Escape From the Museum–If You Can!

If you’ve ever done an escape room, then you know the fun of finding clues and solving puzzles before the clock runs out. The claustrophobic nature of an escape room can add a fun layer of tension to an otherwise straightforward puzzle. Even so, there are a few board games that can replicate that feeling in your very own home. Escape from the Museum takes all the fun and intrigue of a museum-themed escape room and crams it all into one expertly crafted game.

Professor Puzzle Presents

Escape from the Museum is one of many escape room games released by Professor Puzzle. Professor Puzzle is a UK-based game manufacturer that designs various games and puzzles from jigsaw puzzles to murder mystery games. They’re particularly known for their escape room games.  These range from 30-minute games based on classic movie genres to 90-minute games that are more similar in length to a real-life escape room.

If you’re a fan of the puzzle-solving aspect of escape rooms, you’ll appreciate Escape from the Museum, one of the latest releases in the Professor Puzzle escape room lineup. It features a fun “night at the museum” type of setup that includes plenty of brain-busting puzzles and ancient stone tablets to decode. With a cool setting and challenging puzzles, Escape from the Museum certainly stands up to its predecessors.

Escape From the Museum Gameplay

Escape from the Museum is a mini, collaborative escape room experience meant to be enjoyed with friends and family just as you would enjoy a real escape room. In this version of the game, your ordinary trip to the museum gets turned upside down when you mistakenly end up locked inside the museum after hours. With no one around in the dark, quiet museum, it’s up to you and your companions to find the necessary means to escape.

Throughout Escape from the Museum you’ll search for the key to unlock the doors, which is hidden away somewhere inside the museum. The only clue to the location of the key is a note written in a cryptic alphabet, which you’ll have to use your tools and wits to decode. Once you’ve solved all of the puzzles, you can find the hidden key and leave the museum behind for good!

The Escape from the Museum box comes with 12 puzzles, museum papers and artefacts, a pencil, and instructions for playing the game. It also comes with solutions, which you can look at if you get stuck and you need some guidance with one or more of the puzzles. You’ll have to solve puzzles such as the Zodiac in Art exhibit or the Horticultural Garden’s maze to find clues to translate the ancient letters on the mysterious note.

Other Games In the Escape Series

Professor Puzzle has released a few more escape room games in their escape series, including the 90s-themed Escape from the Mall. This fun game includes four different challenges to complete in order to make it out without any food court freak-outs or dressing room disasters. It’s a shorter game than Escape from the Museum, but its fun teenager theme will be a blast for the past for many adults.

Escape from the Grand Hotel is another fun release that’s set in a secretive and mysterious hotel during its opening night. You’ll travel through the hotel solving mysterious puzzles to get out of each room as you figure out what exactly the Grand Hotel is hiding. This set contains nine puzzles, making it a good middle-ground option between Escape from the Museum and Escape from the Mall.

Find the Key To Freedom and Escape From the Museum

Escape from the Museum is playable by any number of players, although it’s usually best for between 2-8 players to get the most fun out of the game. However, it can even be enjhoyed alone if you prefer a single-person game! Gameplay lasts around 45 minutes, which makes it a fun inclusion for an after-dinner game or as part of a larger game night. It’s suitable for ages 12 and up, as the puzzles are more suited for older kids and adults to solve.

Put on your thinking cap and buy Escape from the Museum today!

 

Seafood Lovers Unite With Sushi Go

If you’re a fan of card-drafting games, then you’ll love the fast-paced, easy fun of Sushi Go. This game is simple to pick up the rules and fun enough to play again and again without growing tiresome. Get your chopsticks ready, pass the soy sauce, and go easy on the wasabi as you collect cards to build the yummiest dishes and earn the most points. Just make sure you save enough room for dessert after all that delicious sushi!

Playing Chef

Sushi Go uses a style of card play called card drafting, which requires you to collect a certain combination of cards in order to earn the most points. The cards that get passed around each represent ingredients in a piece of sushi: egg, salmon, squid, etc. Different ingredients earn you a different number of points, with certain combinations nabbing you bonus points. Create special meals like spicy sashimi or steaming dumplings to earn the most points and beat out the other chefs.

A game of Sushi Go is played in three different rounds, each of which represents a different meal. Players get dealt a certain number of cards at the beginning of the round, from which they choose one card to play. They then pass the remaining cards to the left, with each player choosing one card from their new hand to play and passing the remaining cards on. This continues until all of the cards in everyone’s hands have been played.

