برچسب: Board

Parks Second Edition Review – One Board Family
Parks was a monumental hit for Keymaster Games when it was released in 2019. We backed the original printing while on Kickstarter and it quickly became a game night staple. Parks is still one of my wife’s favorite games of all time.

The second edition of Parks was released this Spring and this box contains more than a minor facelift for this modern classic. In this review, I’ll cover some of the changes to the game and hopefully help you decide if this new edition should hike its way into your collection.

A Hike in the Woods

Throughout a game of Parks, players are hiking trails, collecting tokens that can be turned in to experience National Parks that roll out during the game. There are gear cards that help you along the way. Players can take photos that are worth victory points at the end of the game. In the original game, you would hike the trail a total of four times, with each trail being slightly longer than the last.

In Parks Second Edition, you can tell that time and experience has led to a tighter and more refined game. First off, the rulebook has been tweaked, refined and structured in a way that is easy to digest. Instead of taking four hikes on trails that grow throughout the game, players now hike three times on a trail that has a set number of spaces. The overall playtime doesn’t seem to be impacted and we never felt like we were missing out on the fourth hike of the game.

The trail is now built into the central board and the perks at each trail site are tied to tokens that are distributed before each round. You still get the variability, it just happens differently. Players are still given two hikers to walk the trail, with the ability to extinguish their campfire if you want to share a space with another hiker. Landing on a trail site lets you take the action on the token and collect any weather tokens that are available from the trails setup at the start of the round.

As you reach the trail’s end, you’ll get to determine what final action your hiker takes and gain a bonus if you’re the first to take that action. Once there is only a single player left on the trail, they proceed to the trail’s end to take their final action(s).

New Additions

In the six years since Parks original release, we’ve seen two different expansions that add new mechanics and depth to the game. Inside this second edition is a good chunk of the content from those two expansion. Some of the cards from the Wildlife expansion is present in the game as well as the camping mechanic from the Nightfall expansion. Keymaster Games has also included a specialty die that was part of the Trails game published in 2021.

Not every element from these expansions came over and I think this is a good thing. It feels like the best parts from each of these properties made the final cut. The Camping Mode is something that you can add into your game or leave out entirely. Your choice.

When your hiker lands on a trail site with a tent token, you can take the normal resources on the site or utilize the tent to take the resources on any open Campsite. Adding in this bonus content and rebalancing the game feels really good.

Players will notice a new Passions card in this new edition of the game. This replaces the goal cards from the previous edition and is given to players at the start of the game. Completing a Passions card allows the player to earn a gear effect or earn an end game bonus.

The Upgrades

Let’s talk about some of the upgrades that Parks Second Edition brings. First off, I really love the player boards that come with this new edition. These boards show a backpack representing the number of tokens you can carry along with your canteen on the left side of the board. Visually, these are excellent and the canteen mechanic has been revamped.

When gaining a canteen, players now add a token from the central board onto their player board. When you add water to your canteen, you can trigger the tokens in that row, earning those bonuses. This gives players more control and agency as they plan for future rounds. Each canteen has three rows, allowing for three different combinations of tokens that can be paired up.

The camera from the original Parks has been replaced with the Shutterbug token. This token gives the player holding it the ability to take a second photo each time they are given this opportunity.

Probably the most divisive change in this new edition has to be the art and illustrations on each of the sixty-three parks cards. The original game was built off of the Fifty-Nine Parks series. This series of art prints brought together some incredible artists that has raised more than $225,000 for National Parks since 2016. This artwork is beautiful, inspiring, and at times, inconsistent.

This artwork was part of a licensing deal that made Parks stand out within our hobby. While I loved the original art direction, I think that the artwork from Josh Emrich and Lisk Feng is stunning. As a package, the artwork and design works together so well. Each National Park card feels unique but there is a cohesiveness that wasn’t their in the original game.

Art is so subjective and every person will have an opinion on which version they prefer. I personally feel that this game is more consistent throughout because of the focused work of the two illustrators who worked on Parks Second Edition.

