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Townspire Preview – One Board Family

Radek Ignatów is a designer who has impressed me over the past few years. I backed his Knight and Roll&Meow campaigns, so when I saw his post asking for people to preview his latest title, I knew I had to check it out.

While I would classify those other two titles as medium weight games, Townspire is lighter fare, with its theme and artwork both complementing this simpler approach. It seemed that Radek was going for a more family-friendly title this time around, but I was a bit concerned that the game might get too complicated.

However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that, thanks to some wonderful innovations, this is one of the most approachable print-and-play games I’ve seen in recent years.

Rebuilding the Kingdom

In Townspire, you take on the role of a Medieval architect, charged by your king to reconstruct a destroyed town according to some very specific instructions. You need to be sure that you provide plenty of housing, businesses, and protection for the new settlers before they arrive.

The game is played over 10 rounds, each of which starts off with an action card. These cards feature a top and bottom field with different conditions that you’ll fulfill for that turn. First, you’ll draw a new building on your map according to specific criteria – maybe on the edge of the map, or a certain number of spaces from another map object. There are several buildings, most of which allow you to convert your resources so that they have a higher value. There are also cottages that you’ll build for the residents you’ll need to run your businesses, and towers that can be used with walls to help protect your new city.

Next, you’ll activate the resources listed in that section of the card. There are several items that might be included. You might extend your walls. Maybe you’ll plant crops (wheat or tomatoes) or grow livestock (sheep and chickens). You might also gain work actions or be able to use them, which will allow you to grow or raise more, or use your buildings to do those advantageous resource conversions – like turning tomatoes into soup. You can also employ guards that will protect your land from the invading dangers.

Yeah, those dangers come next. Bandits will try to mess with your buildings, insects will attack your crops, and wolves will try to snatch your livestock. They must be placed according to special rules, similar to your buildings. You’ve got options to protect against these threats (like the aforementioned guards), but if you don’t, they’ll cause you to lose points at the end of the game.

Eye on the Prize

As you add more and more to your map, you’ll be working to accomplish two goals that are set for you at the beginning of the game. You might have to defeat a certain number of villains, or maybe create a certain number of loaves of bread and bowls of soup. These goals are specific to each map, and they are randomly assigned for you each game, so you’ll have to adjust your strategy each time you play. If you don’t manage to accomplish your goals by the end of the game, you lose.

However, if you reach those goals, you’ll add up all the points you’ve earned (mostly from your resources). If you’re playing with others, then the person with the most points is the winner. If you’re flying solo, you’ll compare your score to the suggested score thresholds to see how you did.

After playing this game a few times, I must say that it’s one of the more challenging print-and-play solo games I’ve seen. It might just be me, but I had a really hard time with keeping all the different placement rules straight and ensuring that I didn’t just plan for that turn, but looked ahead to future turns and challenges. For example, insect infestations can only be stopped by chickens, and chickens can only be placed by trees. So, I should only put them near trees, right? Yeah, my brain struggled with that, for some reason. However, I can definitely see how playing the game more and more will help out with that.

That being said, when the strategy works well, things can fall into place. It’s nice when you’re able to place that knight just right to take out the bandits. Lining up several turns to accomplish one of your two goals is quite satisfying, while having your best laid plans destroyed by a bad card pull is heartbreaking. If you can handle a little bit of luck, you should be fine. Plus, that luck is necessary to ensure that you don’t “figure out” the game and make it so that the same strategy would work every single time.

Oh, and while it’s a solo game, it can be played with other people. Just know that there’s not any interaction between players, so you’ll essentially be playing a solo game… with other people.

Medieval Innovation

But there’s one part of the game that I must report on, and I personally think it could have a HUGE impact on how print-and-play games work moving forward, at least for players like me. I personally love playing games on my iPad – it’s so much easier to get the game started, to store everything, to not have to worry about a bunch of little pieces. With a bunch of games, I can easily pull this off while using a dice app on my phone. However, when cards get thrown into the mix, things get a bit more complicated, and I’m less likely to play.

In this game, each map features a QR code that you can scan that brings up action cards for that map in website form. From there, the website will randomly select your goals, and then randomly produce the action cards for you. This might sound simple, but it’s SUCH a benefit for gamers like me.