The fun of the game comes from the card drafting element, which forces you to share decks with your rivals. You’ll need to focus on building your own best hand while preventing your competition from gaining what they need to edge you out. It’s important to remain aware of what your competitors are doing if you want to build the best dish possible. Ingredients like Nigiri or Wasabi are particularly powerful, so make sure you don’t leave them to get snatched up!

Special Cards

Sushi Go comes with standard ingredient cards as well as a few special cards. Sushi Roll cards come with one to three rolls, earning bonus points for the player who has the most rolls at the end of the round. Chopsticks allow you to play two cards from the deck in a later hand, so make sure you plan these into your overall strategy.

Wasabi and Nigiri are two special cards that work together. Wasabi cards triple the value of your Nigiri, so make sure you add them to any dish with Nigiri in it. Wasabi cards are useless without Nigiri, however, so avoid them if you don’t have Nigiri or else you’ll waste cards. Pudding cards are especially useful, as these earn you extra points at the end of the game. Whoever ends the game with the most Pudding cards gets six extra points, while the person with the least loses six points.

Sushi Go Expansions And Spinoffs

Sushi Go Party! is an expansion of the original card game that expands your meal into a full-blown party. The expansion adds 20 more dishes, including party platters of super sashimi, endless edamame, and mega maki. It also allows up to eight players to enjoy the fun.

There’s also Sushi Roll, which is a version of the game using dice instead of cards. Players load a conveyor belt with special sushi dice, picking one and passing the rest. The menu allows you to reroll the dice, while chopsticks allow you to swap them with your opponents. This spinoff adds a fun element of luck to this strategy-based game that can make it a delightful alternative for lovers of the original.

Sushi Go: You’re On A Roll!

Sushi Go can be played by 2-5 players, with the expansion pack allowing up to 8 players to join in on the fun. Playing time lasts around 15 minutes, so it’s a quick and easy game that can be played for multiple rounds if you’d like to keep going. The card game is suitable for ages 8 and up, so it’s pretty accessible to adults and kids alike.

Buy Sushi Go today and enjoy the tasty delicacies of your favorite Japanese cuisine.

 

Wavelength: What’s On Your Mind?

Have you ever felt like a mind reader? If so, then Wavelength is the board game for you. Wavelength is a social guessing game that pits two teams against each other in an attempt to read the other team’s minds. Come up with the best guess to see whether or not your friends and family are truly on your wavelength.

The Psychic And The Bullseye

Wavelength comes with a pack of cards that contain opposing concepts and a plastic spinner that dictates what kind of clues the players give to each other. The players begin by splitting into two teams. On each team’s turn, one player is chosen to be the “psychic” for that round. Each team controls a small cardboard marker that sits in a track inside of a plastic insert. This marker keeps track of both player’s scores, with the first team that makes it to ten being declared the winner.

Each turn the psychic will pick a card that has two opposing sides on it: Fad vs. Classic, Hot vs. Cold, Fantasy vs. Sci-fi. They’ll then spin a plastic spinner, which is covered with a plastic window that prevents the other players from seeing where it lands. Underneath the window are wedges with different colors and numbers ranging from 1-4. These numbers represent the number of points that the players on their team will get if they make the correct guess.

The psychic’s goal is to try and come up with a clue that will lead their fellow teammates as close to the number four wedge as possible. Once they’ve given their clue, the rest of their teammates will then decide where they think the clue lands in the range between the two concepts on the card. They’ll make their guess by pointing the spinner on the little plastic dial to a specific angle that they hope points to where the number four wedge is hiding.

Hot Vs. Cold

An example of a round might be played using the card Fad vs. Classic. If the number four wedge is located almost all the way to the left where Fad is located, then the psychic might give an intensely fad-like clue such as “pet rock.” The other team will then know to place the spinner more towards the Fad location than towards the Classic location.

Once the first team has made their guess, the other team has the chance to make a guess of their own. They can guess whether or not the four wedge is really located further to the left or to the right of where the first team guessed. They make their guess by placing a little pencil figure to either the left or the right side of the board.

Once the viewing window is opened, all players get to see where the number four wedge is located. If the first team landed correctly on the number four wedge, then they win four points. If they did not land on the number four wedge and the other team was closer in their guess, then they win zero points and the second team wins one point. If they landed on a different wedge and the second team was incorrect in their guess, then they win the number of points of the wedge they landed on.

App V. Board Game

The Wavelength board game comes with the plastic spinner, colored cards, and cardboard markers to track game progress. However, in addition to the physical board game, there is also a Wavelength app that players can download on the App Store or on Google Play. The app is currently free and has no ads, although it comes with extra packs available for purchase. Players can select the packs they want to play with to provide a more diverse gameplay and enjoy with friends or family.