Final Thoughts

As a fan of the original Parks, this is an easy game to suggest for nature loving board gamers. I think the changes inside this box make sense as Keymaster Games moves away from licensing agreements that could challenge future printings and expansions of the Parks game line.

Parks Second Edition is a streamlined, well built, and cohesive game that improves on the original. The MSRP of $50 to $59 for this new edition may feel like a lot for a person who owns the original. The first edition of Parks is not broken and is still a fantastic game. More than anything, this new edition feels like an upgrade that is preparing for more Parks content in the future. That’s something I’m excited about.

Parks Second Edition is available now at your local game store, on the Keymaster Games webstore, or at your local Barnes & Noble.

Highs
- Gameplay feels streamlined, refined, and cohesive
- Player boards and new canteen mechanics are excellent
- Minimal setup for the trail between rounds
- Entire package is top of the line and beautiful
Lows
- Art is subjective and some won’t like the change
Complexity

Time Commitment

Replayability
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22/05/2025
Tokaido Board Game Review
Tokaido

You’ll like this if you like: Simple games, that play quickly, but offer a nice choice

This is a free review copy. See our review policy here.

Tokaido was first published in 2012. It was a bit of a cult classic. Beautifully produced. Simple but gorgeous art. And a clean and wonderfully flowing gameplay experience. Recently, Stonemaier, the publisher behind games such as Scythe, Wingspan, and Tapestry, has acquired the rights to the game and produced their own version. There are a few minor rule tidy-ups and component enhancements. But the main change is the addition of a solo player mode. If you own the base game, you can buy just the solo-mode rules and components required for this, along with the new Panorama cards, which have been printed on a better card stock; and as such, included in the solo mode. So, that anyone who wants just these added to their base game can acquire them cheaply. But is this game any good? Does it stand up to 13 years of change in the board game industry? Let’s get it to the table and find out.

To set up the game, which is a breeze, begin by placing the game board on a flat surface. Next, lay out the Achievement cards face up beside the board. Shuffle each deck of cards separately: the Souvenir cards (with a black back), the Hot Spring cards (light blue back), the Encounter cards (purple back), and the Meal cards (red back). Place each shuffled deck face down near the board. Next, organise the Panorama cards by type; Sea, Mountain, and Paddy, and arrange them in ascending order by value, placing the ‘1’ card on top, followed by ‘2’, then ‘3’, and so on. Position these resulting piles on their designated spots on the board. Then place the coins next to the board to serve as the bank.

Now, each player selects a Traveller piece along with the corresponding coloured marker and colour token. Place the marker on square zero of the Journey point track. This now runs around all four corners of the board, rather than just the top.

Then, each player draws two Traveler tiles at random, chooses one, and places it face up in front of them. For first-time players, there’s an option to simplify the game by starting with 7 coins instead of selecting a Traveler tile. Note, each card grants you a specific unique power. Next, place your colour token into the hole of your chosen Traveler tile to mark your colour. Return all unselected Traveler tiles to the box, as they won’t be used in the game.

Each player then receives coins equal to the number indicated in the upper right corner of their chosen Traveler tile. Finally, randomly place all Traveler pieces in a line at the leftmost inn (Kyoto). Alternatively, players may choose to start at the rightmost inn (Edo) and move from right to left throughout the game. Crazy huh! For two-player games, introduce a third, neutral Traveler to the starting inn. This neutral Traveler is controlled by the player whose Traveler is ahead on the road and follows specific movement rules we will cover later. You are now ready to play.

In Tokaido, the player whose Traveler is furthest behind on the road takes the next turn. If multiple players share the same space, the one closest to the edge of the board goes next.

On your turn, you move your Traveler forward toward Edo, (if you are going that way!) choosing any unoccupied space up to the next inn. You can skip over spaces if you wish, but you cannot move beyond the next inn. Once you land on a space, you immediately gain its benefit, such as collecting a card or earning coins. More on that soon.

