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Introduction There hasn't been a game by Phil Walker-Harding I haven't liked (yet). I learned his name when we purchased Silver & Gold . The game is great and the markers are everything. When we learned that there was a sequel even though a standalone, we had to get it. Silver & Gold: Pyramids . It takes the core flip-and-write mechanics we loved from the original and moves the action from tropical islands to ancient tombs. It remains fast-paced and language-independent, but adds a clever dungeon crawl twist that makes it the perfect next step for fans of the first game Components The small box is packed with high-quality components that feel consistent with the original game: Rulebook:  concise, well-illustrated, and easy to digest 4 Dry Erase Markers:  thankfully, they’ve stuck with the high-quality markers we love. While the brand might vary by region, our copy came with Faber Castell ones, and I'm over the moon with them 48 Pyramid Cards:  instead of simple shapes, these feature 5x5 grids representing ancient tombs. They are divided into three colors (Green, Orange, Purple) and vary in complexity 8 Expedition Cards:  the familiar Tetris-style pieces return to guide your path 4 Score Cards:  these are essential for tracking your gems, torches, and the dreaded skulls Gameplay The objective is to score the most points over four rounds by navigating through pyramids to reach the Golden Tomb. The biggest twist here is the continuous path mechanic: every shape you draw must connect back to the entrance at the top. You aren't just filling boxes; you are carving a route The red cross returns. It let's you cross another square in either of your pyramid cards. You always have the choice to mark a space by the entrance or adjacent to an existing cross off space. As you flip Expedition Cards, you’ll encounter several new symbols: Gems:  individually they are worth 1 point, but if you collect pairs (red + green) you additionally score 5 points per pair Torches:  provide steady scoring, but you can only claim one per round Potions:  are lifesavers. They allow you to wipe away the penalties from skulls Skulls:  represent the dangers of the tomb. Cross too many without a potion, and you’ll see your final score crumble When you reach the golden tomb at the bottom, the card is finished. Completing cards is now a race. The first players to finish sets of 2, 4, or 6 cards of a specific color claim the highest bonus points, while others are left with the scraps Scoring and Winning After four rounds with seven turns each, players tally their completed pyramids (10 points each), torch bonuses, color race points, and gem sets. Finally, you subtract points based on your highest marked skull penalty. Ties are broken by the player that played the lowest number on their pyramid card What I Like If you enjoyed the original, Pyramids is a fantastic step up. It keeps the just one more turn addictive quality but adds a sense of direction. I love that you can't just fill in random corners; you have to plan your descent. The addition of the 1-box rule (choosing to fill any single box instead of the flipped shape) offers a great tactical out when the luck of the draw doesn't go your way. It’s still portable, still fast, and still looks great on the table after dozens of plays Pros 👩🏻‍🏫 Quick and easy to learn and teach 🗺️ Language-independent 🏎️ Fast-paced short game ▶️ Lots of replayability 🗺️ Language independent 📈 Combines luck and structure 🍀 Luck and strategy balanced 👜 Portable game, great for pubs and travels 😍 High-quality components, especially the Faber Castell dry erase markers Considerations Negative Scoring:  Some players might find the skull penalties frustrating if they aren't able to use potions No Erasers:  Much like the first, you'll want to keep a paper towel handy to clean your cards between games Seems to only be available in the Amazon in the States Bottom Line Silver & Gold: Pyramids is a worthy successor that honors the original while introducing enough new mechanics to feel fresh. It’s perfect for those who want a bit more game in their flip-and-write without losing the accessibility that made the first one a staple. It has certainly earned its spot in my travel bag, but I hardly teach it before the original

I believe board games do not have to be new to be legendary. I feel sort of hypocritical saying this because I don’t thrift anything else in my life but when it comes to tabletop gaming? Buying second-hand is a definitive YES for me It’s no secret that Millennium Games is my favorite local spot. In fact, it’s rare that a week goes by where I’m not wandering the aisles. I love the new releases section in the middle of the store as much as the next gamer, but my absolute favorite corner of the store? The Used Game Section There is something exhilarating about browsing those shelves. This is where the magic happens. To date, I’ve bought 112 used games and 32 expansions, and I’ve sold 90 games and 15 expansions right back into the ecosystem. We are constantly cycling our collection because, while we love games, we hate seeing them sit idle I’ll be honest: I get feisty when I see a masterpiece sitting in the used bin. I’ve been known to murmur (or borderline shout), "Who would get rid of this?! What a shame! Shame on them!" But the reality? I’m that person, too. That’s the beauty of the catch and release gaming. Buying used allows me to try games I otherwise wouldn't. Some haven’t been for us at all, and they go right back to the store. Others are ancient gems, and in this hobby, anything over 20 years old is practically vintage. And I love giving vintage a second chance for someone to potentially get a third chance a few months later Data Driven and Deep Down the Rabbit Hole If you’re wondering how I know those exact numbers. Well, I’ve officially drunk the Kool-Aid. I track everything. Every play, every win, every acquisition, and every trade-in goes into my stats. For us, the collection isn't just a pile of boxes; it's a living, breathing thing. If a game hasn't hit the table in a year, the data tells me it’s time for it to go up for adoption The Rochester Advantage I feel incredibly spoiled living near what is allegedly the largest board game store in the country. (If I’m wrong, sue NEWS8 WROC. They shared that stat, and I’m just repeating a cool fact about