Tag: board games

Geekly News: November 2026; New Releases

Published on by KyraLeave a comment

Happy Sunday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another week of Geek News. We’re still taking a break from headline Geek News (due to Kyra’s participation in Novel in November), but we have plenty of new releases for board games and video games to discuss. Let’s talk about this week’s lot of new board games and video games.

Through the Mountains Launches on KickStarter

From the award-winning game designer Reiner Knizia comes a game of strategy, patience, and cool plastic camels! The desert is still treacherous, mysterious, and without mercy. But for those willing to risk the dangers of the shifting, sun-baked sands, the desert holds riches beyond compare.

In Through the Desert, two to five players each control a tribe of nomads vying for control of the desert. By establishing caravans and taking over oases, the players gain points as their tribes increase in power.

Strategy is essential in deciding how and where to build your tribe’s caravans. There are multiple ways to gain points and several ways to win. Should you try to build the longest caravan? Or should you dominate the desert’s oases? Don’t forget to keep an eye on your opponents’ caravans, or you may find your own tribe cut off from valuable water holes.

Through the Desert is part of the so called Knizia tile-laying trilogy.

Thank you, Allplay Games, for the description. Honestly, I have yet to play the original Through the Desert. The game is a classic. It’s part of Days of Wonder’s classic run of board games in the 2000s. It’s a Knizia design and part of his tile-laying trilogy of games. And now after 28-years, Reiner Knizia himself has returned to Through the Desert to deliver a worthy follow-up, Through the Mountains. Allplay Games is a phenomenal publisher. They manage to pack high quality board games into smaller boxes. This reprint of Through the Desert and its sequel Through the Mountains looks amazing. Pledges range from $39 to $316. The larger pledges include modern classics like Triskel and the original Through the Desert. If you’re interested in Through the Mountains, check out its KickStarter page.

Fish Hatchery Launches on KickStarter

Fish Hatchery is a strategy deck-building game where you breed your fish, sabotage your opponents, and build out your aquariums to construct the perfect fish breeding business from the ground up.

Starting with the same basic cards, you and your opponents will collect increasingly rarer fish and enhance your decks strength over the course of 4 rounds. Item cards/aquarium supplies can also be purchased which act as static triggers, increasing the reach and effects of the fish cards you play.

Sabotage is a key component of the game, and there are many opportunities throughout the course of the rounds to undermine your opponents as they seek to race you to victory.

Throughout the game, players will compete to gain the most aquarist points. There are several ways to gain aquarist points including breeding fish, scoring master breeder cards, and purchasing round 4 fish who are difficult to keep but have powerful scoring abilities. At the end of 4 rounds, the player with the most aquarist points wins.

Thank you, Dufflepud Games, for the description. I love deck-building games. They scratch that itch of everyone starting off the same but ending with disparate decks. Fish Hatchery has a lot more going on than just deck-building. You can tell that from the picture above. Are those progress tracks? The artwork is stellar. Dufflepud Games spared no expense there as I believe this is a prototype and not even the final version of Fish Hatchery. Not gonna lie: I’m a little worried about sabotage playing a key role in Fish Hatchery. Typically, deck-building games offer little take-that elements and for good reason. At their core, deck-building games are engine builders. You don’t want someone messing with your engine.

But I’d like to see how Fish Hatchery incorporates take-that elements. I wouldn’t mind impeding my opponents’ progress on a track, while gaining a small advantage myself. That’s the other issue about take-that mechanisms: wasting a turn to screw with your opponent while skipping an opportunity to improve your own standing ends up as a net negative for both players. There’s a lot going on in Fish Hatchery. I could see the game balancing out its take-that mechanisms with the game’s other elements. I’ve been working on deck-building game with mild take-that mechanisms. Fish Hatchery suggests that take-that takes center stage. Cool! Fish Hatchery offers multiple pledges, ranging from $65 to $119. If you’re interested in Fish Hatchery, check out its KickStarter page.

Latitude Launches on KickStarter

Work with other players to create a map of the realm, but only the most accurate player will take the glory.

Latitude takes place on a blank map which slowly develops as the game goes. Each turn a player places a land tile (sea, plains or mountain), and places a marker showing how big they believe that region will be when the map is completed.

Each region is a contiguous group of the same land type, and regions cannot have the same value marker repeated. This leads to high level strategy, as regions get completed, blocked off and more, all in a simple to play game with clean efficient rules and beautiful original non-AI artwork.

Thank you, Radical 8 Games, for the description. Latitude sounds simple to play but difficult to master. I wonder what the range (in points) the round tokens have. That may inform when players will play a land tile of a different type; one region will score the highest point value, but the same value can’t be repeated. Clever. Again, this is easy to understand and factors into Latitude’s short play time (20-30 minutes). Latitude offers one pledge level of around $31 (prices are in Pounds). If you’re interested in Latitude, check out its KickStarter page.

Geek Together Launches on GameFound

Play More! GeekTogether.gg is the community platform built for tabletop gamers and gaming venues to find each other, schedule sessions, and connect — every day, everywhere, all the time. No need to wait for the next convention to schedule games, find players, or promote your venue. After all, what good are all those games, dice, minis, and cards if you can’t find the right people to play with?

We don’t typically cover launches like Geek Together, but we had to make an exception this week. This app looks amazing. Who doesn’t want to play more and Geek Together? I like the idea of friending people on a board game specific app. The same app can track my collection, my plays, and offer challenges to complete. Geek Together’s challenges are things like play a specific type of board game. If you’re anything like me, choosing a board game to play becomes as much of an activity as playing the actual board game. If you’re interested in Geek Together, check out its GameFound page.

Bug Out: Escape Your Paranoia Launches on GameFound

Will you escape your unfounded paranoia? The neighborhood has gone quiet. You are sure something is coming. What it is depends on who you ask. The only thing that truly matters is reaching a bunker with enough supplies left to call yourself prepared

Bug Out: Escape Your Paranoia is a competitive survival game for 2–4 players that combines tile placement, route building, supply management and direct player interaction. Preparing for a possible apocalypse, players build a shared road network, gather supplies and attempt to reach a bunker with the highest final Prepper Point score.

Thank you, Baseraider, for the description. Bug Out: Escape Your Paranoia had me at competitive survival game. Throw in a post apocalyptic setting, and I’m hooked. Baseraider is new to the tabletop scene as a publisher, but Bug Out’s premise is solid, and I like what I’ve seen with the game’s components. The game looks like it has a good flow. I cut off the section about final scoring, but you’ll want to be the one with the most points at the end of the game. And I assume there are multiple paths for procuring points. I’m keeping an eye out for Bug Out: Escape Your Paranoia. Pledges range from $49 to $169. If you’re interested in Bug Out: Escape Your Paranoia, check out its GameFound page.

Fable Quest Launches on GameFound

Fable Quest is a story-driven, fully cooperative game set in the enchanting world of Arcadia Quest, taking place after the epic events of the beloved saga.

For the first time in Arcadia, players are not rival guilds competing for glory, you stand together. Through card-driven gameplay, a touch of deck-building, and meaningful narrative choices, you’ll explore the whimsical realms of Arcadia not as conquerors, but as participants in its unfolding story.

You’ll meet its people, you’ll face its dangers, and your decisions will shape how your adventure evolves – together.

Thank you, Tycoon Games, for the description. I’ve always loved Arcadia Quest. Season has the original game. I think she’ll want a co-op version of one of her favorite games. While Eric Lang didn’t return for this sequel (Fable Quest), the rest of the original Arcadia Quest design team returns (Guilherme Goulart and Fred Perret). Yes! I like the idea of a storybook. Fable Quest looks as charming as the original. The board is less complicated. Great! That will place more of an emphasis on the story, and yes, I’ve always wanted a story to go along with Arcadia Quest. Fable Quest looks like it delivers on that front. If you’re interested in Fable Quest, check out its GameFound page.

Junk ‘n Gems Launches on GameFound

In Junk ‘n Gems, players sift through an attic of forgotten treasures, building toward the perfect moment to empty their hand. But you can only do so after reaching the required number of points, turning each round into a tense race to be first!

On your turn, place a card into the attic, then take one or two cards worth up to twice that card’s value. Play sets to activate powerful effects, score points, and get closer to emptying your hand.

The stakes grow as the point threshold rises from round to round. Will your clever play be enough to claim victory?

Thank you, Passion Project GG, for the description. Junk ‘n Gems looks like it combines set collection with a race elements. Card shedding (like Uno) and some strong hand management mechanisms look to be at the forefront. I like what I’m hearing from Junk ‘n Gems. The only thing that gives me a little pause is Junk ‘n Gems’ longer playtime (40-60 minutes). My guess is that the game will play longer at higher player counts, but 60 minutes is on the long side for a card game like this. Junk ‘n Gems does sound like it has more going on under the hood. We’ll have to see. I like Junk ‘n Gems’ collection of game mechanisms and can’t wait to see how these elements work together. If you’re interested in Junk ‘n Gems, check out its GameFound page.

Remothered: Red Nun’s Legacy Releases

Your daughter has been kidnapped. In the trilogy’s final chapter, enter a nightmare to save her, survive what hunts you, and uncover the Red Nun’s truth through retrocognition, mirror abilities and moth manipulation. A modern return to classic survival horror with an Italian neo-giallo twist.

I’ve yet to play any of the Remothered trilogy. I don’t know if one needs to play the first two games in the series (the original Remothered and Remothered: Broken Porcelain). While the previous games in the series received various reviews, Remothered: Red Nun’s Legacy has received predominately good reviews. Set in the same universe as Clock Tower, Remothered is worthy inclusion in the survival horror genre. Honestly, this looks like a game for Skye. I like the idea of retrocognition. Not enough video games include this and it works well for a horror video game with plenty of flashbacks to fill in the Red Nun’s past. Remothered: Red Nun’s Legacy is available on PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and Xbox Series S/X.

Virtue and a Sledgehammer Releases

Go back to your hometown and tear it down with a sledgehammer in this narrative exploration game. Confront your past in a devastating story about feeling like you no longer belong in the place you grew up.