In the past, I might have spent far too much time making sure the cards look decent (yet I’d still be disappointed with the outcome), and then I would need to find a place to keep those cards where I would remember whenever I want to play again. Now, I just have to scan, and boom! I can play. No printing, no cutting, no storage. While some might not see this as a big deal, it’s game-changing for me. I’ve already asked the designer if he would consider a similar functionality for his previous titles.

Final Thoughts

As it stands, Townspire is a solid addition to the print-and-play world that is worth your time and consideration. If this is a genre you’ll enjoy, then you’re going to like Townspire and the variability that it provides. Plus, if you approach your print-and-play games like I do – that is, with no printing – the approach to cards is a HUGE bonus and something you won’t want to miss out on.

You can find Townspire on Kickstarter now through August 21, 2025.

A prototype of the game was provided for this coverage. Components and rules covered in this preview are not finalized. Read more about our preview policies at One Board Family.

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07/08/2025
Junkyard Juggernauts Preview – One Board Family

After over a decade playing hobby board games, I’ve grown a bit tired of the fantasy and sci-fi genres. Sure, I understand the appeal, but I feel like it becomes the default theme when designers and publishers can’t figure out what coat of paint to put on a set of mechanics.

But Junkyard Juggernauts has refreshed this board game trope with a fun melding of the two genres. Players take on the role of young heirs to a throne, skilled not just in magic, but also in the assembly of giant robots called Juggernauts. You must explore the land of Galmenni to take down enemies, complete quests, build up your skills, and eventually take down the evil Warlord. But watch out, because one of your crew will be enticed by the Warlord and may fall to the forces of evil…

Lots of Robot to Love

Let me start off by saying that there is A LOT to Junkyard Juggernauts. The designer, Francisco Ruiz, has obviously put a lot of time and passion into this project. It’s almost like a few different games smashed into one, all covered with a thick coat of solid storytelling. During the hours (yes, plural) that I spent learning how the game worked, I became more and more immersed in the lore of Galmenni and really enjoyed how every element ties together.

The story certainly has vibes of the stories told back on the NES, Genesis, and other older systems, and the pixelated artwork does a tremendous job of enhancing that feeling. You’ll kick things off by building your Juggernaut from parts (cards) that you find in the Junk Pile. There’s a good amount of variety in the cards that will serve as the parts for your Juggernaut, and each has enough detail and unique characteristics so that you feel your build is truly different from other players. I also like how these cards are literally piled, and players can only grab a card they can literally put their finger on. It’s a fun little mechanism that matches what a player is actually doing in-game that you don’t see in many other games of this scope.

Once everyone has drafted their cards, you have to be strategic in the way you put your mech together. You obviously want to get powerful arms to maximize your Attack level, but they can’t be more powerful than the leg that supports them on that side. You also want to try to find parts that match your character’s elemental mastery, whether it be Wind, Water, Fire, or Earth. If you match, that part’s power will be greatly enhanced.

And there’s even more to consider! You see, every card has four features depending on its orientation. They all have both arms and legs that can be added to your machine. They also have an Amplify ability, which can greatly… amplify… how you fight. They also feature potions, which are an integral part of the Dispel-Overpower Contests that can happen during battle. (Yeah, I don’t have the time or space to get into all that…) You’ll only be able to use one feature of a card at a time, so you’ll need to be sure you’re careful in your decision-making.

A World Worth Exploring

Once you’ve got your mighty robot completed, you’ll do your best to dive into the world of Galmenni. The map provides many different options for how you can play your game. Maybe you’ll seek out Quests, which often have you moving to different locations on the map and completing a task, usually with a risk of damage. It will be worth it, though, because you’ll do the game’s version of leveling up, and you’ll have the opportunity to gain specializations that give you more attacking and defensive options. When I first reviewed these in the rulebook, I thought that they might be a useless distraction from the core of the game, but I quickly found myself focused on Quests so that I could make myself more powerful and better prepared for the battles.

But you might call me a coward and instead jump right into the fighting. You have the option to fight Beasts, but you’ll primarily focus on the Junk Golems. These smaller mechs (two arms and one leg) are each aligned with one of the Elements, and they have their own special powers and skills that make them a challenge. They will also vary from game to game, as their parts come from the top of the Power Card deck left over after your own construction.