my city) I try to visit a local game store every time I travel, and so far, nothing has topped Millennium The Thrill of the Find When I first moved to Rochester, the pandemic hit. I couldn't go home, I had no local friends, and all I had was a lot of boredom and my wife. We had dabbled in Carcassonne and Catan, but then we received Wingspan as a gift. That was the spark. We headed to Millennium, the staff was lovely, and we’ve been back every week since. Yes, there is a specific magic to cutting the seal on a brand-new box and being the first to punch out the cardboard. But you know what’s better? Finding that same excitement for 50–85% off My All-Time Second-Hand Gems If you need proof that the used section is a goldmine, look at these scores: Dominion: a deck-building staple that I snagged with Prosperity and Intrigue, all sleeved, for just $20 Jump Drive: fast, fun, and a total steal that came with the expansion still in shrink Vindication: found her sitting in the used section, components unplayed and pristine. I thought we'd hated, but I was wrong Raiders of the North Sea: Another unplayed find, complete with metal coins Trust Your Gut, Not the Geek My strategy for the used section is simple: Take. Your. Time. When something strikes my fancy, I pull it off the shelf, open it up, and start counting. I check the cards, inspect the components, and get a feel for the vibe of the game. Most importantly? I try not to look at BoardGameGeek. I know, I know, it sounds like heresy. But checking ratings can spoil the magic of a bargain find. Sure, this blind approach has bit me a few times, but I’ve learned that a 6.2 rating on BGG doesn't mean a game won't be a good time. Sometimes, you just have to trust the box and sometimes, a game will be great the first time, good the second, and needs to be rehomed after the third. And that's ok! The used section is a cycle, and I love being a part of it The Bottom Line Whether it's a vintage classic from 1999 or a 2025 release that someone played once and hated, the used section is the heartbeat of the hobby. It's how I've discovered my favorite game (Jump Drive) and how I keep our collection from becoming an undusted museum

From Carcassonne to Paris Three years ago, we were gifted two meeples that had finally had enough of the tabletop. Coincidentally, one was yellow and the other purple. They were leftovers from an incomplete Carcassonne game that was headed for the bin. We decided to give them a better ending, a reincarnation of sorts 🥰 Yellow is my go-to color in board gaming, and purple is my wife’s favorite. A match made in heaven. Since we take board games wherever we go anyway, we figured: why not take these two along to explore the world? Instead of claiming points on a cardboard map, they’ve spent the last years claiming actual territory. They’ve braved the freezing spray of Niagara Falls, stood guard with the King’s Life Guard, felt the sand in the tropical heat of the Bahamas, and even climbed Machu Picchu. To date, they’ve conquered a lot. We’re officially kicking off their chronicles with a return to their ancestral home: France The Parisian Hitlist If you visit Paris, make sure to visit: The Iron Lady - you haven't truly lived until you've balanced a 1-inch wooden figure on a stone ledge with the Eiffel Tower looming in the background. While we were busy taking in the views, Yellow and Purple seemed remarkably unimpressed by the height. I suppose when you've already survived a trip to the Andes, a 300-meter tower is just another day at the office The Louvre - walking in is daunting, there's so much to see and turns out if you make the Mona Lisa your last stop, you can see her without the crowd Musée d’Orsay - can you believe this was a train station? Notre-Dame - though undergoing restoration, this was a powerful sight Hôtel Les Invalides - The duo stood at attention to learn about France’s military history. They even paid their respects with a very tiny salute near Napoleon’s tomb under that spectacular golden dome Versailles - A day trip to the Palace was a must. While we were completely taken away by the Hall of Mirrors, the meeples really shone in the gardens. I think we all wanted to activate farmer state Arc de Triomphe - located in the biggest roundabout I have ever seen, it is simply iconic Food wise, there's a lot but the two that stood out to us were The Great Canadian (the Olympics were on and we love hockey, so 🙈 we spent a lot of time there) The food is quite good. Oh! and Angelina had the best macarons and delicious desserts 😋 To Be Continued... Paris was a victory lap, but the archives are deep. Now that The Meeple Chronicles are officially open, I’ll be reaching back in time. They may have started as leftovers, but the world is their game board now

When we think back on board games, people usually jump to the big names: Monopoly, Checkers, Chess. The classics with boxes and boards and pieces you can lose under the couch I’d beg to differ. I think the first board game most of us ever played didn’t even have a board. It was tic tac toe! It's a weird one. It’s considered a board game, but also not. It doesn’t have a board. Sometimes it’s a napkin. Sometimes it’s a chalkboard. Sometimes it’s lines scratched into sand or snow. And yet, it’s beautiful! No matter where you’re from, you’ve played this game. At some point. With someone. I learned it as el gato. Yup, the cat. Why? Because it’s the same word Chileans used for what we now call a hashtag, before that even became a thing. Hearing people call the # a hashtag? YUCK🤢 But that's a story for another day You probably learned this game as tic tac toe. Same game. Same grid. Same little Xs and Os fighting for dominance. I remember playing it with classmates. I remember playing it with my dad. And now, decades later, I play it with my niece. That’s wild! It’s also the kind of game you don’t really teach. It just clicks. It spreads by osmosis. Adults see the patterns instantly, but that magic moment when a kid realizes they can block you? That’s where potential board game hobbyists are born! With Valentine’s around the corner, I’ve been looking at my shelves differently. All the 2-player games we own, the ones we play constantly, and the ones gathering dust. It's time to play, review, and cull. So, what was the actual first 2-player game you ever played? For me, I think I have to say Tic Tac Toe!