After your move, the player now furthest behind takes the next turn. If you remain the furthest back after your move, you get another turn immediately. This turn order system encourages strategic planning: moving further ahead might secure a desired spot but could allow other players multiple turns before your next move. Balancing the timing and distance of your moves is key to maximizing your journey’s rewards. But there is only one spot available at each destination. Although, in Tokaido, some board locations have double spaces, which are used in the four or five-player games. The first traveler to arrive occupies the space on the road; the next traveler uses the adjacent space, considered slightly further along the journey. This is not available in a two or three player game though.

So, what can you do along the way, and how do you score points. Let’s look at them all one-by-one.

The Shop: When you stop here, you will draw the top three Souvenir cards and place them face up. You can choose to buy one or more of these cards by paying their listed prices, which range from one to three coins. Any cards you don’t purchase are placed face down at the bottom of the deck. Souvenirs come in four types: small objects, clothing, art, and food & drinks. Collecting different types in a set earns you increasing points: One point for the first unique type, three for the second, five for the third, and seven for the fourth, totalling up to 16 points for a complete set. You can start new sets at any time, and there’s no requirement to complete a set before beginning another. Note that you must have at least one coin to stop at a Village, but you’re not obligated to buy anything.

Hot Spring: Landing on a Hot Spring space allows you to draw one Hot Spring card and add it to your collection, scoring two or three points immediately.

Temple: When you stop at a Temple space, you must donate between one and three coins to the temple, placing them in the area corresponding to your colour on the top left of the board. For each coin donated, you immediately score one point. This donation contributes to your total at the end of the game, where the most generous donor receives 10 points, the second seven points, and the third four points. All other donors receive two points each. If multiple players tie for a rank, they each receive the points for that rank.

Encounters: In Tokaido, when you land on an Encounter space, you draw one Encounter card and apply its effect. Afterward, place the card face-up in your collection. These effects vary and include:
Shokunin (Artisan): Draw a Souvenir card and add it to your collection, scoring points immediately.

Annaibito (Guide): If you haven’t started the depicted panorama, gain a value 1 card of the appropriate type. If you’ve started it, gain the next number in ascending order. If completed, start or add to a different panorama of your choice, scoring points as usual.

Samurai: Immediately score 3 points.

Kuge (Noble): Gain 3 coins immediately.

Miko (Shinto Priest): The player immediately gains one coin and places it as an offering in the Temple on the area corresponding to their colour. They score one point for this donation.
Inn: Inns are mandatory stops where players can purchase Meal cards. Each Meal card costs one, two, or three coins and provides six victory points upon acquisition. The first player to arrive at an Inn draws a number of Meal cards equal to the number of players plus one, selects one to purchase, and places the remaining cards face down for other players to choose from. Subsequent players may purchase one of the remaining Meal cards, provided they can afford it. A player cannot purchase more than one Meal card per Inn and is not obligated to buy one. Additionally, a player cannot choose the same culinary specialty more than once during their journey. If you cannot afford to eat, or cannot by a new unique meal, you miss out! There is a benefit to getting to the Inn early, but do not rush there, you will miss out on important stops along the way. Getting this balance right is key.

Players will leave the inn in reverse order to which they arrived and continue their journey. When you reach the final inn, the game continues for other players and ends when all players have reached the final inn and chosen their final meal. Players then add points for four awards. The Collector: Awarded to the player with the most Souvenir cards. The Gourmet: Given to the player who has the highest total coin value on their Meal cards. The Chatterbox: Granted to the player who has collected the most Encounter cards. And finally, the Bather: Bestowed upon the player with the most Hot Spring cards.

finally, Travelers earn extra points based on their donor ranking to the Temple. The most points wins!

The two-player game uses a dummy third player. This is controlled by the player in the position closest to the start of their journey. When the neutral traveler lands on a Temple space, the player who moved them must donate one coin from the bank to the Temple, placing it on the space corresponding to the neutral traveler’s colour. This action impacts the final Temple donation scoring, as all coins donated to the Temple are considered during the end-game calculation of additional points for Temple offerings.