Virtue and a Sledgehammer’s title is as subtle as a sledgehammer. LOL I had to say it. I like how Virtue and a Sledgehammer uses the titular sledgehammer as a metaphor. Your confronting your past. Searching for who you are in the world in this narrative exploration game. And I love character-driven games. Virtue and a Sledgehammer places its protagonist front and center. Yes! Virtue and a Sledgehammer is available on PC.

Anomalith Releases

ANOMALITH is a survival third-person shooter set in Japan, steeped in the atmosphere of liminal spaces and Showa-era retro aesthetics. To search for her missing friend, a girl steps into a world writhing with anomalies.

Hunh! A lot of video games with strong horror influences released this week. You’d think this was the week of Halloween or something. Anyway, I like ANOMALITH’s use of liminal spaces. I just finished watching The Backrooms (which will make my Watcha Watching for next month) and this style of horror interests me. ANOMALITH’s narrative structure reminds me of Staircase in the Woods in the best ways. ANOMALITH’s protagonist has a strong motivation for entering these liminal spaces and continuing their journey. ANOMALITH is available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch 2.

Phantom Blade Zero Releases

S-GAME presents Phantom Blade Zero, a fusion of classic Wuxia storytelling and exhilarating action powered by Unreal Engine 5. You play as Soul, a warrior with only sixty-six days left to live. Fend off assassins, unravel world-ending conspiracies, and defend your values with your life.

I knew little about Phantom Blade Zero before this week, but it looks amazing (those graphics are top-notch), and I like the Wuxia setting. Phantom Blade Zero looks action-packed. The premise of a warrior with only sixty-six days left to live is intriguing. I wonder how Phantom Blade Zero will incorporate this into its story. The reviews for Phantom Blade Zero (like all the other games on this week’s new releases) are good to great. This week was a good one for video games. Phantom Blade Zero is available on PC and PlayStation 5.

That’s all the Geek News we have for you this week. Which game looks the most interesting? Let us know in the comments. Thank for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Geekly News: October 25, 2026; New Releases

Published on by KyraLeave a comment

Happy Sunday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another week of Geek News. There has been some geek news this past week (that isn’t related to new releases), but I’ve been trying to keep up with writing my novel, pitching board games, and keeping up with Geekly reviews of TV shows and movies (Clayface will release some time this week), so we’ll be keeping with new releases for board games and video games. Trust me. We have plenty to talk about after I finish my first draft. Until then, let’s talk about new games.

Origins of Light Launches on KickStarter

Origins of Light: A Final Fantasy Game is a strategy RPG for up to four players based on the Pixel Remaster editions of Final Fantasy I, II, and III. Play competitively or cooperatively across different modes.
Assemble your party, empower them with spells and equipment, then venture into dungeons to slay monsters and bring down powerful Bosses. Repel the forces of darkness before time runs out and protect your Heroes from being KO’d to WIN! Build your party, defeat the darkness, and become the true Heroes of Light!

Experience Origin of Light’s core game in the Final Fantasy I module, or try Final Fantasy II’s flexible, rogue-like gameplay for maximum replayability! When you’re ready for the ultimate challenge, dive into Final Fantasy III with a roster of twenty-two unique Heroes with unique level-up rewards and abilities!

Thank you, Kess, for the description. When I first heard Origins of Light: A Final Fantasy Game was in production, there was a chance it would be a cash grab. After finding out Kess was behind this game, I knew Origins of Light: A Final Fantasy Game would try its best to be faithful to source material. Kess has a great track record of capturing what makes a video game fun and distilling it into a board game. Their Mega Man Adventures (a few years ago) is easily the best board game adaptation for that property. I’m certain Kess will bring the heat for a Final Fantasy Board Game. Origins of Light: A Final Fantasy Game offers several pledge levels, ranging from $60 to $400. If you’re interested in Origins of Light: A Final Fantasy Game, check out its KickStarter page.

Button Shy Micro Games: Fall 2026 Launches on KickStarter

Button Shy Games returns with another series of micro games (that can fit your wallet). I love this time of year, seeing what Button Shy Games is offering this season. This publisher can cram a ton of game into a small space. These series allow players to buy everything Button Shy Games intends to publish over the following months. Let’s take a look at Button Shy’s new offerings.

It’s the blessing and curse of every mage to have a familiar, and today yours is a curse. Once again it’s upended your laboratory and summoned an array of irksome imps. Clean up the lab and get that cat under control!

The Cursed Cat is up to no good again, making a mess of your lab and unleashing monsters everywhere. Move and stack monster cards across columns, using spell cards to break the rules. Get all the monsters on the portal column to banish them all for good!

Solo games are on the rise in the board game community, and Scott Almes has a great string of that include Food Chain Island, A Nice Cuppa, and Unsurmountable. In short, Almes is one of the best solo board game designers, and The Cursed Cat is his latest release.

In the farthest corners of the world, ancient relics of immense power lie waiting, lost to the sands of time. Brave harrowing dangers to recover these forgotten objects and return them to their rightful owners. Reawaken is a spiritual successor to At the Helm from Ted Heidersdorf, taking the familiar deckbuilding gameplay in all-new directions.

At the Helm never took too long (15 minutes). The system is easy to pick up and offers game variability, so Reawaken should look to build on the formula of drawing cards, choosing which cards to activate, check against your objectives, and loosing hearts for each object you don’t complete. This is a solid deckbuilding survival game.

Bears. Bees. Battling? Players try to outwit and outflank their opponent to get the most honey. What makes it work are the elegant placement and scoring rules that require both players to think carefully about their own strategy… and their opponent’s.

I like Forest Rivals‘ use of the pattern building mechanism. Both sides in this 2-player game add hives to the shared playing area. They want to surround those hives with their chosen animal (one of two). Forest Rivals is another game with a small footprint but a lot of strategic choices. There are six spaces on each card, so the combinations are near endless.

Not all heroes wear capes, but those who do have a pesky tendency to ruin your sinister plans! It’s time for the supervillains to seize the city in this twist on our classic -Opolis line. In true comic book fashion, these ne’er-do-wells only care about their own goals: unlike previous -Opolis games, Villainopolis has no scoring whatsoever! Instead, you must complete each of three villains’ ultimate schemes at the end of the game to win. Who says that crime isn’t fun?

The final new game in this season’s Button Shy Games offering is Crime Sprawl, the latest in Button Shy’s most popular series of games: Sprawlopolis. While I’m partial to Skulls of Sedlec and Tussie Mussie, I can’t deny Sprawlopolis’s appeal. Crime Sprawl looks to continue this long-running series with pazzazz.

If you’re interested in any of Button Shy Games’ Fall 2026 line, you’re in luck. While you can pick up the entire set of games for $54, you can pick and choose your favorites for a smaller fee. The choice is yours. Check out Button Shy Games’ Fall 2026 line’s KickStarter page.

Too Little Time Launches on GameFound

Chip Theory Games is back with Too Little Time, a single-session boss-battler that remembers your actions from game to game. This new game set in the Too Many Bones universe leans into our bizarro humor and quirky personality as we break the fourth dimension (and the fourth wall).

As the past, present, and future are torn apart, anything could happen anywhere. Time waits for no gearloc (or kobold)! Enter the Rift and handle encounters even in the midst of battle. Experiment with new masteries every game and skillfully navigate an unpredictable world.

Every recruit in the Timeline Defense Force is unique, so whether you pick a gearloc or a kobold, you’ll be playing a character with a variety all its own.

Games take place over the course of two boss battles — first against an enforcer, then facing off against a tyrant. Trigger encounters, gain experience points, and collect loot, all while you battle baddies and bosses in the past, present, and future.

Your actions in every game will ripple through time and impact every subsequent play as you permanently unlock relics, collect and leave behind loot in each era, and interact with the mysterious and persistent Rift. Add to this a wide variety of bosses, locations, and character builds, and no two games are ever the same.

Thank you, Chip Theory, for the description. I’m going to be honest. I know of Too Many Bones but have never played it. Several people I know swear by Too Many Bones’ ability to adapt the gameplay of a MOBA to a board game. I know even less about Too Little Time–before reading this write. It sounds amazing. You had me at “the game remembers your actions from game to game.” Yes, please.

Chip Theory is known for stellar productions. Most of their games feature premium game pieces. Since this is a GameFound preview, we don’t know much about the various pledge options, but if you follow Too Little Time before it launches (in a few days), you gain the option for a follow gift (pictured above). If you choose to back the project at a later date, you’ll also receive the cards in the picture. If you’re interested in Too Little Time, check out its GameFound page.

Space Universalis Launches on GameFound

Space Universalis is not just an endless sci-fi dungeon crawler for 1–6 players playable solo or co-op. It is a robust game system with quick setup, scalable difficulty, great tactical depth, and maximum customization.

A HUGE GAME SYSTEM
Scalable difficulty, streamlined rules, and great tactical depth. Feel the tension and uncertainty of epic battles against 10 factions and more than 120 different creatures. Experience the ultimate tactical and exploration adventure.

MAXIMUM CUSTOMIZATION
Create the character you’ve always wanted by combining 20 species and 10 classes, along with hundreds of skills and equipment.
Buy a spaceship and travel across the universe as you gain experience and credits, evolving until you become a legend of the galaxy.

CHOOSE YOUR ADVENTURE
Create a crew of soldiers, pirates, explorers, adventurers, mercenaries, or monster hunters.
Play standalone missions, random scenarios, and quests in a narrative campaign.

Thank you, Ludic Dragon Games, for the description. I’ve been looking for a spiritual successor to Firefly: The Board Game. I like recruiting my team and customizing my spaceship. Space Universalis does this in a cooperative game. Interesting. Firefly is a competitive game; I wouldn’t mind seeing a similar concept play out in a cooperative game. The painted minis above look nice, but I dare say Space Universalis will come with a full set of painted minis. I could be wrong. If you’re interested in Space Universalis, check out its GameFound page.