If you’ve spent any time with The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine ( read my review ), you already know the magic of "silent" trick-taking. It’s that unique brand of cooperative tension where a single card played can feel like a triumph or a total catastrophe. It’s the same player cooperative experience (play it at 3+), but it swaps the vacuum of space for the crushing depths of the ocean. More importantly, it swaps a rigid mission structure for something much more clever The Evolution: From "What" to "How" In the original Planet Nine , the missions were fixed and specific. The missions would be like: "Win the Pink 3." After a while, it felt a little repetitive. Mission Deep Sea introduces a difficulty level based on player count. You can either draw task cards up to a specific difficulty number or follow the logbook of 32 missions. The 96 task cards can task you with things like: Winning more yellow cards than blue cards Winning exactly X tricks Not winning any cards with a value of Y Winning a trick using a Submarine (the trump suit) Why I Prefer the Deep Sea While I’ll always respect Planet Nine , Mission Deep Sea  is the version that’s staying in my collection. Here is why: Infinite Variety:  tasks are drawn randomly to meet a difficulty total, you will never play the same mission twice. The puzzle is fresh every single time the cards are dealt More "Puzzle," Less "Math":  the original felt very much like "I have the 9, guess who has the 8? Let’s see if we telepathically line them up." The sequel feels like a logic puzzle. You have to manipulate the flow of the game to meet strange conditions, which feels incredibly rewarding when (and if!) it clicks Better Scaling:  the difficulty feels more balanced. If a mission feels too easy, the next one might pull a combination of tasks that forces you to rethink everything you know The "Ah-Ha!" Moments:  there is nothing quite like the feeling of someone completing a "win exactly zero tricks" task by the skin of their teeth. The stories you get out of these missions are not only memorable, they make you feel like you’ve won a championship Comparison at a Glance Feature The Quest for Planet Nine Mission Deep Sea Tasks 36 (specific cards) 96 (varied conditions) Components 17 tokens (order 1-5, first, last, etc.) 7 tokens Mission Setup static (fixed in logbook) dynamic (point-based) Complexity straightforward thinky and tactical Replayability very high absolutely infinite Bottom Line If you already own and love The Crew , you might wonder if you need the sequel. For me, it’s a resounding YES! While the original is a fantastic teaching tool, Mission Deep Sea  is the refined version. It takes a brilliant concept and adds layers of creativity and variety that make it impossible to put away. The original got me into the genre, but the sequel is the one that perfected it If you loved the cooperative chaos of The Crew... Same Vibes:   The Mind  and Bandido Want More?   The Game  and Beacon Patrol For the Fantasy Fans:   The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring Trick-Taking Game  (Warning: I am recently obsessed with LotR, and we just picked up the sequel to that—I’m beyond hooked!)

🚀 The Crew: the Quest for Planet Nine 👩🏻‍🎨 Designer: Thomas Sing | 📦 Publisher: Kosmos ♟️ 3-5 players (the box says 2 players, but I’d skip it at that count) ⏳ ~15 minutes per round (with the tendency to hook you for hours)  ⚙️ Cooperative trick taking. Zero table talk. Maximum feelings Another Game that Changed My Mind For the longest time, if you said, “trick taking”, I suddenly remembered I had somewhere else to be. I did not grow up on Spades, and the competitive, mathy vibe always felt more stressful than fun. Then I played The Crew The Quest for Planet Nine and everything changed All it took was swapping competition for cooperation. With 40 pretty space themed cards and a totally different objective, you aren't trying to outplay your friends. You’re astronauts hunting for a mysterious planet, communicating entirely in silence. The game is deceiving. It looks calm and friendly, but five minutes in, the table is dead silent and everyone is desperately trying to read each other's minds. It’s stressful in the best way. When you lose. Warning, this will happen A LOT!  It’s usually your fault, but the rounds are so fast that there is always time for a redo I used to avoid games like this, but I knew this one was a keeper the night we promised to play one mission, so we could get home early. Suddenly it was past midnight. Whoops What is in the box No fluff, no fillers, just vibes: 🃏 The deck 36 numbered cards 1-9 in four suits 4 trump cards called rockets  📋 Mission cards that tell you exactly how you are going to fail this round 📖 A mission log with 50 missions that slowly steal your confidence ♟️ tokens for the Captain (first player), tasks, communication and distress signal How it Plays If you’ve played Hearts, Spades, or The Fellowship of the RIng, you are halfway there! Players follow the suit led, and the highest card wins the trick (Rockets are the trump suit and beat everything) Determine the Captain : whoever gets the 4 rocket starts the game Set the Mission : flip over task cards. These show specific cards, and in clockwise order players will pick which missions will be won by specific players Play the Trick : players must follow the suit led [Barely] Communicate : Once per mission, you can place a token on a card in your hand to tell the team it’s your highest, lowest, or only card of that suit To win, every mission card must be fulfilled 🏆 Every trick feels like a puzzle. Every mistake feels personal The Campaign The game comes with a logbook of 50 missions that tell a story. It starts off easy, but it quickly ramps up the difficulty. You’ll find yourself dealing with radio silence or having to win