At Inns, the first player to arrive draws four Meal cards. When the neutral traveler stops at an Inn, the player who moved them takes the Meal cards and discards one at random, placing it face down at the bottom of the pile without revealing it. Otherwise, the game plays as usual. This simply adds some extra tension, as more spaces will be blocked to you along the way.

The solo game works using new Automa cards. Set up as usual, but then set up two separate Automa players. Do this by selecting a colour and placing the corresponding Traveler piece and colored marker for each one. Then, set aside space for coins and cards next to each Automa. Then, place the Automa’s colour token and one coin into their play area, immediately scoring one point for the coin. Note that the Automa does not receive a Traveler tile.

I won’t go into full detail here how this plays out, but you then play as normal, drawing a card for each of the Automa’s turns, telling you where to place it. They will score points based on the amount of each thing they get, card or coin. The type of card they get isn’t the point. It is the type. So they are encouraged to visit the same thing as often as they can, mirroring the way human players prioritize a few things in the game, as you cannot go for all areas of scoring in this game. It is a very clever, simple, intuitive and enjoyable system.

Is it Fun? Tokaido Board Game Review

Playing Tokaido is delightful. The decisions are straightforward yet rich with strategic depth. The game presents a constant dilemma: Should I advance quickly to secure a specific space, or take my time to explore more options, potentially missing that one crucial chance? This balance between speed and thoroughness adds a layer of excitement and replayability, as each choice feels significant and impactful.

Tokaido offers a delightful blend of simplicity and strategic depth, making it an engaging experience for players of all levels. The game’s mechanics are straightforward, allowing for quick learning and smooth gameplay. A two-player game can be completed in about 20 minutes, while a three-player game typically wraps up in under 30 minutes. This efficiency makes it an excellent choice for short gaming sessions or as a warm-up to more complex games. But you will still feel like you have played a game after this.

One of the game’s core decisions revolves around choosing between advancing quickly to secure a desired spot or taking a more leisurely pace to gather additional experiences along the way. This decision-making process is simple yet impactful, providing a satisfying sense of agency without overwhelming complexity. Especially when players are chasing different goals.

But the game truly shines when players pursue similar objectives, leading to increased interaction and strategic competition. In these moments, paying close attention to opponents’ moves becomes crucial, adding a layer of depth and excitement to the journey. This dynamic encourages players to adapt their strategies and enhances the overall enjoyment of the game.

Tokaido is a beautifully crafted game that combines ease of play with meaningful choices, offering a serene yet engaging experience that comes alive through player interaction and thoughtful decision-making. It stands up still after all these years, and this new production is wonderful. If you don’t have the game yet, I would heartily encourage you to check it out if you enjoy set-collection games. If you won it and fancy the solo mode, give that a go.

It’s a very simple game. Maybe too simple for some. But I enjoy the different ways to play and score. I do favour the Panorama cards, simply because they look so nice when complete. I get a real sense of satisfaction simply by gaining all cards in each one so I can see the complete panorama before me. Tokaido really is just that type of game. Stonemaier has done a wonderful job with this new edition. The game keeps the core mechanics, tidies up the rule book a little, adds the solo mode, and brings in other simple changes, such as detailing the powers of each of the Traveler cards so you don’t need to refer to the rule book. The front of the cards is the same with the same icons, but on the back you now have the detail. This simple change summarises the craft and class this reprint has seen. Everything has been done with the game’s original core beauty in mind, simply refining a few edges. Well done to all.
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15/05/2025
Beasts & Diplomacy Board Game Preview

This is a preview copy sent to us for our early opinions. No money exchanged hands. Some art, rules or components may change in the final game. You can follow the crowdfunding page here.

Dragon Dawn Productions is quickly becoming one of my favourite publishers. They have made some amazing trick-taking games, the brilliantly intricate Factory 42, and my personal favourite, Beyond the Rift. I was excited to see what they had coming next, so jumped at the chance to play this preview copy of Beasts & Diplomacy from first time designer Mike Kribel.

