catch-up-games" >Catch Up Games</a>), which reinforced my idea of an evolving tableau. This encouraged players to seize opportunities as they arose, which resonated with my personal gaming style — more tactical than strategic. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8702628"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/XOywoXmj5BAoMYK8wDaDdg__small/img/Cw1O4YH2XKHAR1NM0nO5R--yMjg=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8702628.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> Managing the Audience Another core idea of this project was to simulate the arrival of an audience in cinema halls and create a game about managing spectators (represented by meeples). My initial vision was that the audience would be drawn from a shared bag each week, with numbers fluctuating based on events, e.g., cinema festivals, bad weather, etc. I worked extensively on this idea with my friend Elie, a filmmaker (and now a César-winning one in France!) who joined the project for a few months. We tested many approaches, but none were successful. The biggest issue was distributing the meeples effectively. A blockbuster would attract a certain number of meeples of its color, while the other films shared the rest. Even though we liked the idea of winning by selecting "independent films", we couldn't find a way to make them appealing enough for players. One idea we particularly liked was customizing the shared bag with regular clients of our cinema. By adding meeples in our color, we ensured some spectators would come directly to us. It sounded great on paper, but in practice, our loyal customers were too diluted in the bag to make a significant impact. Since everyone contributed meeples, it didn't create meaningful differences between players. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8702629"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/pqVG2YpRTBGRzzm8y-9WuA__small/img/LkwmqDyWWGHEaAfwtHaYIKwzy0g=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8702629.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> Bag-Building As a fan of the <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamemechanic/2664/deck-bag-and-pool-building" >bag-building</a> mechanism, especially in <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/164928/orleans" >Orléans</a> and <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/244521/the-quacks-of-quedlinburg" >The Quacks of Quedlinburg</a>, I had wanted to test this mechanism in Popcorn for months. Instead of a shared bag, what if players managed their own audience? Each week (i.e., each round), players would draw a certain number of spectators who had decided to visit their cinema. The challenge would then be to offer films that appealed to them — or, at least, to make the best use of the meeples drawn to earn more popcorn. The good news was that we could imagine the cinema's audience growing over time, creating a sense of progression. This led to the idea of an attendance track, which determined how many spectators visited each cinema each week. Players would try to climb this track to attract more and more visitors. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8702630"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/bdrf4f5EXIztlJGG9jJl7A__small/img/J66-0ueJe7AQaIFDi953dDSmYpM=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8702630.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> The "Eureka" Moment Now that we had meeples to manage, what should players do with them? It's hard to count how many months it took to find the breakthrough idea, but I went through many unsatisfactory iterations before reaching the solution. The first idea was a worker-placement system: Players would draw meeples and place them on actions available to everyone. After one or two tests, I abandoned it. Not only did it feel thematically off to send spectators onto a central board, but my fellow designers quickly shut it down: "This isn't original — it's just classic worker placement. You need something better!" <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8702631"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/kahPtVXmNxGqfLWT1onAOw__small/img/TkfaIHRKXn4pRE4bZanrTDIDl_8=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8702631.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> Another option I considered was a system similar to Orléans, with a personal board featuring actions like earning money, buying films, increasing attendance, building theaters, and earning popcorn. This worked better, but everyone ended up wanting to do the same things to grow their cinema. Worse, selecting the right films had almost no impact in this version. Frustrated, I put Popcorn on hold and focused on other prototypes, waiting for inspiration. Months passed without a breakthrough. The prototype sat in a box on top of my wardrobe. Though I often thought about it, I had largely given up...until the moment of revelation. One evening, while going to the movies, I looked at the film posters and had an epiphany: The key game actions could be tied to the movies themselves. What if I merged the film-aging concept with the actions players needed to take? The idea was simple: All available game actions would be provided by the movie cards. The thematic concept was that each film would generate different benefits — some would sell more popcorn, others would generate more money (e.g., 3D films), and some would have strong word-of-mouth, attracting new spectators. Mechanically, the actions players wanted to take would be tied to the films, with four actions available in the first week, three in the second week, and so on. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8702632"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/6igPmgP0V0szn7IX8qp19A__small/img/LbFgsX6YNr3I3Kh39zi0lcY0mMg=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8702632.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> I remember that this "Eureka moment" unlocked a lot of things. It was also at this moment that I started thinking about the direction to give to the films. The yellow ones would be comedies that increase attendance, the red ones would be action films that bring in popcorn sales, the blue ones would be dramas that allow for contract negotiations, and the green ones would be fantasy films that help build better theaters. As a side note, we were in the middle of the Covid lockdown, and I needed to imagine a world where we could once again go to the movies... Filling the Theaters From the first iterations of the game, I was obsessed with the idea of a full theater. For me, it was the key to unlocking a major bonus. If you fill your theater, you earn a reward depending on the size of the room. The only problem was that if you drew four meeples on your turn and used them to fill a four-seat theater (simulating a 400-person room) to earn, say, 5 popcorn, you hadn't really done much during your turn. The idea was that every spectator should serve a purpose while still maintaining the notion of a full theater. The solution emerged during a playtest night with my author group (them again!), when one of them suggested that a meeple of the film's color could trigger one of the available actions. This way, thanks to the right meeple you would gain both an action and a reward for filling a theater. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8702633"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/f4DfII-97EbRbyK6P5Yhlg__small/img/p1KurCmQS7NGkWR5bBN870cQhA0=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8702633.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> A few days before the Cannes Games Festival in 2022, I had a small revelation after yet another test session, one in which I felt for the first time that the game was actually working. I found a way to make premiering a film valuable (by earning a spectator of the film's color) and, most importantly, improved the theater-building system. One key element that unlocked a lot of things was the concept of choosing theaters. Choosing to fill a small theater for a bonus or, conversely, opting for a larger one to benefit from a specific Film card effect introduced a simple yet interesting dilemma. The size of the theaters also had an impact on film choices. After playtesting this version, I decided to pack the prototype in my suitcase with the plan to play a few games during the <a href="https://www.festivaldesjeux-cannes.com/en/festival/off-nights" target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">Off</a> sessions. I brought four or five games that I had scheduled meetings with publishers for, but Popcorn was not the one I intended to showcase — it was a project taking shape but far from finished. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8702634"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/zemwsCZFRoVdE6xfZjM99w__small/img/Kg9g3M6JJqr8MsLQc1lyR5M6WyY=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8702634.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> Off the Record Encouraged by the tests at the Off, where the first full games were played (even though I still didn't have an endgame condition), I started mentioning Popcorn at the end of my author meetings when I felt an editor might be receptive to this kind of thematic proposal: "I also have this, a game about cinema in which you draw meeples and place them on films you're screening to earn popcorn." The idea intrigued some editors, who asked for a print-and-play or the rulebook. The originality of the theme stood out, and I was thrilled. Then came the lightning strike from Florent, a project manager at <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/8923/iello" >IELLO</a>. The pitch resonated with him, and the game seemed to check all the boxes of what he liked. He asked me to send a prototype. I was ecstatic, even though nothing was guaranteed yet. IELLO is a company I respect. It publishes relatively few French-designed games compared to the numbe<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/37/kosmos" >KOSMOS</a>r of localizations they do through KOSMOS, <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/2366/devir" >Devir</a>, and <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/7345/czech-games-edition" >CGE</a>, but IELLO is also the publisher of Codenames, and that game was my gateway into modern board games four years earlier. I still had a few adjustments to make before sending the prototype, especially incorporating ideas from the ten or so tests during the Off. I also had to write the rulebook, which I hadn't even considered until then. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8702635"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/NBy2IjV9MxhrD32fVxVpPw__small/img/dCTX-gSDWXh79I63uHx-ky1meqA=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8702635.