tricks in a very specific order. It’s the kind of game you can’t just play once; you’ll fail a mission, look at your friends, and immediately say, "One more try." Pros 👩🏻‍🏫 Easy to teach 🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 Family friendly 💰 Budget friendly 👜 Small box. Huge game 🗺️ Language independent 🤝 Forces teamwork without quarterbacking 🤩 Brilliant cooperative twist on a classic genre 📈 The campaign has the perfect learning curve 🧠 Genuinely clever missions that scale beautifully Considerations 😬 Analysis paralysis can sneak in 🪐 Theme is light. The puzzle is the star 🧊 If your group hates silence this will feel intense 🚫 You need at least three players, I like this game at 4 the best 🃏 If you didn't grow up with these games (like me), it takes a few rounds to make sense Bottom line The Crew makes you feel like a genius when you win and leaves you starving for a rematch when you lose. It is quiet, tense, and wildly satisfying when a plan comes together without a single word spoken. If you like cooperative puzzles, or if you just like staring at your friends and wishing you could read their minds, this is for you. Mission accepted 🚀 If you loved the cooperative chaos of The Crew... Same Vibes: The Mind and Bandido Want More? The Game and Beacon Patrol For the Fantasy Fans: The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring Trick-Taking Game (warning, I am recently obsessed with LotR, and we just picked up the sequel to that, and I’m beyond hooked)

Jump Drive is one of my favorite games. I play it as often as I can, I teach it to anyone that shows remote interest to board games beyond five-minute palette cleansers, and I gift it regularly. The rulebook is great if you're familiar with the hobby or Race for the Galaxy universe. For those that aren't, this is how I introduce this gem to my friends What is Jump Drive? 15 minute game that plays simultaneously. It takes about 7 turns, and it is a race to build the most powerful and efficient space empire. It is the kind of game, you won't just play once The Goal Race to 50 points. When someone hits 50, finish the round. The player with the highest score wins! The Cards Cards in your hand are your currency. To play a card, you must discard other cards from your hand equal to its cost. There are three type of cards: 🔸 Developments:  Marked with a tan/yellowish diamond. These always cost cards to play ⚫️ Worlds:  Marked with a black circle outline. These also cost cards to play ⭕ Military Worlds:  Marked with a red circle outline. These do not  cost cards. Instead, you must already have enough Military Power in your tableau to meet or exceed the number in the red circle 💡At the bottom of every card, you'll see Income  (how many cards you draw) and Victory Points  (chips you take) after each round Anatomy of a Card There are loads of icons in this game, and you'll learn them with time. What sets Jump Drive apart is that every card will tell you what it does, so you can learn the game as you play it Some cards will have explanations on what’s special about them. These could be discounts or conditions. Every card will tell you its victory points and income even if its zero Setting Up the Game Set out Survey Team cards equal to the number of players Shuffle the deck Deal each player seven cards and place the deck in the center Each player chooses five cards to keep, and discard two Set victory points chips and explore markers next to the deck Playing a Round During a turn you have five choices, and everyone plays at the same time. Although, I'd recommend playing in turn order the first few rounds: Play a Development : Pay its cost. If this is the only card you are playing, the cost is subtracted by one Play a World :  Pay its cost. If this is the only card you are playing, draw one card  Settle a Military World : These cards are never paid. If your Military Power (the red +1 icons already played) meet or exceed the number in the red circle, play it for free Play a Development and a World : Pay the full cost for both The exception is that if you are playing a Military World, you do not pay its cost but instead check if you meet or exceed the number of +1 red circles in your tableau NOTE: You do not get the "solo" bonuses when playing both cards Explore:  If you can’t or don't want to play any cards, you grab an explore token to find better options. Draw 5 cards  plus the number of Explore icons  (the eye symbols that are not as creepy as this emoji 👁️) in your tableau Review the drawn cards and the ones already in your hand, then discard the total eye symbols in your tableau plus 3 cards The result? You dig through the deck to find the perfect additions and always end up with 2 more cards than you started with Scoring a Round Once everyone has revealed their cards, you score and draw cards for everything in your tableau: Collect Victory Points : Take chips equal to the total VPs showing on all your played cards Draw Income : Draw cards equal to the total Income showing on all your played cards Clean Up : Discard down to 10 cards Check to see if anyone has reached 50 or more points and can be determined the winner 🏆 Ready to Play? Jump Drive looks like a lot of icons at first, but by round three, it all clicks. The best way to learn is to just start playing. Once you have played one or two games, the game can be played simultaneously and it takes about 7 rounds and 15 minutes regardless of the player count. The beauty of this game is that your strategy will change every game depending on the cards you are dealt

