The Spiel

Custom Heroes is an innovative twist on traditional climbing card games. You get to play with the makeup of the deck itself! Using transparent cards, you can make a low card high, turn a card wild, and more. Get rid of your cards 1st to score big and win.

A review of Boom Blast Stix written by Stephen Conway.

In Planetarium, cosmic forces are your playthings. You and your fellow players shape an entire solar system. Will the system support life or be filled with gas giants or barren radioactive moons? It’s up to you to decide.

Fuji Flush is a wonderfully simple card game. Your goal is to flush all the number cards from your hand, one card at a time. It's a game about strength in numbers. And the more people you play with, the more fun the game becomes.

A review of Twangled written by Bernie DeKoven.

Gen Con is a grand gathering of all things geek. Every slice of the nerd pie is here. This means everyone's Gen Con is different. This is the story of our Gen Con - a tale packed with guests, discussions of over 30 games, interviews, and lots of laughs.

Few know that mole rats make the best astronauts. Your team of "ratstronauts" is facing a huge crisis - a space station being overrun by intergalactic snakes! Can you gather the right supplies and get to the escape pod? Just don't forget the duct tape!

Cottage Garden is a tile laying game that plays like an interactive puzzle. Your goal is to paint with peonies and petunias, planting and arranging the right mix of flower and foliage to create a relaxing and glorious garden in the limited space you have.

A review of Beasts of Balance written by Stephen Conway. Beasts of Balance is a playful hybrid of analog and digital games. It combines the simple act of stacking with technological elements that enhance and expand gameplay in fun and unexpected ways.

Tricky Trunks embraces two simple ideas: find the pattern, collect plastic balls BUT... no hands allowed! Use this kooky elephant head instead. The game is a joy to play and most emphatically Major Fun!

Every adventurer has a story. In Roll Player, you craft a hero for the ages, one die roll at a time. Part puzzle, part press your luck, Roll Player offers fun decisions even if you can't tell an orc from an elf or a scimitar from a Bohemian earspoon!

A review of Ninja Camp written by Stephen Conway. Whether you’re a hamster, a sloth or a platypus, Sensei Saru can teach you to master the arts of the shadow warrior. Enter the card arena for a grand melee and score the most to win the Sensei's favor.

Picassimo is a party game where players create, disassemble and reassemble works of art. You’ll draw on a 6 part canvas and then mix up the parts. Hopefully someone can still see the essence of the drawing and guess the subject of your art!

Lorenzo de Medici was Florence's favorite son and father of the Renaissance. But he didn't do it alone. Guide your family to power by sending your family to sponsor new developments. But beware the Pope. Show your faith or risk the wrath of the Church!

A review of The Great Dinosaur Rush written by Stephen Conway. Each player is a famous fossil hunter searching the prairie for bones. You will use these bones to physically build your own dinosaur each turn, hoping to score big in the museum exhibit.

Being King isn't easy. Some subjects like the forest, some like the swamp. It's your job to make sure they all have a place in your realm. Kingdomino mixes the classic tile laying game with several simple, clever modern twists.

In Black Orchestra, you are a member of a conspiracy that plots to kill Hitler before and during WW 2. You do this by gaining enough motivation and courage to go through with the deed without drawing too much suspicion to yourself and your compatriots.

A review of Double Play written by Stephen Conway. Double Play is a set of word games with a twist. Every card in the deck is actually two letters depending on the direction you play the card.

Tak comes to us from writer Patrick Rothfuss and designer James Ernest. Tak is universal, simple, elegant and accessible. A game that you can play anywhere, with anyone. A game that is beautiful because HOW you play matters as much as winning or losing.

1885. A bomb explodes in Parliament. Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes have 7 days to build a case to prove the innocence or guilt of a young man. Collect sets of evidence by selecting actions on character cards from Doyle's novels. May the best detective win!

A review of Imagine written by Stephen Conway. Imagine is a party game where players use the language of symbols to communicate. Here's the twist. You can layer the transparent cards to create complex images or animate the cards to create a small story.

Game of Trains is a fast fun card game. Your futuristic train can't leave the station until all the cars are arranged from low to high. The artwork includes tons of nerdy references but the game itself is easy enough for your grandma to play and enjoy.

Hanamikoji is a brilliant 2 player card game. You are restaurateur, trying to hire talented geishas. The beauty of the game is its simplicity. Four simple actions combine in various ways to create surprising, challenging and fun decisions on every turn.

Honshu is a map building card game set in feudal Japan and powered by a clever trick-taking mechanic. Each card you win must overlap with cards already in your domain. This means each card becomes a challenging mini-puzzle to solve.

Honshu is a map building card game set in feudal Japan and powered by a clever trick-taking mechanic. Each card you win must overlap with cards already in your domain. This means each card becomes a challenging mini-puzzle to solve.