Mike also did the art, which was mostly done using an AI tool. Lots of work went into the art after the initial AI-generated images, but it is worth noting the origins. You can tell it is AI, but it looks incredible, as AI art can often do, but with that computer-generated feel. That said, when one person designs a game and does the art as well you can understand this being used. And in the current financial climate, this may become more and more common place. The most important thing, I feel, is that the publisher declares it. And any review or previewer too. So consider this AI mater ‘John D Claired’!

OK, well what is this game all about? This is a card drafting, pattern matching, tableau-builder, with a point salad scoring system, fantasy theme, and incredibly quick game play. I have finished two player games in 25 minutes.

Initially, it looks quite complicated. The rule book is good, but doesn’t look the most appealing, and its very long! But it reads well, with lots of explanations, and everything is laid out in a nice way. I learned it quite simply myself. But found I could teach it a lot quicker than I taught myself, or compared to how it looks. Let me give you the basics.

The game runs over three days (rounds) and each day has five distinct phases. Dawn, morning, etc! The first thing you will do in the first phase is chose some quests. You are dealt two cards you need to pick one from, which will determine a large part about how you will score in the game. We found after a few game, that in this point salad of a game, the quests were the areas we scored this most in. So, pick wisely!

Your choices will be based on two things: the score you get each time you complete the Quests mission, as shown on the top right, and the mission itself, as indicated by the icon on the bottom. Get used to icons; there are a lot in this game! They can come in many different guises, but generally, you just need to collect a certain thing. For example, the Herbitheon Quest rewards five points for every two sets of grass icons you collect in the game. Power rewards three points for completing a level two Diplomat card (more on them soon), and Elegance, that reward three points for every grey Beast you collect.

Each round, you will get two more Quest cards to pick from, and you need to end with one more Quest in your possession than the previous round. This means you can discard the one you chose in round one to keep both of the Quests you were dealt in round two, if you like. By the end of the game, you will have three Quests to score from.

The next phase is where players will draft cards. You start with four workers to do this with, and then in each subsequent round you will gain one additional worker to work with. At the start of this round you will place down six Diplomats, Traders, and Personnel cards, and 12 Beast card. Any remaining from previous rounds are discarded and replaced with a fresh batch each time. So, you wont know what is available until this point. Meaning you pick your first Quests a little blind! But some icons are more common that others, and there is a handy sheet to tell you all this information.

You can make four free picks of any combination of the cards. But you will want to find Beasts that match your Quests icons, if possible, and then Traders that match the symbols of other beasts. You can sell to them, you see. They are looking for one fixed must-have attribute and two other nice-to-haves. If you can sell to a Trader with all matching, that’s a lot of Ore. You will need Ore later. You will also want to acquire Diplomats that are looking to be entertained by the Beasts you are acquiring, as they too will provide you with Ore. There will be six choices of Personnel cards that offer many rule-bending powers.

The first few choices in each area, depending on player count, will reward you with King Favour tokens. Three of these, and you can exchange them for a King’s Medal. These will reward you with points at the end of the game. So, you will want to find the cards you need, in the areas that still have King Favour rewards, before the cards go, the spots go, and other players take what you need.

Once you have made your choices, you can then discard two cards you don’t want or five Ore to move a worker and take another card. But this may leave you short on Ore for later in the round. The first player to pass gains one Ore, and when all players have passed, the game moves forward to the third phase, Noon.

Players will now place down all Diplomat cards they have in their hand that they want to welcome to their play area. Place them down in a vertical pile, with the bottom part still visible, so you can see what type of Beast each Diplomat is looking to see.