Battle Bots

Fighting is a huge mechanic of this game, and Ruiz has put a lot of thought into crafting a substantial system. The power in your legs and arms represents that part’s Mettle, and not only is it that part’s Attack or Speed, but it’s also its health. When a part is damaged, it becomes less powerful. It’s important to keep this in mind as you plan how you attack an enemy. Maybe you’ll want to take out a very powerful arm first so that the enemy’s attacks won’t be as powerful. However, maybe it’s a better idea to take out the leg so that it has no Speed. But if you target just one part, you have a chance of your attack missing, so it might be better to just go with a Total Attack and take a little off of each part. You also have to keep in mind the Reaction options that your enemy has which might enable it to diminish your attack power or maybe even avoid it completely. You’ll have Reaction options of your own that you’ll need to use wisely as you plan your defense.

You have the ability to team up with other players when you go into battle, so you’ll want to work together so that you maximize your effectiveness. I think about it like in traditional video game RPGs – you don’t necessarily want every character to attack the same part, but instead to focus on what strengths each Juggernaut has and lean into it. You also don’t want to forget the Amplify abilities that the cards in your hand can provide. These enhancements can be even better if your character or the parts of your Juggernaut match the elemental type of the Amplify card, as you’ll roll dice to determine some benefits you’ll get, like extra Potions, increased Health, and more. And I haven’t even gotten into Charges, which can enhance your Juggernauts or be used in attacks and attached to enemies, putting them at a disadvantage.

I’ve written so much, and yet there’s still so much more to this game. Different locations on the map have unique actions that you can take. Some paths on the map can be perilous and might cause damage as you go through them. There’s a whole Corruption mechanic that works a little like viruses in Pandemic, spreading along paths on the map. You can pick these up and ‘purify’ them for bonuses AND to prevent them from being used by the Warlord at the end of the game in your big final bout.

Oh yeah, the Warlord. There’s a betrayal mechanic in this game, too! After the first Junk Golem is defeated, one of the players is going to find out that they are an Acolyte of the Warlord. After the defeat of the next Junk Golem, the Acolyte is revealed, and the other players will work to discover the Warlord’s Lair while the Acolyte seeks to advance the Warlord’s cause. I didn’t get to play with this mechanic as I only tackled the single player mode, but it sounds like another fun and unique addition to the overall gaming experience.

Mechs Can Be Pretty Complicated

I want to be clear: this game is not for the faint of heart. It took me several hours to learn the rulebook, and I was still CONSTANTLY referring to it, especially during battles and as I visited each city. It took me several hours to play through one solo campaign, and I can imagine it’s a full day experience if you’re taking a four player approach. It’s certainly not going to be everyone’s cup of tea.

But for those looking for more depth to their experiences, or maybe an alternative to some TTRPG gaming, Junkyard Juggernauts is worth considering. It’s got the lore and it’s got the mechanics and systems. The artwork is great, and the components are solid. Even my pre-production copy featured great standees, an inlay for cubes on the main board(!), and high quality materials throughout. The game’s creator has also shown an incredible amount of care in the game. Even as I was playtesting, he reached out about some improvements to the rulebook that he was implementing and asked me for feedback from my experiences.

So if you’re looking for some sci-fi in your fantasy… or maybe some additional structure to your role-playing… perhaps a game with a legacy feel that plays one session at a time…

Then maybe give Junkyard Juggernauts a shot.

Junkyard Juggernauts is in the last few days of its Kickstarter campaign. Check it out!

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03/08/2025
Brand new board game The Witcher: Legacy unveiled

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Published: Jul 31, 2025 11:38 am

The Witcher universe is a cool place to inhabit, and CD Projekt Red and Go On Board have both just jointly announced the next tabletop board game set within its realms.

The Witcher: Legacy is the third Witcher-world board game that the two companies have collabed on, and this latest adventure is a story-driven tale for 1-4 players.

In solo or cooperative modes, they take on the role of Wolf School witchers and hunt down those responsible for a brutal attack that left the school devastated, but not fully destroyed.

The blurb describes it thus: “The game takes place in the kingdom of Kaedwen, where players will explore vast lands, battle monsters, train their skills, and manage limited resources — all the while seeking to unravel a conspiracy that threatens the very existence of witchers.”

So, we aren’t actually getting too much information there about how things will play out, but it already has 1500 followers on its page, and the news has only been out for a mere flash in the eye of time.