I’m not really a space fan. I’ve enjoyed space themed games, but it’s never what I gravitate toward. Maybe it’s because I struggled learning the planets growing up. I gave Race for the Galaxy a shot but never really clicked with it. Then I tried Jump Drive, and everything changed. I AM HOOKED! It’s fast, fun, and surprisingly addictive. My wife was hesitant at first, but now she’s just as into it. It’s become our “We have 15 minutes, quick!” go-to game In fact, I could use some help with strategy. She beats me most of the time! We've been playing this game nonstop for two years, and I can confidently say that it is the game we gift all our friends. You don't have it? Well, the next holiday, you are getting a copy. It's that good. Do you sleeve your games? We usually 3d print inserts for games we enjoy, and we did. But for the first time in a long time, my wife also sleeved the game. She likes it that much! Shortly after acquiring this game, we got the expansion, but more to come on that This one is one of those games that count as a big game in a moderately sized box. We actually like this game so much, we have an extra copy that we keep in an GameGenic box we found on sale at our local store. It fits all the cards (even sleeved). We used to use paper and pen on the go to score, but upgraded those to 3D printed counter tokens Objective In Jump Drive, players race to build an intergalactic empire by exploring new worlds and developing technologies. The goal is to be the first to hit 50 victory points by strategically playing cards that expand your civilization’s economy and military power Setup Shuffle the deck of development and world cards Deal each player seven cards and place the deck in the center Each player chooses five cards to keep, and discard two Gameplay On each turn, players simultaneously choose one card from their hand to either play as a development or world, paying its cost. The twist? Your cards are your currency. If a card costs 3, you must discard 3 cards from your hand to put into play. This creates a constant tension because you might have the perfect card for the next turn, but you need to discard it to afford what you are trying to build this round. Once cards are revealed, they provide income and victory points for future rounds. Then, each player draws back up to their hand size The beauty of Jump Drive is in its simplicity. Turns are lightning fast, and the decision making process is clear. The strategy comes from balancing your economic engine (income generation) with grabbing victory points as quickly as possible How to Win The game ends when any player reaches 50 or more victory points at the end of a round. The player with the highest total wins. It’s a race to see who can build the most efficient empire. The game is all about leveraging powerful combos between development and world cards sprinkled with a bit of luck Key Features Fast paced gameplay: the whole game is typically done in 20 minutes or less, making it a perfect filler yet crunchy game Card drafting and engine building: the simple card mechanics allow for quick, impactful decisions that keep players engaged Strategic depth: despite its speed, there’s plenty of room for clever card synergies and strategic plays Simultaneous play: once you get a hold of the game, everyone plays at once Pros Quick setup Super fast play Compact and portable Engaging for all player levels Plays well at any player count mostly language independent Simultaneous play = no downtime Strategic without being overwhelming Easy impulse buy and worth every penny! And my favorite, satisfying combos. The engine-building aspect is rewarding, making each play through feel unique. Though this can be frustrating if you are banking on a specific strategy that is just not materializing Cons Limited player interaction: It's mostly a solo puzzle where you’re focused on your own tableau, so if you like interaction. I'd consider talking out each turn. That's what we do with new players Not much theme: While it has a space setting, the theme doesn’t come through strongly, The game is mostly about the mechanics. This to me is a pro though because I know nothing about space! The game is a bit ugly: There, I said it. And, yes, this is my favorite game to pull out when there's not much time, but let's be real. There are gorgeous games out there, and this is one is not winning any beauty pageants. Conclusion Even though space games aren’t my go to, Jump Drive is my favorite. It’s a compact, clever, and addictive engine builder that I find myself returning to whenever I need something fast and satisfying. And while I’m still working on how to win, the game itself is a winner. Whether you’re a seasoned gamer or just looking for something light and strategic, Jump Drive is worth adding to your collection. The game is also available in Board Game Arena which is a good way to get acquainted with it

Whether you are celebrating Hanukkah, Christmas, or just want to enjoy the gift of giving this holiday season, these are the games that never fail me. If you’re heading to a gathering, looking for a stocking stuffer, or just want something easy to learn, teach, and enjoy, these small-box gems are the answer. They fit in a coat pocket, play with anyone, and are fast, fun, and infinitely replayable. You may even consider getting yourself a copy!  