Scrap Collectors
My new bag-building game, which I wrote about last week for the first time, has had a new iteration. Now action takes place around a rondel – a circular track that players move around. The board is modular so can be set up in a number of ways – creating different tracks, on which three levels of scrap can be collected.
During lockdown there has been a surge in the use of online tabletop game simulators. These sites enable players to play popular board games online, and to upload their own. I’ve jumped on the bandwagon and uploaded Scrap Collectors. Some work is involved to learn how the platform works and get all the components loaded up and looking right. Piles of cubes have a tendency to fall over and spill all over the table and it’s easy to move one board and upset everything else. But overall, it’s pretty useful technology. I’m looking forward to playtesting Scrap Collectors online this week.
Opening Day
Following playtesters feedback, one of my two new restaurant-themed placemat games, The Grand Opening, has had a significant simplification. In this game, each time two dice are rolled, players decide whether to use the dice rolls as new customers entering the restaurant, as new dishes being prepared in the kitchen or to transport prepared dishes to waiting customers. In previous versions there were no restrictions on which dishes could be made when and where customers were seated. Now there are strict breakfast, brunch and lunch time zones which limit the actions players are allowed to take. This reduces the overwhelming choices and helps players to focus on a strategy.
The latest version of The Grand Opening has had an initial playtest with the online playtesters group, and will have a few more tweaks before it is shared with others. Play is much slicker and testers report feeling less confused and stressed!
MiniTown & City Planner
During one particularly creative day, I devised two new mini ‘roll and write’ games. Each one could fit on an A6 postcard, rules and all. In MiniTown, players place roads, houses, shops and schools in a 6×6 grid. The different buildings, which must all be connected to roads, score in different ways.
In City Planner, players fill up a 12×12 grid with tetrominoes. The choice of area and shape is determined by the roll of the dice. Players aim to score the lowest total, by filling up as many spaces as possible, while leaving key spots uncovered. These two new games will have their first playtests this week.
Gnome Grown Video
Gnome Grown has a new How To Play video! Gnome Grown is a tableau building game where players take actions to win tiles and then lay them in their own garden. Each player is aiming to complete their own secret objectives to win points. Take a look at the video. We are still shipping during Coronavirus, so do get your order in now.
Doughnuts
The long awaited wooden doughnuts have finally arrived from Germany. So there’s been a flurry of activity making up Doughnut Dash boxes to go out in the new BuzzleBox and to be sold individually.
Find out more about Doughnut Dash (and the tin game Top Cake) in the video below.
Don’t forget
- Every Tuesday at 4pm during school closures we are running online board game sessions for families. Register here (it’s free).
- We’ve created a page of board game resources for families in isolation, so do have a look… you might find something useful.
In case you missed it…
On Monday, we released a new video about 2 Heavier Games to get Stuck into During Lockdown. Featuring: Terra Mystica and The Magnificent.
On Thursday, we published a new Eight Games blog. This month, the team from 90 Second Nerd share their 8 games for 8 different occasions. It’s a great guest blog and really worth a read: 90 Second Nerd’s Eight Games.
Coming this week…
New video: 7 ways to occupy the enthusiastic gamer
New blog: Alfie reviews… a new board game