But don’t do this. Buying the real game is what you want to do. (Jedi hand wave)

Wavelength: A Game For Mind Readers

Wavelength is a game playable by 2-12 players. Playing time lasts around 30-45 minutes, although you can play as many rounds as you like. It’s suited for ages 14 and up, making it the perfect game for parties.

Buy Wavelength and test how close you really are to your family and friends!

 

Murder Mystery Party: A Whodunit For The Ages

If you’re a fan of whodunits, then chances are you’ve heard of Murder Mystery Party. The series of board games has been turning average citizens into armchair detectives since the first entry in 1984. From Murder Mystery Party: Lethal Luau to Murder Mystery Party: A Taste for Wine and Murder, this board game series has been a source of fun and intrigue that places a delightful spin on the classic murder mystery genre. Get into costume, learn your lines, and send out the invitation to your closest friends as you try to solve a murder.

Murder Mystery Party: A Taste For Wine And Murder

Murder Mystery Party: A Taste for Wine and Murder is one of the most popular editions of the series, offering you the classic setup with a backdrop of California Wine Country. Among these peaceful vineyards and picturesque wineries hides a plotting murderer. At the annual wine-tasting festival the attendees are shocked to discover the body of Barry Underwood, the local vineyard owner, beneath his wine cellar. Players will have to figure out who among them is responsible for this dastardly deed.

In this edition of Murder Mystery Party, the suspects are Otton von Schnapps, Marilyn Merlot, Tiny Bubbles, Ralph Rottingrape, Pape Vito, and Hedy Shablee. There are also two more optional characters for games of eight players. Each player (suspect) will get a Character Booklet that includes their roles and background information. The game also comes with a party planner with recipes and a menu as well as tips on music and decorating. It even comes with eight party invitations and envelopes to send to your unsuspecting guests.

Players will use eight place cards to mark their spot at the table, as well as six secret clues that can help point to the killer. A cassette tape (or CD in recent versions) will provide an introduction, summary of events, and the solution to the crime. The host will direct the players alongside the CD to act out their parts and read certain dialogue (while hamming it up as best they can). Once the game is over, everyone will make their accusations until the CD reveals the actual murderer.

The fun of the game comes from acting your part, as character booklets provide you with interesting character traits that can be fun to play around with. You can even try out an accent to impress (or annoy) your fellow players–it’s all up to you! All the important parts are scripted, so the essential parts of the game will all be kept intact. With this particular edition of Murder Mystery Party, the roles are delightfully campy and all in good fun.

More Murder Mystery Party

There are many other editions of Murder Mystery Party that have been released through the years. Murder Mystery Party Case Files: Fire in Adlerstein was released in 2018 with a shorter playing time and the ability to be played by 1-5 players. This edition comes with both physical and digital parts to be used for investigation. Players can either play in cooperative mode or competition mode to find the criminal. The game is designed to be like a realistic criminal case, making you feel like a real police officer as you conduct your investigation.

If you’re a disco fan, then you’ll love Murder Mystery Party: Stayin’ Alive. This edition is set in trendy Studio Manhattan, where dance sensation Jackie Fever has just been murdered. With hilarious characters such as disco champ John Revolting and martial arts expert Bruce Leap, you’ll have a blast you won’t soon forget.

Throw Yourself A Murder Mystery Party

Murder Mystery Party is usually playable by 6-8 players, so it’s a good game for a dinner party for small groups. Playing time is about three hours, so you should definitely plan to make an evening of it. Ages 16 and up can play most editions of Murder Mystery Party, which makes it a good choice for adult friend groups of most ages. Murder Mystery Party comes in so many varieties that you’ll be sure to find something to your liking. Buy Murder Mystery Party today and enjoy the thrill of the chase!

 

Jenga: When The Blocks Come Crashing Down

It’s the classic Jenga block-stacking and stack-crashing game! How will you stack up against the law of gravity? You may last a few more stacks than your opponent, but eventually, at some point, it will come tumbling down. Let’s just hope it won’t happen on your pull. 

What is Jenga?

Without trying to be pedantic, Jenga is a woodblock stacking game for two or more players. This is a family game night favorite, and a Fantastic Games favorite. At first glance, Jenga seems like a simple enough game but there’s more to it than meets the eye (or the hand).

How to play Jenga?

Each player takes one turn at removing a single block from the tower and then placing it on top of the stack. Players are not allowed to move blocks around or knock over the tower during their turn. Jenga is different from other games because there can be a lot of winners. The point of the game is to not be the loser. 