Final Fantasy Resonance Releases

Return to the pixel‑art world of Final Fantasy, evolved from its classic roots. Travel with companions bound by fate and call on Visions to aid you in battle to uncover the truth behind a force that threatens to bring everything to ruin.

Final Fantasy Resonance has received overwhelming positive reviews. And why not? Players can resonant with heroes from Final Fantasy’s past. Want to channel Cloud from Final Fantasy VII? Go ahead. Final Fantasy Resonance is also one of those rare Final Fantasy games where you can take on the role of Sephiroth. What? Did I mention this game is turned-based? Well, it is. Final Fantasy Resonance is kicking it old school, and this title has been receiving heaps of praise and sold numerous copies. Final Fantasy has needed a new title with this much juice. Final Fantasy Resonance is available on PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and Xbox Series S/X.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Releases

War erupts on the Korean Peninsula as North Korea launches an invasion that threatens to destabilize the world in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4.

I’ve never gotten into Call of Duty, but the team behind Titanfall and Apex Legends began with Call of Duty. This game series has marvelous gunplay DNA. Early reviews reflect this. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is a massive release. If it wasn’t for Grand Theft Auto VI releasing next month, I’d say Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 has the chance of being the biggest release of 2026. There’s an outside chance that it still could top GTA VI. But who am I kidding? It’s GTA VI.

Anyway, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4’s setting of the Korean Peninsula is an interesting one. Most Call of Duty: Modern Warfare games up to this point have used the former Soviet Union as a backdrop. I’d like to see what new storylines this shift in setting can generate. But I can also see using a renewed war between North and South Korea as potentially painful for some people. Families have been separated by Korea being split into two halves. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 has received outstanding reviews. It’s available on PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and Xbox Series S/X.

Those are all the new releases we have for this week. Which game are you the most excited about? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Star Wars Bounty Hunters Board Game Review

Tabletop Game Review: Star Wars: Bounty Hunters

Published on by KyraLeave a comment

Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with a new board game review. Today, we’re talking Star Wars. Star Wars: Bounty Hunters puts gamers in the role of bounty hunters, trying to get the best contracts and the highest valued targets. Players have three goals which will help them earn points: capturing targets, completing contracts, and purchasing droids and crates at the Jawa market. Can you be the best bounty hunter in the galaxy?

Star Wars: Bounty Hunter is a light and quick strategy game. Since it uses the closed drafting and simultaneous action selection mechanisms, it takes little time to play. It’s great for a younger audience and Star Wars fans alike. Before we get into the game flow and the review, let’s get some of the technical jargon out of the way first.

The Fiddly Bits

Designer: Frederic Henry
Publisher: Zygomatic
Date Released: 2024
Number of Players: 2-6
Age Range: 8 and up
Setup Time: Less than 5 minutes
Play Time: 20 minutes

Game Mechanisms

Action Points
Card Management
Closed Drafting
Set Collection
Simultaneous Action Selection

Game Setup

1) Place the four Zone cards (that are decks of Targets, Bounty Hunters, Contracts, and Jawa Market). Sort the cards into four decks according to their color and shuffle them separately. Place them down above the matching Zone cards. Leave a space for a discard pile below each Zone card.

2) Place the Imperial Credits conveniently nearby.

3) The player who watched a Star Wars movie becomes the “Guild Master” and receives the Player Aid Card. The Player Aid denotes the flow of the game. All players may refer to the Player Aid during the game. Honestly, and this is Kyra speaking, not the rulebook, I prefer to forgo the Guild Master role and allow every player to refer to the Player Aid. I don’t know why the game doesn’t have more than one copy.

4) Each player draws one card from each of the four decks to form a starting hand of four cards. Never show the cards in your hand to another player.

Game Flow

Each game turn is divided into three consecutive steps. All players perform each step simultaneously:

Step 1: Draw a card

Draw a fifth card from any of the decks and add it to your hand.

Step 2: Choose a card

Choose a card from your hand and do one of two things: Sell a Card, or Play a Card.

A. Sell a Card

Discard the chosen card (placing it face-up on the discard pile below the matching deck’s Zone card) and collect 1 Imperial Credit.

B. Play a Card

Place the chosen card in front of you, face up.

If no cost is shown on the card, activate it immediately by placing it upright (vertically).

If the card has a cost (Jawa Market card), you must pay that cost to activate the card. If you are unable to activate the card immediately, or prefer not to, reserve it by placing it on its side (horizontally).

Step 3: Pass Your Hand

Give the remaining four cards in your hand to the player on your left and collect the four cards passed to you by the player on your right. When all players have completed these three steps, a new turn begins. Repeat the three steps in sequence until the last turn of the game.

Game End

The game end triggers when one or more players capture four targets. Players finish the current turn, then play two more full turns, and finally tally up their scores. The player with most points wins.

Review

I love the small amount of control Star Wars: Bounty Hunters gives its players. Most closed drafting games deal all the cards of a deck, and players will then pass the cards around until all the cards run out. Star Wars: Bounty Hunters adds a simple twist. Players draw a card from any of the four decks. If you need a target, draw a target. If you want another bounty hunter for extra firepower, draw from the bounty hunter deck. Do you already have a lot of captured targets in your display? Start drawing from the contract deck. It’s simple. Clean. And I totally stole this gaming aspect with one of my latest designs, Monster Chef.

Ultimately, this simple twist doesn’t give players enough control. You still need to draw into the card you want. But it gives players the feeling of more control. It’s psychological, and sometimes, that’s all that counts. I’d love to see more closed drafting games include a draw mechanism. Clearly, I do. The rest of the game plays out like a standard closed card drafting game. Nothing too complicated. This makes Star Wars: Bounty Hunters a good game for newer and/or younger board gamers. But I still think more seasoned board gamers won’t turn up their noses to Star Wars: Bounty Hunters. If you love Star Wars, this is a solid Star Wars game.

I also like how the game splits its cards into four categories; those would be the four draw decks. While some of the joy of stiffing the person you’re handing your old hand to with bad cards wanes, the option to draw into what I need is invaluable. It’s more forgiving. But you will, most likely, run out of cards in a deck or two and will be forced to draw from other decks. Again, this isn’t the worst thing. Players can sell a card to the bank, and every Imperial Credit a player has at the end of the game is worth a victory point. If you don’t find what you want, sell a card.

I mentioned this in the setup, but it bears repeating. Star Wars: Bounty Hunters needs more than one Player Aid. The “role” of “Guild Master” is unnecessary if everyone has a Player Aid. The game already has well over 200 cards. Why do you not print out five extra Player Aids? This is a small thing, but it left me baffled.

I enjoyed my time with this title. I may not break out Star Wars: Bounty Hunters all the time, but it’s a good filler plus game. I’ve played this game the most while waiting for others to show up for game nights. It provides enough strategy, functions as a warm-up game, and we can finish the game in under twenty minutes.

Too Long; Didn’t Read

Star Wars: Bounty Hunters is a great introductory card-drafting game with a slight twist. While I may want to play another card-drafting game over this one, I’ll gladly play Star Wars: Bounty Hunters if someone brings it to the table. It’s great for new gamers and a good Star Wars game.

Geekly News: October 18, 2026; New Releases

Published on by KyraLeave a comment

Happy Sunday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another week of Geek News. I’m in the middle of writing a novel right now, so Geekly may not have too many headlines until I’m finished. That means we’re going straight to the fun stuff of new releases. Let’s talk about the new board games and video games that released this week.

On Call Launches on KickStarter

On Call is a cooperative strategy board game about managing an overcrowded emergency room on the brink of disaster. Why are there never enough beds?!

Pick a character with specialized actions. Will you be triaging the walk-ins clogging your waiting room? Or racing O-negative to the treatment room? But in a chronically understaffed ER, remember to chip in to help your teammates!

Move the hospital’s nurses and doctors from room to room to take your actions. But plan ahead to where your teammates might need them next – they can’t be in two places at once! Every action ripples through the hospital, in this “worker movement” game of cascading consequences.

Have time for a breather? Guzzle coffee to learn new skills, in an intuitive action-upgrading system that allows you to increase your effectiveness with every passing shift.

Challenge yourself in optional “limited communication mode” – without hidden information. Find the perfect mind-melding combo to keep your patients from crashing; no backseat doctors allowed!

Comes with 20 scenarios, like episodes from a medical drama. Each scenario adds new setup, rules, objectives, and strategies.

Thank you, King and The Pawn Games, for the description. Mrs. Geekly works at a hospital and refuses to play board games with a medical theme, but I’m going to see if I can get her to change her mind with On Call. This game looks adorable. Surprisingly, a lot of the hospital-themed board games on the market are competitive. What? That doesn’t make a lot of sense. On Call is a cooperative game, which feels closer to the theme. Another reason why Mrs. Geekly doesn’t care for medical-themed board games is that they typically last a long time. On Call runs about an hour and a half at most. That’s not a bad play time and it probably means that players in On Call have short, snappy turns. I’m all for that. On Call offers multiple pledge levels between: $48 and $185. If you’re interested in On Call, check out its KickStarter page.

Plants Vs Zombies: The Board Game Launches on KickStarter

Plants vs. Zombies: The Board Game is a fast-paced cooperative tabletop game for 1-4 players that captures all the comedy and chaos of the iconic Plants vs. Zombies franchise.

In Plants vs. Zombies: The Board Game, players must work together to outsmart hilarious and horrifying Zombie hordes by growing defensive lines of precocious plants to protect the homestead. Featuring iconic Plants vs. Zombies plants like Peashooters, Cherry Bombs and Wall-nuts, players must plan their defense wisely to stop the Zombies in their tracks.

Each level challenges players with a new zombie horde to defeat. If any zombies reach the house, the players lose. Players work together to defeat all the zombies and win!

Featuring:

  • Classic Plants vs Zombies gameplay faithfully brought to the tabletop.
  • An exciting campaign unlocking new content and challenges.
  • Fun for all ages, with difficulty that scales to the players at the table.
  • Iconic characters brought to life with pre-assembled miniatures.