The Gamefound page for The Witcher: Legacy is now live, and whoever follows the project now and later participates in the crowdfunding campaign will receive an exclusive Gorgon monster miniature, a creature that has never before appeared in any Witcher video game.

One of the previous Witcher board games, The Witcher: Old World, ranks in the top 10 biggest boardgame crowdfunding campaigns of all time and sold an incredible 192,000 copies.

Both parties will be hoping for a repeat of that success while we wait for more news on the next video game in the popular series.

The Escapist is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy

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31/07/2025
Starfront Scouting Academy Review – One Board Family
I’ve been a big proponent of print-and-play games, and over the past year or two, dozens and dozens of these titles have hit Kickstarter, PNP Arcade, DicePen, and several other sites. It’s no wonder why – many of these games offer a short, fun game experience for less than half the price of a standard title. Yes, there’s a little extra effort that might go into it, and yes you may have to supply some of your own components. But for those who prioritize the gameplay experience and don’t need all the little fancy bits and pieces, print-and-play is the way to go.

Now, there are several different kinds of print and play, but my favorites are games that take place on entire sheets of paper. I prefer not to have to do much cutting, and I certainly don’t want to spend hours trying to properly align card backs and fronts. So these are usually my game of choice. There are plenty of options out there that scratch this itch, but most fall into the category of “roll dice, do thing”. There’s certainly not a problem with that, but I will say that it’s gotten a bit stale for me lately. Lots of them also involve going out and exploring different terrain types, marking the spaces that you visit. You’re usually looking at some form of area control, a bit of set collection, maybe a few other little things thrown in here and there.

Starfront Scouting Academy is the first title from Shiny Pigeon Printables, and it contains many of these elements. Plus, it’s in space, which I’m pretty tired of as a theme. So my fear was… is this game going to be like all others, or will it have some extra fun parts that will make it ready for launch? (Don’t worry, I groaned at that sentence, too.) Let’s find out!

I Need You to Be Clever, Bean

Starfront Scouting Academy, designed by Chris Backe, puts 1-6 players in the role of cadets facing their final exams. Their challenge: explore a toxic planet remotely using a variety of equipment. Your goal is to utilize your tools and your smarts to chart the planet in the most successful way and head to the top of your class!

Play works very simply – four dice of the same color are placed on the top, bottom, and sides of a shared Equipment Selection sheet. There’s also an extra die in the middle that represents SCOUT – a robo-dog that’s here to help you out. On a turn, you’ll select one or two of these dice to explore a particular terrain area, each of which uses the dice in different ways. For the dunes, you’ll take two dice and use the difference in their values. For the mountains, you’ll add 5 to one of the die values. You can only use dice that border that terrain type on the Equipment Selection sheet, so your options are somewhat limited.

Once you’ve made your choice, you’ll go over to the shared planet map sheet (there are 4 to choose from) and mark one of the spaces based on the value from your dice. You’ll then go to your individualized player sheet to mark the value and terrain type that you visited. You reroll the dice you use, place them on the Equipment Selection sheet, and then it’s the next player’s turn.

Play continues just like that until either a row, column, or full diagonal is completed, at which point scores are tallied. Players earn points in a variety of ways. The location values are split into three groups, and the two players with the most visits in a particular group will get some points. There are also points if you manage to visit a terrain type 4 or 5 times. Other little bonuses are also present, like having connected scout boxes or having your boxes in the line that finished the game.

There are also points available for completing six different patterns with your scout boxes on the planet map. Manage to be the first one to get the pattern completed and you’ll get even more points. Once everyone’s added up all their points, whoever has the most is the big winner!

She Just Wins… Thoroughly

Now as I said, I’m a bit tired of space games, and so I was hoping that the theme wouldn’t bring this down for me. For most games like this, the theme and everything rarely impact the way the game is played, and that’s pretty much the case for SSA. That said, I do like the flavor text and the presentation, and I feel like it goes really well with the artwork we have from Parker Simpson. It’s certainly space-themed, but it has a nice little “younger” twist to where it does feel like it’s intended for students. The full-color version looks really good, though I prefer a black and white printout as it’s easier to see what the players have marked on the sheets.