Play then moves to the afternoon in the fourth phase, where players will now play all the cards in their hands that they wish to play. Any Beasts introduced this way will instantly gain you Ore rewards for any Diplomat in your area looking for any matching symbols. You will also need to house all Beasts into an Environment, or your one starting Cage. Any new environment bought will cost three Ore. You can buy as many as you like, but you cannot leave any empty after this day is out. Any previously placed Beasts can be moved at this point, to maximize the efficiency of your environments, and any powers they have. You can now also sell any Beasts you wish to any Traders you acquired in the draft phase, instantly scoring the Ore from the matching symbols, and then placing the Trader into your completed trade pile for more end game scoring. Any Beasts you cannot sell to a Trader or house must be sold at its maintenance cost or two Ore, whichever is lower. You can also play any Personnel cards you wish to at this point to gain their powers. This is all turn in turn order so each player can watch what each player is up to!

The Beasts you house have multiple symbols that may be required by your Quests and wanted by Traders and Diplomats, as seen on the right of the card. Each Beast has four attributes, a colour, and a Habitat symbol. It also has its end game points on the top left, and maintenance cost on the bottom left. You need to be looking at all these symbols on all cards as you play. And each round you have 30 new cards to study!

When all players are done, the phase moves to the final fifth phase, Evening, where players will now count up and pay their current exhibitions’ maintenance cost, as shown by the maintenance cost seen on all Beasts and the environments that they are in. Some Personnel adding powers to your beasts may add to this too. If you cannot pay your costs, you must take actions to reduce your cards or gain more Ore. Once all players have paid their running costs, the round ends. Players will play three rounds/days and the person with the most points after three rounds is declared the winner.

The game runs very smoothly through these five phases. The game board shows you what to do on the top left and there is this handy sheet to use for each player to reference. But after a few rounds, you will be flying through without the need of this. It is all quite intuitive. Draft cards, sell some of them. Collect the others for points. Everything is based around matching symbols on cards and find cards that work well together. Particularly the Quests. You will end the game with just three of these and the bulk of your points could come from these if you manage to fulfil them all a few times. Finding cards that work with your Quest, but also the cards you want to sell too, and the cards you want to impress to gain the much needed Ore is crucial. The better cards require more Ore per round to keep them running. But Ore is scarce. And getting more may mean you need to sell more. Each round you need to delicately balance these needs and find cards that fit all your goals. And of course all the other players will be trying to do the same thing!

This game quickly becomes about hand management, tableau-building, and efficiency. Finding the best cards that work well together to maximize your Ore production and end game points. The player that can do that the best will win the game.

If you enjoy pattern matching and efficiency based card game, then this could well be a winner for you.

There are so many cards in this game. This handy guide will help you with working out what each one does. The symbology is clear, but sometimes the cards will have unique symbols, and if you only see that card once every three games or so, and play this game every few weeks, this guide will quickly become essential. I sometimes wonder why cards can’t just have written on them what they do. It’s not like the text on this sheet is much bigger than it would have been directly on the card!

You can also see the frequency of each type of symbol on the game on the left of this. Very handy if you want to work out the likelihood of a certain thing coming up in your early games. And this is where the game can be a little frustrating. There is a small element of luck to this game. Sometimes the cards you need come up. Other times they don’t. They can be frustrating. But it’s a quick enough game for this not to matter too much. And as they tell you the percentages, you can manage your own risk and try to hedge your bets as best you can.

This will be an interesting Kickstarter to follow. With all that is going on in the world right now with tariffs and shipping affecting productions like this, and the potential backlash to the AI, I will be hoping for a simple and successful process for this game. Because it is a lot of fun. It packs a lot into a short sub-hour game time. And I enjoy the challenge of trying to maximize the few cards I will get to use each game.

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13/05/2025
Friends & Family Expansion Board Game Review

Mythwind: Friends & Family

You’ll like this if you like: Stardew Valley, a hot cup of Coco with a blanket by the fire.

This is the reviewer’s copy after I backed both of the Kickstarter’s for the base game and this expansion; but the publisher sent me a play mat and Sprite miniatures upgrade for free. See our review policy here. I have played the game with all four available characters, but there is a fifth expansion character I don’t have. I have played in solo mostly, but also two-player.

If you want to read about how you play the base game and what we think of that, head here. The summary is, I love the game, and this love has only grown over time. I enjoy all the characters, although probably the Ranger the most. I have continued to enjoy unlocking and revealing new secrets and surprises as I have spent more and more time with this unique, relaxing, explorative, and never-ending game.

