King’s Coalition

• Designer: Derek Croxton
• Publisher: Play to Z
• Players: 2-5
• Age: 8+
• Time: 30 minutes
• Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/3NvW2xt 
• Played with review copy provided by publisher

The king is facing unrest and has fired his key advisors. Now, you have the opportunity to assemble a coalition of his subjects to take their place and bring peace to the kingdom. Will you unite the political power of an entire class, or perhaps build an alliance across the classes. As more subjects join the court, additional strategies may arise. You are aiming to score the highest points in your 7-card hand. Bonuses become globally available as well as collecting sets and sequences.

Continue reading →

Roaring 20s

• Designer: Leo Colovini
• Publisher: Deep Print
• Players: 3-5
• Age: 8+
• Time: 20-30 minutes
• Played with review copy provided by publisher

Welcome to the Roaring 20s, when you will try to attract the trendiest dinos to your glamorous party. Each round, you bid on a dino or pass. As every dino has different preferences, you need either the right snacks to lure it or splendid gems to bribe it. If you want to jump out of the bidding, place your “Mine!” card on one of the bid cards available; the earlier you pass, the more choices you have. Whoever sticks in the bidding long enough wins the dino, then they decide whether to pay with snacks or gems, with no change if you overpay.

Your goal is to have the most points at game’s end. Each dino is worth 1-5 points on its own, with pairs and triplets being worth 3 and 6 points. That said, you can choose to discard an acquired dino if it’s a duplicate in order to transform your “Mine!” card into a joker. Why would you want to do that? Because sequences of dinos are also worth points, with six in a row being worth 15 points, for example.   If you make clever bids, occasionally pass at the right moment, and get the most valuable guests, you’ll be crowned the ultimate prehistoric party animal!

Continue reading →

Stamp Swap

• Designer: Paul Salomon
• Publisher: Stonemaier Games
• Players: 1-5
• Age: 14+
• Time: 20-60 minutes
• Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/4fjwGPb 
• Played with review copy provided by publisher

Designer Paul Salomon (Honey Buzz, Genotype) brings stamp collecting to life on tabletops in Stamp Swap! Draft from a public pool of face-down and face-up tiles (along with some bonus cards), then simultaneously divide them into 2 groups. You will select one group from another player and keep the group of yours that isn’t selected. Organize your growing collection each round and score 1 of 4 goals–choose wisely, as you can’t score that goal again.

The art of stamp collecting is not just in accumulating many stamps, but in collecting high-quality stamps (including rare gold-foil stamps). This 3-round game for 1-5 players is your chance to meet other attendees, put together a beautiful and well-focused stamp collection, and show it off in a series of contests. Do well and you may walk away with the top prize at this year’s Stamp Swap!

Continue reading →