I played this game with my wife, and at two players, it made for a fun time that increased in competitiveness as it went along. We both started off doing our own thing. My wife went immediately after the patterns, while I tried to connect a bunch of my squares together. There’s so much space on the board for two players that you can easily stay out of each other’s way…. but what’s the fun in that? As the game went along, my wife was quickly racking up pattern bonuses, and I was getting a whole lot of nothing. So I started trying to take boxes away from her to keep her from getting more patterns. While this was successful for a bit, it only ended up making it so that I wasn’t getting many points for myself either. In the end, I did better than her in a few areas, but her focus on patterns and those big points for being the first one to finish them led to her having a clear victory.

If You Try and Lose, It Isn’t Your Fault

I will say that this game can be a bit more challenging for people that struggle with spatial reasoning in games. This is true for my wife, and there were times when she was taking several minutes on each turn. We quickly blew through the recommended time and got to a little over an hour, and we likely could’ve gone for 30 more minutes if my wife didn’t begin to focus on ending the game quickly before I could get more points. I’m sure as we play the game more, we’ll both go a bit quicker, but I could still see our games being closer to an hour than to 30 minutes.

In some cases, that would be a problem, as this game’s mechanics are pretty much the same from your first turn to your last. There are some bonuses you can unlock at certain levels when you visit the terrain types, and they do make for more interesting turns, but it’s still pretty much the same. That being said, I don’t think we ever got bored. As we started trying to get in each other’s way, that bit of competitiveness in us came out just the right amount, and it made for a good time.

I Will Not Be a Pawn in Your Game

I also played the game solo a few times, and I must say that I was incredibly impressed with how the rules have been manipulated to allow for this experience. When it’s just one player, they will take a turn as normal, but any dice that they do not use on a turn are utilized by a “storm simulator” to mark off spaces and make them unavailable. The use of direction and the values of the unused die is quite clever and not something I would’ve been able to envision myself.

That said, the solo mode is also REALLY hard. After playing with my wife, I thought that patterns would have to be the way to go, but that got blown up quickly. The way the simulator works, it’s always going to mark off spaces that are orthogonally adjacent to the one that you just selected. Therefore, patterns that involved having boxes in the same vertical or horizontal line led to lines that quickly filled up. My first game ended after less than 10 turns, and I had a miserable score. In my second game, I adjusted my strategy a bit, and I was certainly more successful but still fell far short of the top goal given in the manual. I do feel like there’s likely a strategy that could work, and I’m interested to keep trying it out.

Overall, I’m not sure that there’s anything about Starfront Scouting Academy that is completely unique or sets the standard for all print-and-play games going forward. However, it does what it does very well, and it’s a solid gameplay experience. This would be a very good family game for those with kids in the higher levels of elementary school, and I think it could also be good fun at the beginning of a gaming night before you get to your main gaming course. If you’ve been on the fence about backing a print-and-play campaign on Kickstarter, I would say that this is a very solid way to begin your journey into that realm.

You can check out the Kickstarter campaign for Starfront Scouting Academy RIGHT NOW!

A prototype of the game was provided for this coverage. Components and rules covered in this preview are not finalized. Read more about our preview policies at One Board Family.

Highs
- Nice artwork that fits well with the theme
- Fun interactivity that increases as the game progresses
- Very creative solo mode
Lows
- Nothing really stands out as unique in the genre
- Can be trouble for folks with analysis paralysis
Complexity

Time Commitment

Replayability
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23/07/2025
Mythical Dice Review – One Board Family

When I say “trick-taking dice game”, does your brain do a double-take? Mythical Dice is a dice game where players are bidding each round as they roll to take tricks from their opponents. Players of Skull King, Spades and other trick-taking games will feel at home with this dice game that is brought to the US from Hachette Games.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qottUO8MQ0

Mythical Dice is available at your local game store, or from the Hachette Games webstore.

This game was provided to us by the publisher for review. Read more about our review policies at One Board Family.

Complexity

Time Commitment

Replayability

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20/07/2025
Catan expansion compatability – Board & Card Games Stack Exchange

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19/07/2025
Treasure of the Dwarves – One Board Family
Deep in the mines, dwarves are gathering the most precious treasures to trade and auction off among the community. Treasure of the Dwarves is a bidding and set collection game from designer Bruno Faidutti, published by Trick or Treat Studios. Let’s head into the mine and see what this game is all about.