🧠 The Silent Strategists: Cooperative Card Games that are Brain-Burners These three games are quiet masterpieces. They are great at any player count and prove that games don’t necessarily need trash talk to be tense, but they do need synchronization and a lot of hope with a sprinkle of luck! The Mind 2–4 players | 20 minutes This is the game that plays you. You are dealt numbered cards (1–100) and your goal is simple: play them all in ascending order. The twist? No talking, no signaling, no communication, but maybe some telepathy. You rely solely on reading your teammates' minds, or at least their hesitation. This is the perfect chaos inducer. It’s a pure shared experience that feels like a magic trick when you pull it off. I have played this game over 100 times, and we’ve only won once with 2 players. We’ve come really close at 3 and 4, but no cigar! If you have been searching for a game that gets a table quietly yelling inside their heads, this is it. If you enjoy this and would like a board game that feels similar, check out Magic Maze The Game 1–5 players | 20 minutes A close cousin to The Mind, The Game gives you just a little more structure and maybe, just maybe, a little more hope. You and your team are trying to play all 98 cards onto four central piles: two ascending (2–99) and two descending (99–2). The catch is that you must always place a card higher on an ascending pile or lower on a descending pile. There is one exception. If you ever have a card that is exactly ten points higher or lower, you can play it in its corresponding pile. Sometimes you can play more than one card and make the pile go from almost game over to a new beginning of hope. This game is addictive. Everyone holds a piece everyone else desperately needs, but can you play the piece at the right time? The tension is thick, but the satisfaction of beating the game is pure joy Bandido 1–4 players | 15 minutes If you need a quick, cooperative maze-building challenge that fits in a tiny wallet-sized box, grab Bandido. Your team is working together to try and block the escape of a mischievous criminal by playing cards to build tunnels. You have to use every single card you draw to keep sealing off exit routes. The tension comes from drawing a card that opens up three new pathways when you only have one path left to close 🏝️ The Push-Your-Luck Portables: High Risk, Tiny Boxes For the person who loves a good gamble, these little boxes pack a massive amount of tension and player interaction. You know for that one friend who just can't stop saying "one more." The below games inject instant energy into a room, featuring massive cheers when a risk pays off and loud groans when you fly too close to the sun Deep Sea Adventure 2–6 players (best at 4+) | 20 minutes Oink Games are masters of small boxes, and this one is the poster child for cutthroat cooperation. You dive deep to collect treasure, but everyone shares the same oxygen tank. Every piece of treasure you grab weighs you down, causing you to burn oxygen faster for everyone. Do you turn back early with a little treasure? Or do you push for the high-value loot, knowing you might doom your friends and yourself to drowning? Flip 7 3+ players (can be played at 2) | 20 minutes If you love the "just one more" feeling, then Flip 7 is the card game for you. It’s a fast-paced, push-your-luck experience where you draw cards to rack up points, but if you draw a duplicate number, you bust and score nothing! The deck is cleverly weighted (12 12s, 11 11s, 10 10s and so on to 2 2s, 1 1, and 1 0). Flip 7 forces you to consider the odds constantly. It’s quick, loud, and perfect for when you need a game that travels from the dining room table to a crowded pub or coffee shop Chicken! 2–8 players | 15 minutes The goal is simple: be the first to 25 points. You want chickens, and you definitely don't want foxes. You get to roll twice, and if you ever roll three foxes, you are busted. Your turn is over. But the genius is in the eggs. If you roll eggs, you get to add more dice to your pool. It’s this intense balance where you’re hoping for eggs on the first roll so you can go big on the second, but sometimes another player passes you their leftover dice and suddenly you’re rolling way more than you can handle. When luck is on your side, it feels amazing, but one wrong roll and it is game over for the round! 🤸 The Dexterity Daredevils Sometimes you need to get your head out of the rulebook and get your hands on the table. These games replace heavy strategy with pure motor skills or the inevitable lack thereof. They are fantastic equalizers; the smartest strategist in the room can still lose if they have shaky hands. Expect pieces to fall, tables to get bumped, and everyone to be holding their breath. These are great gifts for those who love a hands-on challenge and don't mind when things go spectacularly wrong DroPolter 2–5 players | 15 minutes This is the ultimate test of palm control! The theme is that eerie noises have woken you up, and you need to drop specific lucky charms from your hand to ward off the ghosts under your bed. The game is very unique. You start each round with the same objects in your hand, and flip a card. Then you race to be the first player to drop the correct charms that match the card. It requires every finger and palm muscle to work correctly. If you successfully drop only the correct items, you claim a bell. If you drop the wrong item or a bell, you lose the round and must reset. The bells you collect are then added to your hand, making it progressively harder and funnier to control all the moving parts. First to five bells wins. Pick n Packers 3-6 players | 20 minutes Cooperative spatial puzzle with no downtime. You are invested in every single turn because you are either delivering goods or betting on the success of others. The game features 9 different locations that you are racing to serve. You team up with the neighbor on your left and then with the neighbor on your right to fulfill these orders. You use one finger each to control a drone piece and pack items into it. It is harder than it looks to coordinate your movements without talking or making the gifts you have accumulated fall. The game plays incredibly fast, and guessing how many gifts a team will deliver correctly is satisfying and can be the magic to winning the game 🃏 The Card-Play Kings: Deduction, Matching, and Take That These small decks offer deep, replayable gameplay that feels like a full-sized strategy experience. These games punch way above their weight class. They offer that satisfying, crunchy feel of a big strategy game but strip away the complicated setup. These are for the players who love outsmarting their opponents, spotting patterns, and playing that one perfect card that ruins everyone else's plans Stacccs 2–4 players | 15 minutes Mind-bending 3D stacking game using hexagonal cards. Instead of matching cards flat, you match them based on colors or numbers on the sides of the cards to build a trippy, gravity-defying tower. It forces you to think spatially in a way most card games don't. It’s fast, visually striking, and it’s all about trying to get rid of your cards Take 5! Also called 6nimmt! 