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> The IELLO Deal A few weeks later, I sent Florent my best-looking prototype, complete with handmade bags made by my wife, a few rule adjustments, and the secret hope that they would like the game beyond just the pitch. Two weeks later, I received a magical email: Florent announced that they were signing the game. Oh, my god! It's hard to describe the emotions that followed. Surprise, first of all — everything happened so quickly when just six months earlier, I had nearly abandoned the project because it was stalling. Above all, immense joy in seeing this project, so close to my heart, signed by a company I greatly admire. I was aware of my luck, the alignment of the stars, and the decisive meeting with Florent on a beautiful February afternoon at FIJ. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8702636"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/7TosCQLEVT1vAprsbzYP2A__small/img/UG-tWbwJmhDSN8nnbIkn5_iU6sM=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8702636.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> The Beginning of Development Once the contract details were sorted out, development officially began in July 2022. I was well aware that the game was far from finished. The first encouraging iterations dated back to FIJ, but there was still a lot to do to refine it. I was a little apprehensive since this was my first time collaborating with a publisher along these lines. The development of <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/397352/diferencio" >Diferencio</a>, my previous game at <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/40997/kyf-edition" >KYF Edition</a>, had been almost entirely hands-off for the designers because the game was primarily driven by visuals — but with Popcorn, mechanical aspects needed to be improved, in addition to the illustration work that had to be done. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8702637"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/lICMxI_5mWN6HtX2b1Mnpg__small/img/GK0_eXM-ftGN-gWlJx6wlcbkrDk=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8702637.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> A Handful of Meeples Early on, I faced an unexpected request from my project manager that I hadn't anticipated: material constraints. Publishers have production concerns that designers often don't realize, and a game with 130 meeples (as in my prototype) was too costly to produce. My project manager ran some estimates and concluded that the number of meeples had to be reduced, especially since their internal playtests always ended with plenty of unused meeples. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8702639"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/76UeWr6ycz-VIHpRV2ksvA__small/img/6sbMUM1M9UkLh11NDJjbm43Id3g=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8702639.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> To address this, I came up with a simple yet game-changing idea: Each player would start with nine meeples, five white (neutral spectators) and four colored (with film preferences). Initially, players could gain new white and colored meeples through the "word of mouth" action. Later, we removed the ability to gain white meeples entirely. Instead, when the reserve was empty, performing the action would allow players to take a spectator from an opponent's exit zone. This thematic tweak fit well, the idea being that your movie could attract people who would have otherwise gone to another cinema. Player Interaction This adjustment not only reduced the number of meeples needed, but also introduced more player interaction — without being too harsh. It was well received by my project manager during IELLO's internal playtests. We even later decided to further limit the reserve, so that spectator "stealing" would happen earlier in the game rather than just at the end. Originally, interaction was also represented by black meeples, which we later removed. Not only did they pose thematic issues, but they were also too punishing. Players could place black meeples into opponents' bags, and once drawn, they would be deadweight for the rest of the game. If multiple players ganged up on someone, it could ruin their experience. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8702638"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/jtuTSWKM_s4-RSrkz72QCg__small/img/NweIJkyT3FWEusl2oMKgweM4aFU=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8702638.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> Instead, we replaced this with sending white meeples to opponents. White meeples weren't as problematic since they could still help fill theaters and trigger film card actions. Players also had ways to get rid of them through certain actions. Balancing the Films One of the most challenging aspects of development was balancing the film cards. Since the prototype's earliest versions, my author friends had warned me: "Your game is going to be a nightmare to balance!" They were right. Some actions could be repeated multiple times if players placed multiple meeples of the right color in a theater. We solved this by placing the most powerful actions lower on the cards, limiting their availability. It took many tests to evaluate the power of each action and compile everything into a massive Excel table, factoring in the action's position on the card and its impact. Simultaneous Play The major part of the development, and the reason for the delay that prevented the game from being presented at the Sabliers d'Or in France, was IELLO's desire to make the game playable simultaneously. After the <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/338093/ancient-knowledge" >Ancient Knowledge</a> precedent, in which some players complained about the long wait between turns with four players, they worried that turns in Popcorn could also be lengthy. Players would take time to place their meeples in the rooms and complete their actions. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8702640"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/ReKJY6wBG2fj29YHpjdUUA__small/img/c9YahfxGJQb5Kwl8-CNYDFfpdwQ=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8702640.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> The solution was simple, but not without challenges: make simultaneous play possible. Players receive their new spectators for the week and perform their actions simultaneously, as if they were managing their cinema individually. The main issue with this was managing actions that required a specific turn order, like building new rooms or word-of-mouth actions. This simultaneous play choice significantly reduced the game time (almost by half). Since building rooms was problematic (both thematically and in terms of timing), we moved this action between turns and removed it from the film cards. As for the word-of-mouth action, it required adding an additional board — the advertising board — to signal that a player would acquire new meeples in the upcoming week. Building Rooms Room construction was a key element of the game and a major challenge during development. Notably, there was the introduction of colored seats with IELLO and the idea of starting the game with an unbuilt room. The cost of rooms, the available powers on the seats, and fine-tuning the fact that a filled room triggers an action from the film cards were all repeatedly tested to ensure each room was appealing. The decision to remove the construction action from the film cards also greatly simplified the timing of the building process — a frequent source of frustration for players during their first playthroughs. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8702641"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/JsYSZsSpk9u9hMCVoHZrJg__small/img/9WPaiGIhIpdoRmh8NL3T7Y1NKwA=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8702641.jpg" border=0></a></div></center> Creating Films As for the graphic design and illustrations, I'll let illustrator <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameartist/111373/emilien-rotival" >Emilien Rotival</a> describe the various stages of creating the cover, the films, and the game elements — but let me first share a little about the creation of the films themselves. Starting in 2019, I used the long moments of doubt about the game's mechanisms to create fake films that would feed into the theme. The technique was simple: I took existing movie posters and reworked them by changing the title (and sometimes the tagline) and adding Easter eggs for fun. While this was quite time-consuming and unnecessary at the prototype stage, it was enjoyable, and I think this work helped attract attention to the game — particularly at the Cannes Off. Once the game was signed, I eagerly anticipated inventing the films that players could choose to showcase. My project manager and I spent a lot of time discussing what type of films to create. We were not allowed to use existing films, and we didn't really want to parody them as in <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/2/reiner-knizia" >Reiner Knizia</a>'s <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/904/nightmare-productions" >Dream Factory</a>. As a film lover, I had hoped to slip in references to some of my favorite films, often obscure ones. However, IELLO's distribution ambitions meant we had to focus on references that would resonate with a broader audience. The idea, therefore, was to focus on film genres rather than specific films: rom-coms, horror films, pirate movies... It's up to the players to find connections to existing films — and there are quite a few! In total, we came up with 48 films in four genres: comedy, drama, action, and fantasy/horror. My project manager also had a lot of fun coming up with a few playful titles. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8703049"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/L7qvN2OIYuzir49_kvyMCg__small/img/mM7fu_YB5_blvNhFakQjs6B4Z58=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8703049.png" border=0></a></div></center> Premiere at Cannes In the end, three years passed between signing the game and its arrival in stores. Little by little, I delighted in discovering the visuals created for the game — the cover, boards, films — and thought to myself that I was living a dream. Popcorn was finally going to be released! After a preview presentation at Cannes during the International Games Festival — and what better place for a game about cinema? — the game will be available in French starting March 12 and in English in the second half of 2025. I hope you will enjoy playing it as much as I enjoyed every step of its development. <center><div style=''><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8624543"><img src="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/A51UeOhoftrqndNbgXrJLA__small/img/fC7upetjtcp-yWfl_EKTy8qI_Go=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic8624543.jpg" border=0></a></div></center>