The Sales Pitch

Players will start each game with a hand of cards, a player screen, a secret chest, starting coins, and five random gems. Each round a different player will be the “seller,” which is designated by a token that is passed to the player on the left after each turn. In a four player game there will only be a single seller. In any player count above that, two seller tokens will be in play at the table.

As the seller, you’ll place a card from your hand up for auction. Everyone else will submit bids for that card by placing coins and/or gems into their secret chest and sliding it toward the seller. They should be cautious not to shake the chest, which could possibly give away the contents that rest inside. If there are two sellers, players can choose which of the two cards they feel like bidding on with the contents of their chest.

Treasure of the Dwarves puts the seller(s) in a position of power as they accept or reject the bids of their fellow dwarves. The seller can look at any of the secret chests they want, with a couple of caveats. The seller cannot shake the chest to get information about what could be inside. And, once a player looks inside and passes to another secret chest, they cannot go back to accept that bid.

Evaluating the Field

Players have to evaluate their opponents needs before they ever open a secret chest. Who needs this card the most? Who might find this card valuable? Is someone at the table trying to catch me off guard? You can put any number of gems and/or coins in the secret chest when bidding. Or, you can put nothing at all.

Once the seller accepts a secret chest, they add the new items behind their player screen and pass the secret chest and auctioned card to the winning player. Most cards will be added to the players display which everyone at the table can see. Some cards will have an “instant” icon which means that they have to trigger an effect immediately after winning the card.

As players win new cards, they build out their display and begin revealing the strategy they are aiming for. Some cards score in sets or compound points. Others can be counted as specific colored gems or boost the value of specific coins the player is holding.

Play continues around the table with a new seller(s) until all players have three or fewer cards in their hand.

A Gem of an Experience

Players collect end game points through cards, card effects, coins that are worth their face value, and by collecting sets of gems. Gems come in five different colors and the player with the most gems in each color will receive fifteen points. You can also earn ten points for each set of the five different gem colors.

Treasure of the Dwarves is a very straight forward bidding game that has a really fun psychology behind it. Players are always looking to gain a new card by giving up as little as they can. You cannot outright tell the seller what your box contains, but you are welcome to hint that the box “has a great offer” or “has something important inside.”

It’s so much fun to put a card up for auction that would be a huge amount of points for a specific player. Immediately, players will dump coins and gems with the hope of keeping that card away from another player. This game thrives on getting the right players around the table who are willing to undercut and double-cross others at the table.

While the mechanics and gameplay are simple, the variety of cards are what make this game shine. Treasure of the Dwarves is a very mean game if it’s played properly. Underhanded dealing and using cards to ruin another player are encouraged. Players need to know this going into the game. This isn’t a game where players need to take things too seriously.

Final Thoughts

Going into this review, I had some hesitations about playing this game at a high player count. Our first couple of games were great at four players. Eventually we had seven players around the table and found that having two sellers at one time went really smooth. The game plays in right at an hour no matter how many players are at the table, which is a real feat.

The most disappointing part of Treasure of the Dwarves would probably be the tiny player screens. The secret chests feel nice and seem like they’ll hold up with a lot of play. However, the player screens are small and hide next to nothing, especially at the higher player counts. Cards have a nice linen finish and the gems and cardboard coins are pretty standard. This is a game that would have benefited from player screens 25-30% larger.

Treasure of the Dwarves takes a simple ruleset and let’s players build a fun experience based on who shows up at the table. This game is ripe for creating alliances, undercutting the player who has the best collection, and stealing that one last card that your opponent was looking for. Thankfully, dwarves have tough skin, because Treasure of the Dwarves is a game that can be very cutthroat.

Treasure of the Dwarves is now available at your local game store, from the Trick or Treat webstore or online through Amazon today.

This game was provided to us by the publisher for review. Read more about our review policies at One Board Family.

Highs
- Variety of cards and effects in the game are excellent
- Secretly accumulating points in coins and gems
- Outbidding and wrecking an opponents strategy is fun
Lows
- Player screens are small and not great quality
- Some cards can be too mean for some players taste
Complexity

Time Commitment

Replayability
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15/07/2025
What is the best source to find the board game Chez Geek, with all the add-ons?

I keep getting different sources for Chez Geek and it’s add-ons. Is there one source for all of it?