2–10 players (recommend at 4 or more) | 45 minutes This is an absolute classic that proves you do not need complex rules to have a great time. Every turn, everyone plays a card simultaneously. Cards are placed in four rows, always ascending and closest to the row end card. The fifth card in any row is safe, but the player who plays the sixth card must take the entire row of cards and the negative bullhead points they carry. It is a constant, agonizing puzzle of deduction and risk management. First to 66 bullheads loses the game! Trio 3–6 players | 15 minutes Trio is basically a memory for grown-ups, but with a spicy, competitive twist. You’re trying to find sets of three matching numbers. You can ask someone for their highest or lowest card, or reveal a card from the middle of the table. It sounds simple, but once you start deducing who has what, it becomes a high-speed brain burner. It feels elegant and sharp, and the satisfaction of finally finding that last number to complete your Trio is top-notch. 🎨 The Artsy Angle: Doodling and Drawing You don’t need to be an artist to enjoy this; in fact, it’s probably better if you aren’t. This section is for the creatives, the scribblers, and anyone who thinks stick figures are high art. It’s less about the masterpiece and more about the frantic energy of trying to communicate an idea before the timer runs out Six Seconds Scribbles 2-8 players | 10 minutes This is the emergency party game everyone should own. You get a category and a very short amount of time to doodle as many things as you can. It’s like Pictionary on 2x speed. The drawings are always terrible, the guesses are even worse, and the laughs are guaranteed. It comes with tiny pencils and pads, making it the easiest thing to toss in a bag for a holiday party. If you have artsy family members but don’t like to draw (that’s me!) I’d recommend checking out Pictures, but if you want something a bit more intense with drawing, check out Pictomania. 🗣️ The Trivia Twist: Betting and Bluffing Trivia games can be polarizing, but this one levels the playing field. You don't actually need to know the exact answer. You just need to be better at calling someone else's bluff. It’s perfect for loud environments where you want to argue, laugh, and learn some weird facts along the way How Dare You! 3–8 players | 15 minutes Someone reads a question where the answer is always a number. For example: how many countries are there in the world? Then the guessing begins. The next person has to bid even higher, and it keeps going until someone thinks the bid is total nonsense and yells DARE! Then you check the card, and whoever was wrong gets stuck with Silly Goose points. It’s loud, it’s fast, and it’s hilarious because half the time everyone is just taking wild stabs in the dark. It takes up zero table space, so you can literally play it anywhere like at a bar, in a car, or while waiting for your food at a restaurant. If trivia is your vibe and you want to do something more competitive but that still adjusts to non-trivia lovers, check out CDSK.

For the first time ever, we actually played a Hanukkah themed board game on Hanukkah. We broke from our usual holiday game night routine and gave Gelt Galore a spin at the table 🚨 Spoiler alert: Gelt Galore is surprisingly educational Trivia games aren’t usually my thing, but this one mixes holiday cheer with learning. The game comes with four types of trivia cards covering a wide range of topics about Hanukkah. If you’re playing with people new to the holiday or with kids, you can add the Tater Tots deck, which is easier. I do think that even then, some questions might still be tricky Gelt Galore is designed by Anya and Irina Kagan and the game is published by Gifts Galore. The game is for 3 to 24 players, though it works at 2, and plays in about 30 minutes. You can use the tokens provided, candy, chocolate coins (gelt), or gifts. Players move around the board around the Hanukkiah (Hanukkah's menorah) by rolling a die or spinning a dreidel (highly recommend using the dreidel instead of the die). You answer trivia, follow prompts, collect perks and treats, and work your way up to the shamash (middle of the menorah but also the special ninth candle in a hanukkiah) How it Plays 1️⃣ First player is whoever most recently made latkes (or ate french fries, that's our house rule) 2️⃣ Spin the dreidel and move around the board 3️⃣ Land on a color, answer trivia, follow prompts, and collect treats or perks 4️⃣ Interact with other players’ treats when instructed How to Win In this game, everyone comes out a winner. The goal of the game is to learn a little, spin the dreidel, and end the game with gelt, snacks, or maybe even a gift. The game does have a variant to assign points, but we did not play it this way as we had new to Hanukkah friends Who's this Game for? Trivia lovers Family and friends looking for a festive way to learn about Hanukkah Groups that want to play a thematic board game that includes gifts and snacks Pros 🕎 super festive and thematic for Hanukkah 🍬 can use gifts or snacks as tokens 👥 scales well for any player count Considerations 🗣️only available in English 🧠 trivia covers a wide range of topics 📖 rules could be clearer, and some true/false questions are a little confusing 📚 assumes some Hanukkah familiarity. The Tater Tots deck helps, but newcomers or kids may still find some questions challenging Bottom Line Trivia games aren’t my thing, but Gelt Galore is festive and educational. It’s not perfect, and I personally found it a bit overwhelming at first, but it’s a fun way to mix snacks while learning. There are still more nights of Hanukkah (and next year too!), and honestly, who doesn’t love doughnuts or gelt? Big thanks to Anya and Irina for adding such a fun, festive game to our collection