There are find several rules variations online. Some are stricter with the “no moving” rule than others, while some allow nudging the tower ever so slightly by straightening crooked blocks before pulling them out or putting them back on. Whatever set of rules a person plays with, though, the winner is the one who doesn’t knock the tower over. 

Jega is a simple game with hours of fun in store. Don’t let this classic game come crashing down. Buy Jenga today.

 

Can You Save The Kittens In A Blender? 

Every once in a while a board game comes along that’s so twisted and so adorable that you can’t help but take notice. Kittens In A Blender puts a diabolical twist on your favorite furry friends by putting them in danger of being turned into a fluffy smoothie! You’ll have to act fast and make some hard choices if you want to save your kittens and win the game. Kittens In A Blender is a delightfully wicked board game with dynamic gameplay and buckets of laughs.

The Blender, the Box, and the Counter

Kittens In A Blender has several places for the kitties to roam in the kitchen. The first is the deadly Blender, which is represented by the game box top with an oversized Blender card inside. This is the place you want to avoid allowing your kittens to enter, as all of the kittens that are playing in the Blender when the Blend card is played will be destroyed!

The next location is the Box, which is represented by the base of the game box with an oversized Box card inside it. This space is safe for kittens to play in. Whenever a Blend card is played, all of the kittens playing inside the Box will be saved, living to meow another day. Saved kittens earn you two points each at the end of the game, so getting your kittens inside the Box is a major goal of the board game.

The last location is the Counter, which is represented by a space in between the Blender and the Box. When a Blend card is played, all of the kittens on the Counter will be moved to the Blender. There is a way for a player to stop the Blender from destroying the kittens, however. By playing a Pulse card, a player can counter a Blend card and stop the bloodshed from occurring.

Moving the Kittens Around

In Kittens In A Blender, each player is assigned a Kitten color at the beginning of the game, which is either red, green, blue, or yellow. The deck is then shuffled, and each player is dealt six cards with which to play. Players will then take turns playing two cards each round, drawing back up to six after they play. If they choose to play a Kitten card, they’ll play it directly into either the Blender, the Counter, or the Box.

Other cards will be played face up in front of the player, giving everyone a chance to see the cards being played. The non-Kitten cards will either be the deadly Blend card or cards that will move the kittens around. Kittens on the Move will move kittens around the board wherever you choose, while Kittens in the Blender will move all of the kittens from either the Counter or the Box directly to the Blender.

There’s also a fun wild card called Dog’s in the Kitchen, which forces each player to give their hand to whichever player is indicated by the direction on the card. Once all 16 of the Blend cards have been played, players tally up points to see who wins. Saved kittens earn you two points each, while blended kittens will cost you one point each.

Kittens In a Blender Expansion

Kittens In A Blender comes with an expansion pack called More Kittens In A Blender that adds 32 unique kittens to the game. These kittens come in two different colors, allowing you to play the game with up to six players. This expansion to the board game also adds Flavors such as Vanilla Extract or Strawberries to the mix that can help you make a delicious smoothie out of your blended kittens and earn extra points. How diabolical!

Kittens In a Blender: Save the Kitties!

Kittens In A Blender is playable by 2-4 players, although the expansion allows up to six. This board game is suitable for ages 8 and up, as the mechanics are easy to follow even if the humor is a little much for young children. Playing time lasts around 20-40 minutes, so it’s a great icebreaker board game.

Save the adorable little kitties and buy Kittens In A Blender today!

 

Killer Bunnies: It’s a Battle of Bunnies

What’s more cute and cuddly than an adorable little bunny? If you’re asking that question, chances are you’ve already lost the game! In Killer Bunnies and the Quest for the Magic Carrot, you’ll learn that bunnies can be more vicious than meets the eye. This cutthroat card game forces you to collect weapons and build an army of lethal bunnies to wipe out the competition and collect the elusive Magic Carrot. Do you have what it takes to engage in bunny warfare?

Finding the Magic Carrot

The object of Killer Bunnies is to collect as many Carrots as possible in an effort to find the Magic Carrot. However, you’ll have to make sure you have at least one surviving bunny by the end of the game in order to win. You’ll have to balance collecting Carrots with fighting off the other bunnies if you want to make it through the bunny carnage alive.

Killer Bunnies uses a few decks of cards, including a large Carrot deck, a small Carrot deck, and a third deck that players will draw from throughout the game. These cards will include bunnies of different colors and types, Weapons, and draw Carrot cards. There are also cards that have special effects like Heavenly Halo or Bunny Abducting Aliens that add a nice bit of humor to the game.