Thank you, Mantic Games, for the description. Yes! It was only a matter of time before Plants Vs. Zombies received the board game treatment. I always thought its brand of tower defense worked well in the tabletop space. Mechs Vs. Minions proved that. It looks as if Plants Vs. Zombies: The Board Game will continue with what made the video game great: quirky characters. And like Slay the Spire: The Board Game a handful of years ago, Plants Vs. Zombies what is a solo video game experience and converts it to a cooperative, multi-player experience. That’s a great choice. Who wouldn’t want to play a multi-player, cooperative Plants Vs. Zombies? Plants Vs. Zombies: The Board Game offers multiple pledges between: $54-$233. If you’re interested in Plants Vs. Zombies: The Board Game, check out its KickStarter page.

Bucket List! Launches on KickStarter

Bucket List! is a family-friendly, mid-light strategy game for 1–4 players in which you compete to accomplish whimsical childhood dreams before the Grim Reaper ends the game.

Throughout the game, you’ll pursue outrageous goals like surfing down a lava flow, juggling flaming chainsaws, or spending a night in Count Dracula’s castle. Collect the money, time, and skills you need, make clever choices about which dreams to pursue, and race to complete the most valuable goals before time runs out.

Designed to be easy to learn while still offering meaningful strategic decisions, Bucket List! is competitive without being combative. It also includes two solo modes, allowing you to compete against either a bot player or Death itself.

Thank you, Outer Burrow, for the description. I like the idea of Bucket List! being competitive without getting combative. Modern board and card games have leaned in this direction, and it’s a good trend. It makes board games more accessible. Like many other games on this list, Bucket List! plays in a snap. It features easy-to-learn rules that get players started quickly. Both of those can be barriers of entry for players to the board gaming hobby. And I like Bucket List!’s conceit: finish your bucket list before you die. Bucket List! offers two pledge levels: $39 and $59. If you’re interested in Bucket List!, check out its KickStarter page.

Solo Game of the Month Offers a Trio of Spooky Games on GameFound

Typically, Solo Game of the Month launches one solo board game on GameFound, but this month, the publisher is offering a whopping three. That’s three games. Let’s begin with The Cursed Menagerie.

The Cursed Menagerie began as a print-and-play, meaning players would pay small amount to download PDFs and print off the game themselves. Solo Game of the Month is offering The Cursed Menagerie for the first time in retail form. I like the idea of The Cursed Menagerie. Players inherit a cursed or haunted item, and players must ascertain what ghost haunts the item and how to rid the item of its ghost. The Cursed Menagerie is a fun puzzle, and with 13 objects to unhex, you’ll find plenty of replay value.

Under the Z is another game featuring strong exploration beats. In Under the Z, players explore the lost and mutated city of Atlantis. Who knew zombies were why Atlantis fell? And shout out to Under the Z’s play on words. I love a punny title, and Under the Z is plenty punny.

Mickey Mouse entered the public domain a few years ago, and I wondered when someone that wasn’t Disney would make art featuring Disney’s famous mouse. Technically, the Mickey Mouse from “Steamboat Willie” entered the public domain, but still. That’s why Steamboat Willie and the River of Doom can be produced. It doesn’t break copyright laws. Yes! Steamboat Willie and the River of Doom is a puzzly game, set in the classic cartoon world of “Steamboat Willie” with Cthulhu elements. That’s right, the Ancient Ones are after Mickey Mouse. Can you save him?

Since Solo Game of the Month uses GameFound, and we’re looking at a preview, we don’t yet know how much this trio of spooky games will cost. But this is an excellent trio of games. The Cursed Menagerie, Under the Z, and Steamboat Willie and the River of Doom look amazing. If you’re interested in any of these Solo Games of the Month, check out their GameFound page.

The Great Escape Launches on GameFound

An exciting cooperative WWII game where players try to successfully escape their POW from Stalag Luft III. Designed by Philip duBarry. In The Great Escape, you and your fellow air force officers will follow in the footsteps of the prisoners of Stalag Luft III, as you attempt to dig tunnels under the wire and escape. This will require exceptional timing, resourcefulness, and some luck. Outsmart the guards and carry on the war in the only way you can. If you help twelve prisoner pawns escape before the Gestapo locks down the camp, you and your comrades will have won the game. Each turn you have action points and with these action points you dig tunnels, move your pawns or collect valuable resources.

Thank you, Sound of Drums, for the description. I love The Great Escape’s theme. As you can imagine, numerous board games have used The Great Escape as a title. This is Philip duBarry’s version, and duBarry has a great track record: Revolution!, Black Orchestra, and Citizens of the Spark. This version of The Great Escape should capture the premise’s feel. Publisher Sound of Drums is no stranger to war games either. The Great Escape falls right into their wheelhouse. I’m keeping my eye on this title. If you’re interested in The Great Escape, check out its GameFound page.

Scarab Sands Launches on GameFound

Scarab Sands is a highly competitive, fast paced, area control game with almost no down time. Players compete as dead souls inside a pyramid, sending their scarab troops to fight for control over sacred rooms. Only the one with the lightest heart will make it to the Afterlife.

Each round starts with determining movement for scarab troops. This happens simultaneously for all players, by using command arrows on player mats hidden by screens. Movement is resolved in turn for 1) basic units,2) flying units and 3) armored units; Therefore, moving basic units happens almost blindly, guessing the moves of the opponents, while armored troops move when most of the stage is set. After movement, combat is resolved through dice rolls in every room where two or more players’ troops are present, until a single player (or none) controls it. Each room offers rewards for controlling it, such as upgrading troops or getting an obelisk die.

Player starts with 7 heart tokens, and the first one to free all of them, wins the game. There are multiple ways to free a heart, such as (1) controlling the pharaoh room, (2) simultaneously owning the three obelisk dice or (3) spending Ma’at influence points (mostly gained when losing a battle).

Whenever a scarab dies in combat, heart tokens are flipped to their “larvae” side. These tokens are flipped back to hearts in the last chamber of the pyramid, spawning one basic unit for each larvae flipped. Therefore the closer a player is to victory, the less basic units they are going to be able to spawn.

Thank you, Stranger Games Studio, for the description. Scarab Sands looks amazing. Case in point, the image above is the prototype. That isn’t even the final product. While I’m not the biggest fan of dudes on a map, Scarab Sands looks to reduce the playtime of that game type. There aren’t enough board games with an Ancient Egyptian theme. Okay, there are several games with this theme, but I seldom grow tired of them. Scarab Sands looks like a good addition. Stranger Games Studio and Scarab Sands’s designers are new to hobby game publishing, but I may need to keep an eye on this creative team. If you’re interested in Scarab Sands, check out its GameFound page.

Valor Mortis Releases

Valor Mortis is a first-person action soulslike from the creators of Ghostrunner. Rise from death as a former soldier of Napoleon’s army. Wield supernatural powers, battle horrifying monsters, and unravel a conspiracy that threatens all of humanity.

Thank you, One More Level, for the description. Not enough games use the Napoleonic Wars as a backdrop. You have my attention, Valor Mortis. Outside of the theme, Valor Mortis offers gameplay akin to Dark Souls. You’re battling horrendous monsters, defending humanity from an all-consuming evil. We’ve seen a lot of Souls-like games over the past several years, but the theme, interesting setup, and solid reviews make Valor Mortis a game to keep on your radar. Valor Mortis is available for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S/X.

The Witch’s Bakery Releases

The Witch’s Bakery is a 2D narrative Adventure RPG where you live a magical life as a witch-baker in Paris! Serve customers, visit iconic streets and heal people’s heart with your croissants.

Thank you, Sunny Lab, for the description. The Witch’s Bakery looks adorable. I don’t know if you get to actively bake the goodies (I think so), but it doesn’t matter. I’m getting hungry just looking at all the delicious breads The Witch’s Bakery offers. I’ve been meaning to cover more visual novels because they’re a growing genre in video games. I don’t know if The Witch’s Bakery fits that definition or if it’s more of a point-and-click adventure. Either way, I wishlisted this title. The Witch’s Bakery nails the idea of a cozy video game and has received excellent reviews. The Witch’s Bakery is available on PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and Xbox Series S/X.

Deep Dish Dungeon Releases

A survival exploration game where you navigate through a puzzly hand-crafted dungeon, with metroidvania and crafting elements. Unravel the enigmas of the dungeon’s depths solo or online co-op multiplayer.

Thank you, Behold Studios, for the description. Deep Dish Dungeon offers up a salivating combination of cooking, crafting, and exploration. Why do most of these video games involve food? They’re making me hungry. Anyway, Deep Dish Dungeon (love the name, by the way) sells me on its puzzle aspect and the fact that you can play the game solo or online co-op multiplayer. Deep Dish Dungeon does cite having hand-crafted dungeons. While I like the idea of dungeons crafted with intention, I wonder how this affects Deep Dish Dungeon’s replay value. Once you solve a puzzle, will the puzzle change at all on a second play? Something tells me the survival aspect will make the puzzle change even if you know the solution. Great idea combining these elements. Deep Dish Dungeon has received good reviews, and it’s available on PC and Xbox Series S/X.

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 Releases

Obliterate heretics in the name of the Emperor in Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2! Play as Ultramarine Malum Caedo or Sister of Battle Nyra Veyrath in this sequel to retro FPS Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun with MORE enemies, MORE weapons, and NEW ways to purge!

Thank you, Auroch Digital, for the description. Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 continues in the original’s footsteps, only with more weapons and more bombastic action. It epitomizes a Boomer Shooter (like Doom). Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 may have dated graphics, but I think that works in the game’s favor. I saw Warhammer (the tabletop miniatures game that started this franchise) as a board game version of something like Doom. Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2’s graphics capture that feel. The image above depicts enemies as standees you might find on a tabletop. Awesome! Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 has received good reviews and is available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S/X.