When you think of Van Gogh, you probably picture swirling skies, bursts of color, and brushstrokes so thick you can almost feel them. Now imagine that but as a still life in LEGO form. The LEGO Art Vincent van Gogh Sunflowers takes one of Van Gogh’s most famous paintings and rebuilds it brick by brick. It becomes a 3D masterpiece that looks like it leapt straight out of a museum frame. The set even comes with a sticker so you can sign the vase Does that mean you end up with an original? It does have a signature after all. I hadn’t played with LEGO since I was a kid, but after seeing the Fender Stratocaster I had to start again. And now with these art pieces, LEGO feels like it’s grown into something for art lovers, collectors, anyone who wants to bring a little sunshine to their walls, and of course for all of us adults who still love that feeling of play The Basics Set: 31215 LEGO Art Vincent van Gogh  Sunflowers Pieces: 2,615Release Date: March 1, 2025 Ages: 18+Size: 22 in. (54 cm) high, 17 in. (41 cm) wide, 2 in. (5 cm) deep The Masterpiece This isn’t your typical LEGO. It’s a 3D painting that can and should live in one of your walls. The end result is full of texture and depth. The set was created with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. The box has 34 bags and plates to help you form the canvas. You start with the frame, then the background. The background is light yellow with the bottom being darker yellow. It almost feels as if you are painting. The rulebook is thick and helps you put the masterpiece together step by step. There’s even an accompanying podcast, so you can learn about Van Gogh There are loads of yellow to brown, and it can get a little tricky. The color difference between the instruction manual and the pieces is not always clear. We experienced a bit of trial and error, but in a way, that’s the charm. As the piece starts to take shape, the sixteen 3D sunflowers range from in full bloom to wilting ones. This gives the painting a pop of texture. I really like how the painting is mostly monochromatic with a few hints of green. Then, it all comes together Final Impression When you finally hang it up, the result is stunning. The depth, the texture, the glow, it’s all there. Even with a few moments of color confusion, the build feels immersive, meditative, and rewarding. Whether you’re an art lover, a LEGO collector, or just someone looking to add a little creative sunshine to your space, the Vincent van Gogh  Sunflowers set delivers. It’s more than a build, it’s an experience. I do warn though, it has become addictive. We just ordered Starry Night, and I can’t wait!

Some people book spa weekends. We booked a getaway to play board games and relive our childhood. Three of us returned to the wizarding world they grew up with. I, the latecomer, had recently finished the books. Our destination? An area big enough for four adults, loads of LEGO bags, and one very long Diagon Alley There were enough instruction manuals to keep us from hexing each other. This was not just a build. It was a full-on weekend at Ollivanders, a trip to the Weasleys’ joke shop, and a ride with the knight bus. It was building magic, brick by brick The Basics Set: 76444 LEGO Harry Potter – Diagon Alley Wizarding Shop Pieces: 2,750 Size: 6 in. (15 cm) high, 34 in. (88 cm) wide, 3 in. (8 cm) deep if stretched out. If folded, the layout is 18 in. (45 cm) by 2 in. (16 cm) Characters: 12 and the Knight Bus! The Masterpiece This build is made for teamwork. I love that the instructions are split into multiple manuals. Everyone got their own section, their own pile of bricks, and nobody had to battle for page turns. We put the movies on in the background and built in peace. No elbows thrown. No spells cast. Just quiet concentration and the satisfying click of tiny plastic magic. The design and build is clever. Like Fred-and-George-level clever. Every detail pulls you deeper into the wizarding world. There are five sections in total. Gringotts is at the center, complete with a fiery dragon perched on top like the dramatic guardian it is I’ve been to Universal Orlando and life size Diagon Alley , craning my neck up at the fire-breathing dragon. But building it after finishing the books? That hit was different. Suddenly every little corner meant something. I love that the shopfronts open up, the light posts glow with charm, and the interiors are actually visible, which makes arranging the characters feel like staging a little play The hat in Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes is a personal favorite, and I may have spent too long deciding exactly where to place Ron, Fred, Hermione, Ginny, Draco, and the rest. It’s surprisingly satisfying to build a world you can actually curate. The design is smart, modular, and packed with personality. It doesn’t just look good. It feels magical Final Impression When it’s done, Diagon Alley looks absolutely sick. It’s tidy! The wizarding street is ready to live on a shelf. If you open it up, the magic spills out. Each shop is inviting, every place has a story, and the dragon sits perched at the center watching over all of it and everyone. I’m picturing the holidays. I’ll need to add little Christmas trees to ensure Diagon Alley is festive. I really enjoyed building this set with friends. Building it was magical!