There are a few ways you can earn extra moves on your turn. By playing a certain combination of bunnies or drawing certain cards, you can leap ahead of the competition and upend your opponent’s strategy.

The card game ends once the last of the large Carrot cards is picked up. Then, the Magic Carrot is determined by whichever player has the large Carrot card that matches the card on the bottom of the small Carrot deck. This means that the winner is chosen randomly, but that the more Carrots you collect, the more likely you are to win.

Defending Your Bunnies

While the overall objective of Killer Bunnies is to collect Carrot cards and find the Magic Carrot, the main gameplay involves waging war with your bunnies. You play your bunnies by placing them within the Bunny Circle, waging war against the other bunnies on the board. You’ll need to buy, trade, and negotiate with the other players if you want to make it through long enough to see the end of the game.

Most of the cards must be played in the Rabbit Run, which holds two cards at a time. This means that cards will take two turns to actually get into play, giving you a chance to plan ahead and guess which cards your opponents currently have on the docket. However, some cards are either Special or Very Special, which means you can play them right out of your hand. 

Killer Bunnies Sequels

In addition to Killer Bunnies and the Quest for the Magic Carrot, there are a few sequels and expansions that can expand the game into all-out bunny warfare. Killer Bunnies and the Conquest of the Magic Carrot can either be played on its own or integrated into the original game. It has the same goal as the first game, but it contains extra booster packs for added variety.

There’s also a non-collectible card game version of Killer Bunnies called Kinder Bunnies: Their First Adventure that is geared towards young children. This spinoff card game features more simplistic gameplay that eschews the bunny-killing in favor of teaching kids to avoid safety hazards as they collect Carrots. The bright graphics and fun activities make it a perfect card game for teaching kids about skills like reading and teamwork.

Killer Bunnies: May the Best Bunny Win

Killer Bunnies is playable by 2-8 players, so it’s a great card game for any size group. It’s suitable for ages 12 and up due to the somewhat dark humor of the bunny-killing, although the mechanics are simple enough for children as young as 8. Playing time lasts around 45 minutes, which is a decent amount of time to really get into it without growing tired of the game.

Channel your inner predator and buy Killer Bunnies today

 

Dixit: The Surrealist Party Game

If surrealist art is your thing, then Dixit is the perfect party game for you. This fun and wacky game forces you to tap into your creative side to find the perfect clues for the images in front of you. Whether you’re the king of using your imagination or you’re more in touch with the logical side of your brain, Dixit is an incredibly fun card game that will bring out your playful side.

It’s Storytime!

Dixit is an excellent party card game that can be played in several fun-filled rounds. Every player gets a hand of six cards, each of which includes a single abstract picture without any text. On every round, a different player is designated the Storyteller. The Storyteller is tasked with choosing one of their cards and giving a clue about it before placing it facedown on the table. The clue can be either a word or a sentence.

Once the clue has been given, the other players will each choose one of their own cards that best match that clue. They’ll then place that card facedown on the table along with the Storyteller’s card. The cards are shuffled and then revealed face up on the table for everyone to see. The goal of each player is to try and guess which card was in fact the Storyteller’s card.

One of the best parts of the card game Dixit is the fact that it comes with large, beautifully illustrated cards. These abstract illustrations include things like ticking timepieces, unicorns and rainbow bridges, a sea of umbrellas, and fearsome dragons. All of the cards in the game are family-friendly, so you can easily enjoy the game with little kids or teenagers.

Making Guesses

The clue that the Storyteller gives is meant to be indicative of the picture on the card, but it shouldn’t be too direct. This is because the Storyteller wants at least one player to guess their card, while not wanting everyone to correctly guess it. The Storyteller will earn zero points if either everybody or nobody guesses their card. However, if one or more players guess their card, then both the Storyteller and the guesser will earn three points.

Players can also earn points in the event that another player guesses their card instead of the Storyteller’s. Once all of the guesses have been made and the points have been tallied, the next person in the circle becomes the Storyteller and the game continues. The game ends either when all of the cards in the deck have been played or when a player earns 30 points. If all of the cards are played, then the player with the most points wins.

Points are scored with a game board that comes with little rabbit tokens. Players will move their tokens around a track at the bottom of the game box as they earn points, watching their bunnies inch closer and closer to victory.