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12/07/2025
Cats vs Cucumbers Preview – One Board Family

Few rivalries run as deep as the one between the common house cat and the garden cucumber. It was only a matter of time before these two enemies showed up in board game form. Cats vs Cucumbers is a press-your-luck dice game from Melanie and Ammon Anderson (Gnome Hollow).

A Dicey Rivalry

Players are collecting points over a series of rounds while trying not to bust. On your turn you’ll roll six dice and lock in any cucumbers that are rolled. You can re-roll all non-cucumber dice up to two times before finalizing your dice. If you roll three or more cucumbers on a turn you’ll bust and take a cucumber token from the supply.

Players control three cat meeples that will advance into boxes with higher point values in the center of the table. You can also collect treats that increase in value with the more you collect. Each of the die faces do something different, but you’ll need to collect at least three of each dice face to take the action.

Cat icons (white/black) – Collecting three cats of any color allow you to move your cat meeple forward into the next box. You can move one more box for each cat icon beyond the three.

Cat treats – You’ll collect a treat for rolling three treat icons, collecting an additional treat for each matching die face. A single treat token is worth one point, two are worth three points and three are worth five points.

Toys – Collecting toy icons will give you tokens that have a mystery benefit that can be gained immediately or saved for later. You’ll need three toy icons to earn a token, earning an additional token for each matching icon.

Swipes – With three swipe icons, you can push another player backward into a less valuable box. Move your opponents back even more with additional matching swipe icons.

Nine Lives

The game timer for Cats vs Cucumbers is a deck of cards representing a cats nine lives. Each time a player busts by rolling three or more cucumbers, one life card will be removed from the deck. The game ends when the players collectively lose nine lives.

Cucumbers aren’t all bad. Each time you bust, you’ll collect a cucumber token that can help offset any time you bust OR they can be collected to earn one victory point per token at the end of the game. Cats vs Cucumbers uses a simple Yahtzee mechanic that most players are familiar with.

There are two additional dice combos that players want to keep an eye out for. A “Purr-fect” combo is when a player rolls all six different icons. The “Meow-za” combo is when you roll three unique pairs of dice. When you get either of these combos, you’ll take the reward for one of the die faces. With the “Purr-fect” combo, you’ll also earn a cucumber token. Both of these combos will earn you another full turn before passing the dice.

Final Thoughts

We love a good press-your-luck game in our house. Cats vs Cucumbers has a really cute style and easy to learn mechanics. There are a couple of ways to earn points, so being able to pivot when you’ve had a bad roll isn’t too difficult.

The cats and all the components in the game are really fun and colorful. This is a game that is easy to throw in a bag and take on the go. The nine lives deck of cards is a great way to handle the game timer. The more times players bust, the quicker the game ends. There’s even some strategy in whether you spend a cucumber token to keep from busting when you roll three or more cucumbers.

Cats vs Cucumbers is an easy game to recommend to anyone who enjoys a well themed press-your-luck game. Cats and cucumbers may never find common ground, but at least their rivalry can lend to a fun time around the game table.

Cats vs Cucumbers from Levity Games and Envy Born Games launches on July 8, 2025 on Kickstarter. Check out the campaign today.

A prototype of the game was provided for this coverage. Components and rules covered in this preview are not finalized. Read more about our preview policies at One Board Family.

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09/07/2025
I am trying to find a specific Sci-Fi Board game I played once years ago
I play many board games, this is not one of the obvious ones. I am trying to find the name of a game that I think went out of print.
1. It is a sci-fi game.
2. Every player is in charge of a faction.
3. You are all trying to colonize/exploit the same planet.
4. It is not Terra Forming Mars though the planet might be Mars. (There are fewer cards and more plastic pieces)
5. I think every player had their own rectangular play mat that represented their stakes/claims on the planet.
6. Trading resources was a critical part of the game. (The dynamic player influenced market is one of the biggest things I remember)
7. It might be considered more of a worker placement game.
My memory is getting less clear about details after this point
1. Play took place mostly on your own mat. The "central board" was more a market where players exchanges resources and bought "units" (mostly excavators or androids?).
2. I think the game initially came out in the 90s or earlier then got a reprint in the 2010s.
3. The set I played was newly opened in the 2010ish and had bright plastic pieces.
4. The theme/artistic style was slightly cartoonish.
5. I think it was 4 player max.
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07/07/2025