Penguin Colony Releases

Cosmic horror, through the eyes of a penguin. Rival human factions have come to your home in the Antarctic, seeking an ancient and inconceivable being. Observe their descent into insanity in this faithful re-imagining of H.P. Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness, and other stories.

Thank you, ORIGAME DIGITAL, for the description. I’ve seen plenty of games based on Lovecraftian horror, but none of them are told through the eyes of a penguin. Wow! I didn’t know I needed this in my life. Watching a penguin go from slightly creepy scenes like the whale fall shown above to M. C. Escher-like caverns beneath the sea or are those scenes happening above the sea. I’m unsure. Without playing Penguin Colony, I question my sanity. Penguin Colony is from a smaller developer and perfect for our series of quirky video game reviews. Don’t be surprised if we cover Penguin Colony this upcoming year. You can even try out the free demo on Steam.

Ratatan Releases

Ratatan is a rhythm roguelike action game that combines rhythm games and side-scrolling action, with online co-op gameplay supporting up to 4 players. An intense battle unfolds with over 100 characters fighting in a massive melee. Let’s defeat the enemies together!

Thank you, Game Source Entertainment, for the description. Beyond its name, Ratatan shares a lot of similarities to Patapon. In fact, I had to double check to make sure the same developers behind Patapon didn’t release Ratatan. They did not. I always like Patapon. It was one of my most played games on the PlayStation Portable, so I’m interested in Ratatan. It combines a rhythm game like Guitar Hero with a roguelike. It’s a great combination of gaming elements. But I may wait for a demo or sale on Steam before picking up Ratatan or I may wait until after I pick up a Nintendo Switch 2. Games like Patapon and Ratatan work really well on the go.

Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse Releases

Crimson Curse —Will Your Fate Bloom in Despair or Salvation Set 23 years after Castlevania Dracula’s Curse – follow Rose Belmont’s journey in an all new 2D Action-Exploration title from KONAMI, Evil Empire and Motion Twin.

Thank you, Konami, for the description. Castlevania is back! While some of the first-person and third-person (over-the-shoulder) games in Castlevania’s catalogue can be fun, it’s great seeing the series return to its 2D, side-scrolling roots. Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse captures the original vibe, and it’s received good to great reviews. The graphics look like the next level up from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, which is music to my ears. That may be one of my favorite Castlevania titles. Heck, it’s a lot of people’s favorite game in the series. Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse is available on PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox Series S/X.

We had a lot of new releases this week. It’s almost like the holidays are right around the corner. Which game has you the most excited? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Top 5 Horror Themed Board Games

Top 5 Horror-Themed Board Games

Published on by KyraLeave a comment

Happy Spooky Season, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here. We’re celebrating the season with our list of the top five horror-themed board games. There are way more horror-themed board games than you might think. Heck, there were way more horror-themed board games than I thought there were. I left a lot of great games and some former favorites off this list. So, you know we’ll have at least one honorable mention. Yay! Let’s see the game that just missed this list, before we get to the ones that made our Top 5 Horror-Themed Board Games List.

Honorable Mention: The Night Cage (2021)

The Night Cage just misses this list because I may not have played it enough. Plain and simple. I have yet to play enough of this title, and I’d love to see it hit the table more. The board doesn’t look like much (without the tiles it’s a simple grid), but pulling tiles from the candle-shaped draw pile is so thematic.

Building out The Night Cage’s labyrinth is a lot of fun, too. And it doesn’t hurt that Smirk and Dagger Games produced an accompanying soundtrack for The Night Cage. Talk about going above and beyond with creating a mood. The Night Cage leans heavily into atmosphere. Each game is a tense prison break. You’ll need to keep your wits to survive.

This list was super tough to make. There are a lot of games that could’ve claimed the sole honorable mention spot: Kingdom Death Monster, Abomination, and Dead of Winter are just a few. We could make another list of the Top 5 Cthulhu-themed games. There are so many great horror-themed board games.

5: Cthulhu: Death May Die (2019)

Yes. I’m a Rob Daviau and Eric M. Lang fan. And yes, several other games can scratch the same itch as Cthulhu: Death May Die. Kingdom Death Monster comes to mind; Kingdom Death Monster is another game one could consider an honorable mention for this list. But I prefer Cthulhu: Death May Die. It would be higher on this list if I had played more than a handful of times.

Unique player powers and an ever-changing narrative that seldom plays out the same way twice. Cthulhu: Death May Die adds a bombastic sense of humor to a sometimes overly serious intellectual property. I appreciate that, too. This game needs to hit my table more often. Maybe then it’ll climb the ranks on a list like this.

4: Betrayal at House on the Hill (2004)

I love Betrayal at House on the Hill. It’s one of the first horror-themed board games I ever picked up after returning to the board game hobby. Again, I had plenty of great horror-themed board games to choose from for this list. Betrayal at House on the Hill (Betrayal for short) plays out like the movie Cabin in the Woods. Players search the titular house, a mansion players build as they play the game. Whenever an Omen card is drawn, the player who drew the card makes a haunt roll. If the roll fails, the haunt begins. Typically, one player works on behalf of the house, and the rest fight against the traitor.

Word of caution: Betrayal can crumble under the weight of the haunt. Some haunts prove difficult to understand, and gamers can misplay numerous aspects of the haunt. I played one where I was the traitor, my former teammates attacked me, but my character wanted to perish. The other players played into my win condition. No two haunts are the same, so just because players understand one, it doesn’t mean they’ll comprehend the next one. And many of the haunts are unbalanced. Some favor the explorers, while others favor the traitor. Still, my family plays Betrayal at House on the Hill at least once every Spooky Season. If you want a story and exploration, it’s an excellent pick.

3: Final Girl (2021)

I knew Final Girl would make this list, but placing the game would be difficult. I went with the classic three-spot for a game that fits this bill. Whenever I craft one of these Top 5 lists and have one odd entry in the list, not knowing where to place the game (or insert element here), that’s the one I place at three. Final Girl may be the best solo-only board game on the market. It’s definitely the most famous solo-only board game out there. I’ve played it a few times, and I’m hooked.

I can hear some of you complain that Final Girl has a lot of game for a solo board game. Just look at the picture above. You’d think this game facilitated four or five players. Nope. It’s a solo board game. Yowza! That’s a lot of table space for a solo-gaming experience. I’m getting off-topic, but I’ll just say that massive solo games are good for the hobby. Not everyone has enough friends to play games, or they struggle to find times that work to play with their game group. Quick rant over. If you’re going to play a solo board game, you can’t go wrong with Final Girl. It captures its theme brilliantly. You are a final girl trying to survive until the end of a horror movie. Final Girl may look complicated, but the elements work so well together that you can’t help but pick up the rules quickly.

Plus, Final Girl is the only solo board game to make BoardGameGeek’s Top 100 Games. I know that BoardGameGeek has its flaws, but Top 100 for a solo board game is impressive.

2: Mansions of Madness: Second Edition (2016)

Mansions of Madness: Second Edition does a great job of incorporating an app with a board game. I know. I know. This is yet another controversial pick. Two in a row. Some board gamers are purists. They don’t want to own a game that has an app you’ll need to download to a smart device. But Mansions of Madness: Second Edition is so worth it. The game does accommodate solo play, but part of the joy is teaming up with players to solve various puzzles and unearthing what the followers of Cthulhu have planned.

The Mansions of Madness app will also change details for each scenario between different plays. I played the exact same scenario twice in a row, figured I knew who the cultists were, and attacked those characters, only to realize that the details had changed, and they pointed the finger at different characters. My bad. We lost that game miserably. But the fact this can happen validates Mansions of Madness: Second Edition’s app. I don’t always have the time to invest in a scenario of Mansions of Madness, but whenever I do, it never fails to add a touch of cinema.

1: Horrified (2019)

Horrified has dominated the horror-themed board game category ever since it released in 2019. I have all the variants of this game, and we play every Horrified variant each Spooky Season. Ironically, I’ve played the original Horrified the least. I’ve enjoyed every play of the original, but we prefer American Monsters, Greek Monsters, and the Dungeons & Dragons variants best. Speaking of the Dungeons & Dragons Horrified game, I’m writing this post early and before the next variant, Horrified: Ravenloft, another Horrified game set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe, releases. I can’t wait to add the new one to our yearly rounds of plays.

Each Horrified monster behaves differently. Some will openly attack players. Others, like Big Foot, will actively avoid players. Heck, you’ll have to prove Big Foot even exists. The original Horrified has a good mix of various difficulty-setting monsters. American Monsters and Greek Monsters up the ante. World of Monsters gets a little too tough with some monsters. And the Dungeons & Dragons Horrified adds D&D elements. What’s not to love?

Ultimately, pick a genre of monster you would like to face and throw down with that version of Horrified. Prospero Hall does a great job of capturing the essence of most of these monsters. The fact that players take on two or more of these monsters at a time means that you’ll seldom get the same game twice.

By the time you’re reading this, I’ll probably have played all or most of the titles on this list. Like I said, there are so many fantastic horror-themed board games. What are some of yours? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Top 5 Board Games By Indigenous Designers

5 Tabletop Games by Indigenous Designers

Published on by Kyra1 Comment

Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Geekly Gang! We’re celebrating the day by discussing five board games designed/published by indigenous designers or publishers. Some of these games I’ve seen at my local game shop. I may have played a few of these. The rest I need to try. Regardless of which group these games belong to, I wanted to highlight games designed by indigenous board game designers. Here is Geekly’s list of five board games by indigenous designers.

Wolves (Coyote & Crow)

Wolves by Kenna Alexander was one of the first games that came to mind when I came up with this list. Publisher Coyote & Crow employs a variety of indigenous artists. All of Coyote & Crow’s releases show their native roots. Wolves is no exception.

Wolves features semi-cooperative play. Players must balance personal goals with the needs of all at the table. This is a trend in board games designed by indigenous designers. Culturally, indigenous people don’t tend to seek the all-out destruction of their neighbors. Semi-cooperative play is difficult to pull off well, but Wolves does a great job of walking the balance between players working toward personal and community goals. Each player takes on the role of a community leader. Resources are slim, and everyone must survive through a harsh winter. If any player fails to accommodate their community, everyone loses. I love the art, the design, and the concept.