Dixit Expansions

Dixit comes with a couple of expansions and standalone games that take the simplicity of Dixit and expand it into something much more whimsical. Dixit: Journey allows your clue to take the form of a story, a song, or a movement that is associated with the card. Fortune favors the brave with this card game expansion, as you’ll have to put aside your stage fright and put on your dancing shoes to make your clue really stand out!

Dixit: Odyssey works as both a standalone game and expansion that features the same gameplay as the original Dixit in addition to 84 new cards. This expansion includes additional rabbit storing tokens, allowing up to 12 players to play.

Let the Art Do the Talking with Dixit

Dixit is playable by 3-6 players, so it’s a good party card game for small groups of people. However, if you forego the scoring board and simply keep track of the points manually, then you can accommodate more players. It’s also suitable for ages 8 and up, as it’s very family-friendly and easy to follow. Playing time lasts around 30 minutes, so you can easily fit in a round or two before dinner.

Buy Dixit today and let your imagination run wild!

 

Phase 10: Don’t Get Left Behind!

If Rummy and Uno had a baby, it would be Phase 10. This card game uses colorful numbered cards to force you to collect unique sets in a race against your opponents. It’s a fast-paced game that’ll keep you on your toes as you draw and discard cards while pondering your opponents’ next moves. If you’re looking for a fun alternative to Rummy that you can play on the go, then Phase 10 is the perfect card game for you.

Completing the Phases

Phase 10 is played in multiple rounds, with each round forcing you to collect a certain set of cards in order to advance. At the beginning of the first round, all of the players are in Phase 1. This requires you to collect two sets of three identical numbers. Players will go around in a circle drawing and discarding one card at a time. 

Once a player completes the phase and discards their last card, the round ends. All the players who still have cards in their hands will receive a penalty to their score based on the number of cards they have left and their value. When the next round begins, all the players who collected the right cards to complete Phase 1 get to move onto Phase 2. Everyone else is forced to complete Phase 1 again.

Phase 10 continues for multiple rounds until one player manages to be the first to complete all 10 phases. The trick of the game comes from being able to know which cards to discard in order to quickly catch up and beat out the other players. While the rules are pretty simple, there is a little wiggle room for a strategy that can make this card game more complex than meets the eye.

Special Cards

There is another element of Phase 10 that makes it a bit more challenging: the special cards. These cards can really throw a wrench in the works by allowing you to skip over opposing players during their turn. You can also draw wild cards that can have any color or number that you choose, allowing you to complete your set.

One thing that can bog down Phase 10 is the length of the game time. If you play it according to the traditional rules, games can often last upwards of 2 hours. However, there is a common house rule that many people employ to speed things up and make the most use of the points system of the game. 

By allowing everyone to advance to the next phase regardless of whether or not they manage to complete the set, then you can get to the finish line much faster. If you play Phase 10 using this house rule, then the player who has the best score by the end of the game is crowned the winner. This can incentivize you to complete your sets and win as many phases as possible.

Phase 10 Twist

Phase 10 Twist is a sequel to the original card game that adds some interesting twists to the original game. Instead of just using a deck of cards, Phase 10 Twist comes with a board with a phase track. This can be used to move players along and easily score the game without having to count the cards every time.

This sequel card game also includes Twist spots that force players to choose a different phase to complete than the one they originally were assigned. Players can choose from the optional Twist phases that are more difficult than the regular phases but offer more of a reward for completing. This card game also includes three discard piles, giving you an additional strategic element to consider when shedding cards.

Better Keep Up with Phase 10

Phase 10 is playable by 2-6 players, so it’s an easy card game to play on a family camping trip. It’s suitable for ages 8 and up, as it’s easy to comprehend and quick to pick up. Playing time lasts around 45 minutes to 2 hours, although it can be much shorter if you use the optional house rule.

Buy Phase 10 today and enjoy the lovechild of Rummy and Uno!

 

Bananagrams: Quit Monkeying Around!

Bananagrams is one of those classic word games that almost everyone has an edition of sitting around somewhere in their closet. With the trademark little felt banana bag and those user-friendly letter tiles, you can easily mix and match words to create your own crossword and be the first to shout out “Bananagrams!” If you’re a fan of classic word games like Scrabble or Boggle but are looking for something a little more fast-paced, you’ll love Bananagrams.

Arranging the Tiles

Bananagrams is an incredibly simple and fast-paced game that uses small tiles to form words in the shape of a grid. In this sense, it is incredibly similar to Scrabble, although Bananagrams gets rid of the game board and speeds things up by allowing each player to make their own grid. To make their words, players get to use 144 tiles that all come in a cute little bag shaped like a banana.