You should give Wolves a play and keep publisher Coyote & Crow on your gaming radar if it isn’t already.

Burn the Fort (Indigenous Action)

Anti-colonialism is another trend in indigenous board games. No game represents this trend more than Burn the Fort by Klee Benally. The game’s name says it all. Players take the role of a historic warrior fighting to stop the colonial invasion of their lands. Players gather resources, trade with other players, and acquire the means to burn the titular fort.

Like Wolves, Burn the Fort features semi-cooperative play. At the start of the game, everyone starts in an alliance, but alliances can be broken. Players can choose how much they want to contribute to stopping colonial forces, but with each wagon that reaches the fort, the train moves toward the Golden Spike that will ultimately spell doom for everyone. Burn the Fort also offers something of a history lesson. I like games that can make history fun to learn. A brief background accompanies each historic warrior. Excellent.

While other games by indigenous designers feature maintaining balance, Burn the Fort puts the ideas of exploitation and expansion front and center.

Winter Rabbit (Absurdist Productions)

If you want a Native American board game steeped in folklore, look no further than Winter Rabbit by William Thompson. Set in the world of traditional Cherokee animal stories, Winter Rabbit has players take on the role of the animals. Ever the trickster, the Rabbit decides he doesn’t want to work. Instead, he confuses everyone else so he can take all the resources for himself.

Winter Rabbit features an interesting hidden worker placement mechanism. Villagers are drawn from a bag. The active player knows whose villager they have drawn and can choose where to place it; none of the other players knows this information. When resources are produced, everyone gets one, but those with villagers present gain additional resources. Rabbit villagers do not produce resources. When one of these appears, the resources are diverted to the Rabbit Burrow. I told you the Rabbit doesn’t want to work.

I’ll be honest. I borrowed a lot from the publisher’s description of Winter Rabbit. I wrote this post months before its release, and my copy is on its way. I can’t wait to play Winter Rabbit. It looks amazing.

Nawalli: The Aztec Card Game (Studio Tecuanis)

NAWALLI by Gonzalo Alvarez and Will Rogers is a creature battle card game based on Aztec mythology. You take on the role of a shapeshifting sorcerer known as a Nawalli to summon Nawals. The game has four partially pre-built decks, ready for customization. Each deck represents Aztec gods from the four directions: Tezkatlipoka, Tlalok, Ehakatl, and Xipe Totek. As you can see, NAWALLI dives into Aztec mythology.

NAWALLI features gorgeous art by Gonzalo Alverez. Many describe the game as a Mesoamerican Pokémon. NAWALLI could only have come from someone with intimate knowledge of Aztec culture and mythology. The images recreate the traditional Aztec style. The look of NAWALLI catches the eye. There are many dueling card games, but NAWALLI’s vibrant art and theme set it apart.

Nunami (Thomassie Mangiok)

We end this list with the self-published Nunami. While Wolves featured balance between one’s neighbors, the Inuit board game Nunami promotes the healthy cohabitation of humanity and natural elements. Nunami’s triangular cards heighten the game’s dynamic terrain management.

Nunami, like NAWALLI, features traditional Inuit artwork set against a stark white or black background. Nunami may be the most abstract game on this list. Players influence a region (hexagon base) with the cards they play. Some cards will cause another to flip facedown. The first player to reach four points wins. Nunami plays the fastest of any of the games on this list. If you want a quick play, Nunami may be for you. Even though Nunami plays more like an abstract game (think Chess, where there’s no story reason why a Knight moves in an L pattern), players attempt to achieve balance. In this case, a balance between man and nature. That sounds like a Native American theme to me.

These are five board games by Native American designers that I wanted to highlight today. What are some of your favorites? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Geekly News: October 11, 2026; D&D and Magic Designers Unionize

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Happy Sunday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another week of Geek News. We have another impressive crop of new releases for board games and video games, but before we get to those, we actually have a headline for the first time in several months. Usually, most geek news headlines tend to be on the negative side. Geekly had a month and a half of bad news for Sony and PlayStation. Yikes! It can get tiring, so we took a break from headlines. I’ve been following the continuing saga for Hasbro, Wizards of the Coast, and the creatives behind Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering. Our headline this week centers on those creatives forming a union.

The other issue we’ve had with geek news headlines is that readers have few (if any) courses of action, but this one’s different. You can sign the petition in support of Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering unionizing. If you want to get involved, here’s a link to the petition. In short, D&D, D&D Beyond, Magic: The Gathering, and Studio X workers have petitioned to unionize.

Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering Designers Apply for a Union

Hasbro has had about as good of a year as Sony and PlayStation. Woof! We’ve seen new scandals from Hasbro week after week. The following is an abbreviated list of what Hasbro has done in about 18 months:

Resend the Open Gaming License (OGL), making third party D&D 5.5 content illegal to sell
Begin prosecuting gamers who use third party D&D content
Sunset D&D Sigil, firing thousands of employees in the process
Fire another tens of thousands of workers during the summer
A third set of layoffs just before Christmas last year
Yet another round of firings set for this Christmas (Merry Christmas, everyone; now pack your s#!t)
Insist on using AI…for everything
Dub D&D books as “collectibles” which is code for making them more expensive
While making a subscription model the norm, which is code for charging even more money for not owning anything
Hasbro let go of Wizard of the Coast’s CEO and has yet to replace him

That last one makes me think of Hasbro as The Reapers in Mass Effect: “Assuming Complete Control.” Seriously, Hasbro may be tabletop gaming’s closest thing to a supervillain. I’ve looked at some of the terms and conditions for working at Hasbro for D&D and Magic, and it’s bleak:

Mandatory (and usually unpaid) overtime, which leads to employees sleeping at their desks
Hasbro owns anything and everything you work on, which means any other creative product you produce as their employee becomes their property

No thanks, Hasbro. You already know I have other games and novels in the works. I don’t need you to own all of my projects. You can’t have my soul.

Your mileage with unions may vary, but Hasbro is the chief force behind most–if not all–of the negative cloud hanging over Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering. The designers of these games have made mistakes in the past, and they will make mistakes in the future, but they deserve to make the games they want to create. Without AI. Without fear of being fired for apparently no reason. Hasbro hemorrhages money. Toys don’t make as much money as they use to make. But D&D and Magic: The Gathering are massive money makers. They’re the ones keeping Hasbro afloat, and the games’ designers are still in danger of being laid off. These designers forming a union may combat some of these bad practices.

Designers of both these games detest AI. That’s a start. Hasbro may get its wish of over-monetizing D&D and Magic: The Gathering (like rising prices for D&D books and a subscription service and the Universes Beyond series), but the designers of these games want to push back again these developments. Forming a union can help. Without a union, Hasbro will 100% implement all of the changes D&D players don’t want to see. With a union, that percentage drops. Even if it’s a reduction of 10%, that’s something. Even if its ridding Magic and D&D of AI slop, that’s something, too. Heck, I’d settle for better working conditions or in some Hasbro employees’ cases, human rights.

You can help the direction of D&D and Magic: The Gathering. Please, consider signing D&D and Magic: The Gathering designers’ petition to apply as a union. Here’s that link again.

I wanted to end on a call to action, which isn’t always something available for these headline news pieces, and on a positive note. Now, let’s talk about the fun stuff. Here are these week’s roundup of new board games and video games.

Heirloom Launches on KickStarter

Heirloom is a hex-tile laying strategy game where players cultivate beautiful heirloom tomato gardens by carefully expanding and optimizing a community garden of tomatoes, and harvesting them with their baskets.

Over the course of the game, players draft and place hexagonal farming tiles to grow contiguous fields and create high-value tomato varieties. The twist is that you can overlap (“overgrow”) tiles, which segments the boards in unique ways.

It’s also an “order fulfilment” game where we are trying to bring fresh tomatoes to the get-together to make a specific dish. Getting your tomatoes there first will earn you more VP.

Featuring vibrant botanical artwork and a clean, approachable ruleset, Heirloom offers a relaxing yet thinky tile-laying experience focused on growth, planning, and the quiet satisfaction of a perfectly cultivated garden.

Thank you, Aerobellum Games, for the description. I like Heirloom’s tile stacking element; this reminds me of Flamecraft Duel but takes the mechanism in a different direction. Allowing players to collect tomatoes and cook recipes with them is another great twist. Heirloom uses a lot of element from recent games and give them a nice spin. The artwork reminds me of Fromage and Formaggio, which is interesting because we will be seeing more from the publisher of those games this week. Heirloom looks amazing. I have seldom met a board game with cooking mechanisms that I didn’t like, so I’m interested in Heirloom. Pledges range from $39 to $299. If you’re interested in Heirloom, check out its KickStarter page.

Don’t Go Back There Launches on KickStarter

Don’t Go Back There is a standalone expansion for Don’t Go In There. It can be played on its own or combined with the base game. Though you were warned to never return, curiosity got the best of you and now you’ve accidentally awoken the Vampires!

Decide how risky to play as you venture deep into Dracula’s castle. Do you take first choice of the items and risk attracting Vampires, or play it safe? Collect the right items and to dispel Curses and ward off the Vampires.

On your turn, choose a part of the haunted house to explore by placing a token in one of the 3 rooms. Each room has a line of 4 spaces. The deeper you go into a room, the more likely you are to get the Cursed item you desire, but be careful! The further you go, the more Vampires will stalk you.

When 3 tokens have been placed into a room, the Vampire dice are rolled and players gain Vampire tokens, but may negate Vampires if they stay toward the back of the line. Next, players will take cards from the room in order of how far each player ventured into the room.

At the end of the game. The player with the most Vampire tokens is possessed and gains extra Curses. The player with the fewest Curses wins!

Don’t Go Back There features all new Cursed items, all new Rooms, and new Vampire dice and tokens. Mix these together with the base game to see if you can escape both the Vampires AND the Ghosts!

Thank you, Road To Infamy Games (R2i Games), for the description. Between all JK Geekly’s writers, we own at least 75% of R2i’s games. I didn’t know that until I started researching Don’t Go Back There. Ironically, none of use own Don’t Go In There, the previous game in this series. We may need to change that. I love a good, quick game with strong push your luck components. Don’t Go Back There looks to fill the niche. This is a departure for a lot of R2i games, at least with the push your luck component. Fromage, Formaggio, and Canvas all run short but there’s little–if any–push your luck. I’d like to see what R2i does with this mechanism, because I do like push your luck games. Don’t Go Back There offers pledges between $24 and $68. Not a bad mix of options. If you’re interested in Don’t Go Back There, check out its KickStarter page.

Excursions Launches on KickStarter

Hi there, and welcome to an exciting new chapter of Galactic Cruise. While the scientists, engineers, and architects are hard at work on Earth, you and your fellow cruise directors will be stationed here on the new, state-of-the-art Galactic Cruise space station. This will be your base of operations, where you’ll be carefully crafting specialized trips, upgrading your fleet, and making sure that our esteemed guests have the time of their lives! I have it on good authority that the cruise director who impresses the board of directors the most will receive the coveted Cruise Director of the Year bonus!

When you are the active player, you choose one of the seven actions around the outside of the space station. These actions include building developments, advertising to guests, adding new excursions to your itineraries, upgrading your ships and player board, and sending guests on the vacations of their dreams! All players will take this action simultaneously, but as the active player you will also gain a bonus, the potency of which fluctuates as the space station rotates.

Once a player reaches the requisite number of victory points, the game comes to an end and final scoring commences. The player with the most points is crowned cruise director extraordinaire and will receive the Cruise Director of the Year bonus (and the victory!).

Thank you, Kinson Key Games, for the description. I saw Excursions and knew it had to make this list. Then, I saw Excursions was part of the Galactic Cruise line of games. I have never played Galactic Cruise. The theme appeals to me: holding cargo of sightseers, you’re sailing a starship through space. Awesome! My only reservation with Galactic Cruise is its complexity. I find more complex games difficult to get to the table. You must be in the right headspace to play an involved game. Fortunately, Excursions dials down Galactic Cruise’s complexity. With pledges ranging from $39 to $349, I have plenty of options to give Excursions a try. Excursions packs a lot of game into a small box. If you’re interested in Excursions, check out its KickStarter page.

Sky Bloom: The Rooftop Gardening Game Launches on KickStarter

Sky Bloom is a strategic game of resource management, set collection, and thoughtful planning. Over the course of a summer season, players gather Seeds, fill Planters with blooming flowers, attract Pollinators for valuable end-game points, and draft Cultivator Cards that enhance their growing strategy.

The flowers, pollinators, and seasonal rhythms in Sky Bloom are inspired by real plants and ecosystems, grounding the game’s garden-building in the natural relationships that allow gardens to thrive.

With personal objectives, shifting weather Forecasts, and limited rooftop space, every decision matters as players compete to grow the most flourishing garden before the season slips away and the first frost claims the final bloom.

Designed to be easy to learn yet rewarding to master, Sky Bloom offers multiple paths to victory and simple turns with surprising strategic depth.

Thank you, Merchants of Play, for the description. I told you gardening board games are popular, and I love the concept of Sky Bloom: gardening on rooftops. Of course the game looks amazing. The bits look high quality. I like the idea changing weather patterns. Gardening on rooftops should come at a cost. And it looks as if Sky Bloom has gained some traction in the community. That’s great to see. Merchants of Play is a newer publisher, but they have some cool upcoming games they have scheduled. Sky Bloom pledges range from $29 to $78. If you’re interested in Sky Bloom, check out its KickStarter page.

Silver Pines Releases

Silver Pines is a survival horror metroidvania set in small town America. Fight nightmarish terrors and solve puzzles, while carefully managing your scarce resources as you uncover the mysteries that could hold the key to redemption.

Thank you, Team 17, for the description. Silver Pines releases at the perfect time: spooky season. I haven’t seen too many metroidvanias mixed with exploration and survival horror games. Silver Pines has an interesting combination of genres and story beats, and the graphics looks great. Just look at that noir aesthetic above. Team 17 is a well-respected game publisher (The Escapists, Overcooked, and War Dogs series), and Silver Pines has received good reviews. This looks like another game Skye may need to explore. Silver Pines is available on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S/X.

Order of the Sinking Star Releases

From director Jonathan Blow (Braid, The Witness), Order of the Sinking Star is a massive puzzle adventure set in a realm of magic and enigma. Solve over 1000 interconnected, hand-crafted puzzles, discover unique playable heroes, master evolving gameplay mechanics, and decipher a grand mystery.

Thank you, Thekla Inc, for the description. Order of the Sinking Star sounds like it’s right up my alley. I loved Braid. The fact that Order of the Sinking Star is by the same director has me hooked. That and the fact that Order of the Sinking Star offers numerous puzzles. What? I love puzzle games. Mrs. Geekly loves puzzle games. Couple that with the excellent graphics, and Order of the Sinking Star becomes a must-play. This game looks amazing. I see myself losing countless hours in this game, and it’s received stellar reviews. I would expect nothing less from Jonathan Blow. Order of the Sinking Star is available on PC and Nintendo Switch 2.

Paperhead Releases

In the cute cardboard world, something went horribly wrong… Use the magical pencil, a good old shotgun, and various other weapons as well as the strength of your mighty boots, to uncover the dark truth and find out WHY WOULD CARDBOARD… BLEED?

Thank you, HypeTrain Digital, for the description. We end this week’s new releases with another spooky game…of sorts. Paperhead looks equal parts adorable and unsettling. Is it supposed to be a cardboard cutout version of Doom? Wow! I love the concept of a magical pencil. Yes, please. Forget the various other weapons I could wield. The pencil is mightier than the gatling gun. LOL Paperhead features an interesting art style. It’s received good reviews, so it must be doing something right. Like many other games on this list, Paperhead was an instant wishlist game. Paperhead is available on PC and Xbox Series S/X.

That’s all the geek news we have for you this week. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Game Design Brain Dump: October 9, 2026

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Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another board game design brain dump. We’re in the heart of the “Ber” season (months ending in BER), so I’ve been focused primarily on writing, but I’ve got a few ideas for board game design, specifically the different modes a game designer can enter whenever they playtest, develop, and design.

Several months ago, I shared Spill the Beans with one of many board game design groups. As they played the game, the members kept thinking of ways to make the game more complex, add more design space. While this was well-meaning, it wasn’t what I wanted or even needed for Spill the Beans. I had progressed the design to a point where I didn’t want to add anything or explore different directions for the design; I was looking for things to refine or take away. Don’t get me wrong. I intend to use some of the ideas mentioned during that Spill the Beans playtest session in a future design, one that could use more fleshing out. This experience led me to think about the various types of playtesting and the roles designers and playtesters assume during these playtest sessions.

Explorer Mode

During an Explorer Mode playtest, the game designer and playtesters are looking for new mechanisms, thematic ideas, and component choices for the game playtested. Many playtest sessions fall under the Explorer Mode. Most, if not every, new game begins in Explorer Mode, and even if a game were to progress to a future mode, they have a chance of returning to Explorer Mode, especially if a game mechanism or two doesn’t quite work. You may have to find alternatives.

Playtesters during the session I mentioned in the opening of Spill the Beans confused the type of session I wanted to have with an Explorer Mode playtest. We’ll get to the playtest mode I thought we were going to have soon enough, but not knowing what playtest type you’re running hurts the designer and the playtesters. I received a ton of great ideas during this session. In an Explorer Mode playtest, that’s amazing. These playtest sessions are asking, What is possible?

You won’t be able to execute every idea in an Explorer Mode playtest, but try out as many of the ideas that sound like they should work together. After all, you’re exploring. You don’t yet know what you want your game to be.

Judge Mode

A Judge Mode playtest has the designer making decisions about which of the options are best by comparing and contrasting mechanism combinations. During this playtest phase, you may even have multiple prototypes, featuring these combos. While you’re in Judge Mode, you’ll be asking, Which approach is better?

A good example of a Judge Mode playtest in action was when I switched Rustbucket Riots from a dice rolling, dice placement game to a bag building, token placement game. For several months, I kept the old version of Rustbucket Riots to see which variant I thought worked best. Which game on-boarded players quicker? Which game was easier to teach? Which one minimized luck? Did I even want to minimize luck? And so on.

But you don’t need to have multiple prototypes of the same game. You can also chose a published game–preferably one the playtesters have played–that is similar enough to your game, or a game that provides a similar experience. After playing your game, you can ask the playtesters if your game scratches a similar itch.

Builder Mode

In Builder Mode, you’ll incorporate all the best ideas from earlier tests (and prototypes) and stress test them. The builder is trying to make the game path you’ve chosen the strongest it can be. Unlike the previous two modes, you’re not interested in alternatives to your design. This is where I was with Spill the Beans. My playtesters during that session didn’t know that I was in Builder Mode because I didn’t know I was in that mode. I had to examine how I playtested game designs. The Builder Mode asks, What happens if I commit to one direction?

How can I maximize the fun? Is there an exploitable strategy that can win almost every game? And so on. During this mode, you might still take notes of possible avenues, which could send you back a mode or two, but for the most part, you’ve made your game design choices.

Inspector Mode

During Inspector Mode you’ll refine your work, removing rough edges, and balancing the game. This is where the game goes from being “good” to “excellent.” Hopefully.

Once you reach the Inspector Mode, you should know exactly what you want your game to be. You’re trying to make your game the best it can be.

So, those are my thoughts on the various types of playtests and how to use them. Now that I’ve gotten a good handle on what I’m doing, I may be able to better let my playtesters know what I’m looking for with feedback. The question, “What did you think,” doesn’t help with feedback. And I was guilty of asking that question after that playtest of Spill the Beans. Hopefully, this list will help other game designers ask the right questions and get better feedback.

Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Whatcha Playing, Geekly: October 2026

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Happy Wednesday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here. Today, our writers share what they’ve been playing over the past month. Feel free to share what you’ve been playing, because we’re all part of the Geekly Gang. I’ll get things started with what I’ve been playing over the past month.

Feed the Scorchpot Video Game logo

Kyra’s Video Games

I’ve been playing a lot of games for next year’s indie video game reviews, so many of the games I mention this month will most likely get a review in the not-so-distant future. Feed the Scorchpot officially released a couple of months ago. I played the heck out of the free demo (which is still available on Steam if you want to try out the game). Feed the Scorchpot’s full release suffers from a common problem of roguelike games: too much variability.

Variability may be the most overrated thing in gaming (for board games and video games). Note: variability and replay value are not the same thing. Feed the Scorchpot can offer so many possibilities with each run, that you can end up with an unplayable combination of recipes, board set up, possible buildings, and dice offerings. I prefer the demo to the full release, but the full release is growing on me. The one element that brings me back for more is the dragons themselves. Each dragon has its own set of rules and behavior (the way they punish the player). I know. I know. That’s another level of variability. But the dragons may be the best form of variability that Feed the Scorchpot offers.

I’m not saying games should have “no variability.” Far from it. But pick and choose the best forms of variability. If the game reduced the number of specialty dice, buildings, board layouts, recipes, and perhaps one less ingredient type, while keeping the number of unique dragons, Feed the Scorchpot would easily be a top three candidate for indie game of the year. It still may be a strong candidate for indie game of the year. Catan meets Balatro. What’s not to love?

Balatro Video Game Banner

I’ve also played Balatro a lot this past month. Everything I said about Feed the Scorchpot can be said for Balatro. You can end up with a combination that just doesn’t work. Balatro doesn’t have nearly as many variables as Feed the Scorchpot, nor does it include as much luck. Players need to roll dice in Feed the Scorchpot. Who knows if you’ll get the right die face? Balatro allows players to optimize their decks. Several of my Balatro plays had me drawing into the Joker that makes all red cards and black cards the same suit (clubs = spades and hearts = diamonds and vice versa). I bought that Joker and every copy of Jupiter, loading up my Flush score.

While this strategy was effective, it made the game boring. I wonder which Poker hand I intend to play. Flush again. Wow! (Was that sarcastic enough?) And most of the time, Balatro threw a curveball at me toward the end of the run, and I still lost. Argh!

Drop Duchy Video Game Logo

This month is sponsored by roguelikes. Roguelikes: Do you like random number generators? Drop Duchy differs from the previous two games on this list, because I have more control. Or at least, I have the perception of control in Drop Duchy. As the game banner above suggests, Drop Duchy is a take on Tetris. Players are given so many Tetrominoes per round. Depending on the direction you take on your journey (Slay the Spire-style), each region you play has a different distribution of tile types you’ll find. Travel to the forest, and you’ll find more woods. Go to the swamp, and you’ll find marsh. The devious part of Drop Duchy’s design is that you play for yourself and your enemy.

In addition to terrain tiles, you’ll find building (as in structures like castle and barricade) tiles for you and your opponent. Winning the game means placing your tiles in advantageous locations, while minimizing your opponent’s tiles placement. That’s right. If you lose, you gave your opponent what they needed to win. And remember, Drop Duchy is a roguelike. While you can bank one tile to place later (typically, I chose an opponent structure), you may draw into countless enemy buildings before finding one of your own. Yowza!

I love the gameplay of all three of these games, but some runs, it feels like I’m a glutton for torture.

Finally, a game that isn’t a roguelike. I’ve mentioned Apex Legends in the past, so I won’t talk about it too much here. The Geekly Writers have been hopping online in a three stack. It’s a good bonding experience. The gun play holds up years later. Apex Legends was designed from the superb Titanfall video game series (I hope Respawn eventually releases a Titanfall 3). And like the other games on this list, we should have an Apex Legends review sometime early 2027.

River Valley Glassworks Board Cover

Kyra’s Board Games

I haven’t talked about River Valley Glassworks since Scroogecon (in February 2026). Oof! I may need to write a review on this game, too. River Valley Glassworks shows that you don’t need too much variability to have replay value. The components seldom change, but there are plenty of possibilities.

In River Valley Glassworks, players collect river glass by placing glass they have in their pans to the river. Placing a piece of glass by matching the glass shape a river tile requires allows players to take all the glass from an adjacent river tile. The river tile that had its glass removed, shifts to the beginning of the river, and the rest of the river shifts forward. This simulates a river flowing. So clever!

Players place the glass they collected from a river tile on their boards. Each board has seven columns and five rows. Only one color of glass can occupy a column, and since there are eight glass colors, you’ll need to be careful which glass you collect. If you can’t place a glass piece on your board, it counts as negative points. When a player (any player) collects 17 pieces of glass, the game ends, and players score their boards. Filled rows and the two tallest columns score.

River Valley Glassworks plays in a flash. I played a ton of two-player games and most ended in less than twenty minutes. This game also scales extremely well. Even a full compliment of five players takes just over half an hour. The artwork is adorable, the river mechanism is amazing, and the acrylic glass pieces add a lot of toy factor. River Valley Glassworks is easily one of my most played board games of 2026. And it received a sequel: River Valley Jewelcraft. Yay!

I’ve been writing a lot this past month; trying to finish a novel-length manuscript by the end of November. So, I’ve played a lot of games I know by heart. Sixes is another game that often hits the table. Players receive a category, and you’re either trying to match other players’ answers or come up with unique answers. Sixes plays similar to Jinx-O, which I mentioned last month. I like Jinx-O’s ridiculous categories (like name an animal that looks like it’s drunk), but you’re always trying to match other players’ answers. I like how Sixes switches what you’re trying to do each round. Simple, but fun.

Those are the games I’ve been playing this past month. Let’s see what Season and Skye have been playing.

Season’s Board Game

Hey, Geekly Gang! I haven’t been on the game scene much lately. I spend way too much time daydreaming. However, I played Dandelions for the first time during Nuke-Con this past weekend. It’s so cute I want my own copy.

In Dandelions, you play as a floating dandelion trying to spread your seeds. There are five tiles set up in a circle that you drift around based off dice rolls. If you land on an opponent, you float off them and move double your die roll. These spaces ain’t big enough for two dandelions. Even though Dandelions is a competitive game it’s super cozy. I was happy floating from tile to tile. I definitely felt like a dandelion. Dandelions only plays 2-3 players, so I’d recommend it for a rainy day or date night over some dandelion wine. Tee hee!

Skye’s Video Games

Before I start, you’ll probably notice a “certain theme” with my entries. To put it mildly, I’ve fallen down a Resident Evil rabbit hole for the past month that has been legitimately difficult to escape. I suspect I won’t manage to find my way out until after I’ve beaten (and platinum’e’d) every canonical title in the franchise. At least that’s what my doctor tells me. I hope you enjoy this descent into my latest special interest.

After previously beating both Resident Evil 2 Remake and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, the next logical step I thought I should take was the game that canonically came next in the timeline: Resident Evil CODE: Veronica. While I enjoyed my time with CODE: Veronica (which isn’t over since I haven’t gotten the Platinum trophy yet), I’ll admit that I underestimated this game. Since I had already beaten two Resident Evil games prior, I thought to myself “I’m starting to get the hang of this; I know what I’m doing.” This would prove to be a big mistake.

I quickly discovered that CODE: Veronica was much more technical and complicated than the games that came before, essentially being Capcom’s idea of a challenge for fans of the franchise. Many of the puzzles I was starting to grow accustomed to were more convoluted, the enemies became stronger, and the resources to defeat them became sporadic. The boss battle formula got turned on its head towards the end, resulting in my repeated agonizing death. Overall, I’m glad I played CODE: Veronica, but it was certainly a humbling experience for me. Side note: Steve can go get burned for all I care.

I debated whether I’d even play Resident Evil 3 Remake given what I had heard from RE fans about how insulting it was to the original Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. The most important thing I’ve learned since becoming an RE fan is “Never listen to RE fans,” so I went for it. My verdict: the detractors certainly have a point, but RE 3 Remake is enjoyable as a standalone game.

It stung not seeing things such as the classic black and white decision-making sequences, iconic locations like the Saint Michael’s Clock Tower/Raccoon Park/Dead Factory, and dynamic Nemesis enemy programming. I believe Capcom’s core value in creating this remake was creating a sense of consistency and continuity between this game and the previous: RE 2 Remake. That and if the original RE 3: Nemesis never existed, I’m sure RE 3 Remake would’ve been seen as a weaker yet serviceable follow-up to RE 2 Remake. And when I think about it that way, I can’t be too angry at RE 3 Remake. I can be very angry at it for its bullcrap Stage 3 Nemesis fight on Inferno difficulty followed up by that janky final shot on Nicholai I failed 4 times in a row, but otherwise I can’t be mad at Resident Evil 3 Remake for having a different design philosophy than the original.

I’m not referring to the Resident Evil HD Remake; I mean the original 1996 classic that started it all. Y’all might think it’s strange how I’d play the first Resident Evil after playing four other Resident Evil games. When I first dipped my toes into Resident Evil, I decided to skip the first game for two reasons. First, I was looking for something that was scary and knew the original Resident Evil was less horror and more of a playable B-movie. Second, I was excited to learn more about the lore of the series and understood that the second game expanded more on the story as the outbreak spread to the rest of Raccoon City

I always knew I would eventually play the original one day. Was it corny? Certainly. Am I going to be quoting my favorite stupid line deliveries from it until I die? Without a doubt. Did I have fun? Of course. Did the twist get me? No, it’s so iconic that I already knew it over a decade ago, but it was still fun to see it play out. Resident Evil is rough around the edges, but the original survival horror experience still got a lot of enjoyment out of me 30 years later.

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here again. Those are all the games our writers have been playing over the past month. What’ve you been playing? Let us know in the comments. Thank for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.