Bananagrams begins with all of the tiles being flipped and placed in the center of the table. Each player then takes 12 tiles and begins arranging them into words in the form of a grid, similar to the way a crossword is set up. Once a player uses up all of the letters in their bunch, they shout “peel!” and everyone has to take a new tile from the pool in the center.

If you’re stuck with a bunch of bum letters that you can’t place, then you can dump one of your tiles and draw three more. While this can help you dig your way out of the hole, beware! You may only find yourself deeper in the pit with more tiles you can’t use. Once the pool in the center of the table is almost empty, then the first person to use all of their tiles shouts out “Bananagrams!” and wins the game.

Variant Rules

Bananagrams is incredibly simple, with hands usually taking as little as 5 minutes. However, there are different variant rules within the game itself that you can use depending on where you are and how complex you want the game to be. The Banana Smoothie of the board game gives everyone their own bunch of tiles right at the start of the game, dividing it equally among everyone. This allows you to plan out your whole crossword right at the beginning.

The Banana Cafe version of Bananagrams is meant to be played in public when waiting for service. Players play with 21 tiles and are allowed to dump tiles and draw more if they need to, but they don’t have to “peel” and force anyone else to draw more tiles. You can also play the Banana Solitaire version of Bananagrams to play the game all on your own, competing against your own best time.

Bananagrams Sequels

There are several sequels to the original Bananagrams board game that allow you to play it with new and complex rules. Bananagrams Duel! turns the board game into a two-player word game that uses both letter cubes and Banana cards. Players use any side of their 12 letter cubes to try to create a crossword grid, competing for Banana cards to see who can win the most rounds.

Bananagrams Party adds 14 more “party power” tiles to the original game. These tiles range from The Re-Gifter to The Thief to Switcheroo, with each giving you a special power to use against your opponents. Bananagrams WildTiles adds 6 wild monkey tiles to the game, each of which can be used as whatever letter you like. This is similar to the wild tiles in Scrabble, which can help you make a new word when you can’t seem to find the letter you need. 

Bananagrams: Wordplay Never Tasted So Sweet

Bananagrams is playable by 1-8 players, so you can easily play it with the whole family or just on your own when you’re killing time. It’s suitable for ages 7 and up, as anyone can grasp the simplicity of the rules. Playing time lasts around 15 minutes, although you’ll definitely be playing best of 5 or best of 10.

Buy Bananagrams and add this classic tile game to your collection of word games!

 

Munchkin: The Card Game for Monster-Killers and Backstabbers

Does the idea of killing monsters and stealing from your friends sound like a good time to you?  If so, you’ll love the hilarious card game Munchkin, a D&D-inspired game that takes the dungeon experience and flips it on its head.  Grab the Horny Helmet and vanquish the Plutonium Dragon to level up in this fantastic card game that will keep you laughing the entire time.

Kicking Down the Door

In Munchkin, each player begins their turn by “kicking down the door”, which involves drawing a Door Card from random.  Door Cards belong to several different categories.  The first are Curse Cards, which give you a certain negative effect.  If you have the bad luck to draw a Curse Card, you may end up having to forfeit your turn or go back a certain number of levels.  These usually come with funny little drawings such as the “Duck of Doom”, which curses you for being silly enough to pick up a duck in a dungeon (what were you thinking?)

Door Cards can also be Item, Race, or Class Cards that you get to add to your hand to be played at a future time.  These can be helpful in attacking opponents during their turns or in giving yourself a valuable boost in fighting monsters.  The last kind of Door Card is a Monster Card, which pits you against a ferocious creature in an opportunity to either level up or suffer the consequences.

Level Up but Don’t Get Killed

Munchkin begins with all players starting at level 1.  Whoever is the first to reach level 10 is declared the winner, but you’ll have to fight off some monsters if you want to level up.  Monster fights will pit your total level against the level of the monster to decide who wins the round.  The real excitement of the game comes from the fact that your fellow players can either choose to help you defeat the monster (in exchange for Treasure Cards) or add another monster to the mix to try and crush you.

If you win the fight and defeat the monster, you can draw a certain amount of Treasure Cards and level up.  If you lose, however, you’ll have to roll the dice to try and get away.  Anything less than a five will force you to deal with the “Bad Stuff” on the monster card, which can result in losing levels or Treasure Cards.  You may even die as a result of losing the battle, which doesn’t disqualify you from the game but does force you to end your turn and draw a new hand for equipment.

Munchkins Sequels and Expansions

Munchkin has spawned countless sequels that can be played on their own or added to the original game for an even wilder good time.  Munchkin Adventure Time is based on everyone’s favorite show on Cartoon Network, incorporating art and characters from the series.  Munchkin Booty sets the game on the high seas, forcing you to battle vividly drawn pirates drawn by Guest Artist Tom Siddell.  Expansions such as Munchkin Apocalypse add natural disasters, zombie takeovers, and alien invasions in addition to new mechanics for more complex gameplay.

Kill, Steal, and Stab: The Munchkin Way

Munchkin is playable by 3-6 players, so it’s definitely well suited for small to medium groups of friends who’ve grown tired of playing the traditional Dungeons and Dragons card game.  Newcomers to card games will also find plenty to love with the simple rules and amazing illustrations done by John Kovalic, which add a unique level of style and fun to the game.

Munchkin is suitable for ages 10 and up, so families can definitely get a kick out of all that it has to offer.  With a playing time of one to two hours, you can make an entire night out of a game without losing interest.  Thanks to its potential for cooperation and ruthless backstabbing, Munchkin is a game that can make or break friendships in an instant.  If you’re looking for a game with humor, strategy, and excellent artwork, Munchkin and any one of its numerous expansions will provide countless hours of fun.

 

Red Dragon Inn: Party Like a Hero

Sure, everybody knows the story of the heroic adventurers who save the day, slay the evil monsters, and collect their share of the treasure.  But what happens to them after they’ve finished their righteous conquest?  A night of drinking, gambling, and roughhousing of course.  Red Dragon Inn is a comical game with rapscallion characters engaged in a debauched good time.  

Choose Your Adventurer

In Red Dragon Inn, players get to choose between four different heroic adventurers who’ve just come back from a fresh conquest.  Each character comes with their own special deck of cards that provides them with unique abilities during the game.  The first is Deirdre the Priestess, an elf under the protection of a goddess that can get her out of scrapes and help her heal.  

Fiona the Volatile, on the other hand, is a tough female warrior who can cheer on her fellow players to drink more heavily while turning her own drinks into greater strength.  Gerki the Sneak comes with plenty of cheat cards that make him an excellent gambler (as well as a few poisons hidden up his sleeves).  The last is Zot the Wizard, whose half-demonic pet rabbit Pookey aids him in his quest to drain the other players of their gold.

Gambling, Drinking, and Roughhousing

Every player gets their own board where they can store their decks, discards, and drink cards.  Players start out with ten gold coins and seven cards that they can use to gamble, drink, and gain the upper hand against the other players.  Each turn gives you several options: you can discard however many cards you like and redraw, you can play an action card, or you can buy a drink for someone else.

Buying a drink for someone else will add another drink card to their stack, but it also forces you to take a drink yourself by drawing a card from your own stack.  While this may end up raising your alcohol content and getting you one step closer to passing out, you may end up gaining fortitude from the drink.  You can only play one action card per term, and these cards will usually force the other players to either take damage or drink more.  

Hold Onto Your Coins—and Your Sobriety

Some action cards will trigger a round of gambling, which invites each of the players to bet their gold and play their gambling cards.  Some characters are better at gambling than others, so your character’s profile will play heavily into your strategy of whether or not to favor gambling or drinking.

If a player’s alcohol content gets too high, they’ll pass out and lose the game.  However, running out of gold coins from gambling too much will also kick you out of the game.  The winner is whoever manages to be the last person to hold onto their coins and stay conscious.

Red Dragon Inn Sequels

Red Dragon Inn has spawned a handful of standalone sequel games that can also be integrated with the original game.  Red Dragon Inn 2 adds characters such as Dimli the Dwarf, a gold-hoarder who can handle his liquor like nobody’s business.  It also adds Fleck the Bard, a music loving half-elf who steals the hearts of all the girls.

Red Dragon Inn 6: Villains puts a unique twist on the premise of the game by taking on the villain’s perspective.  With this dark and twisted sequel, you can engage in Boss Battle mode that pits all the players against one evil villain.  No matter which Red Dragon Inn sequel you choose, you’ll be able to enjoy fun new characters that can make the original game even more expansive.

Enjoy the Spoils of the Hunt with Red Dragon Inn

Red Dragon Inn is suitable for ages 13 and up, mostly due to its slightly adult themes.  It can serve 2-4 players, but adding expansion can allow for larger groups and parties of up to 8.  Playing time lasts around 45 minutes, which should make for a decent round of debauched fun.  With Red Dragon Inn, you’ll be sure to enjoy its lighthearted nature and clever spin on the classic “hero.”

 

 

How to Play The Red Dragon Inn

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