How To Set Up Mythwind: Friends & Family

OK, so what about this new expansion? The second for the game. Well, it adds a few modules that you can add to the game at your pleasure. But the star of the show is the new Friends and Family additional board. It sits to the right of the existing boards and can be added to any game at the end of any season. Slotted into anyone ongoing campaign, no worries at all.

You will find inside the box a few revised building tokens. They link to these new friends you are about to make. Swap all the tokens out from your original building cards, including any buildings you may have already built. Then, for these buildings, the ones you have already constructed within your Village, add in the corresponding friend card to the new friends board. When you do this, read the back of the card for some flavour text about this new friend you just met. Now place the new Friendship tray alongside this, with the Child Dice, Heart Tokens, and all the new cards inside. There are a few other cards to update, such as a replacement Sun card for the Weather deck, which has some additional symbols on it. And the new Interaction cards and some character-specific cards if you are currently playing with the Ranger or Innkeeper.

How To Play Mythwind: Friends & Family

The main change is when you interact with one of the new building tokens that have a character depicted on them in your daytime action phase. When this action is done, you can then take the new Socialise action. Here, you can roll your Sprite and Villager dice to try and increase your level of friendship with the associated friend card. The card will show the roll you need to match or beat. This will be based on your player count and the current level of friendship you have with them. All Friends join the game as an Acquaintance. You can advance them all to Pal, Best Friend, and then Companion. All players joining in with this Socialise action can roll any of their hired workers to try and meet this requirement. If you do, place a Heart from the supply on the card. Each level of friendship will have a level of hearts required to advance that card to the next stage. If you fail, you simply do not add any hearts onto the card. All dice used this way are returned to their character afterwards, keeping the same number of pips shown on the die. They cannot be used for another action that day now. Any dice showing zero pips are rerolled at dusk as usual, and added back to the tower. When you meet a desired level of hearts, that card is immediately upgraded to the next level. Find the new card in the deck, replace the old one, and read the back of the new card. This will add some new flavour text.

This upgrade will also come at a cost. The cost will depend upon which character you are playing, and the level of upgrade. It is shown in the rule book, but each character will have to give up some of their resources to do this. You can hold off paying this cost if you don’t want to, or cannot afford it yet.

And the point of all this? Well, to get married, of course! Not all friends can get to this level, but they can all reach Companion status. It is shown on the front of each card what is possible for each new character. Companion is the top level and will be a unique ability to you and your village. When you use a town linked to a Companion, you can use this new ability.

When buildings linked to Friends leave your Village, so too do the Friends, losing any unspent Hearts if present. But when you reach Marriage level, the Friend stays with you for life. When your marriage-eligible Friend becomes a companion, the new companion card will tell you to shuffle an adventure card from this new Expansion linked to that character into the adventure deck. Then, when you resolve that adventure, you can marry this friend. You will have a choice when you do this; you do not have to. I won’t show the cards here or go into it too much, as that would be a spoiler. But it is down to you. You can even say no for now, and then maybe change your mind later. But if you say yes, there are benefits coming your way.

Any married friend will then have their card from the Friend board moved and placed face up near the player’s character board. They are now permanently linked with that player. Players can now use this companion using workers as usual during the day phase, taking advantage of their abilities. You can only ever marry one friend in the game. So choose wisely!

Later on in the game, married players can have children. This will be activated through Event cards. Children come in the form of the above dice and can add extra workers during the day phase. You will roll your Child dice at Dawn and gain either an additional villager or sprite worker, or lose one coin. Like in real life, kids can help a lot! But they cost money!

The other main addition in this expansion is the Interaction cards. These allow players to buy and sell goods to and from each other. During setup, gather the cards with the pictures of the characters that are in the current game and distribute them to their owners. Then, as a daytime town action, you can place your mini onto the card, the alignment is shown in the top right, and resolve an interaction instead. To do so, simply pay the cost shown on the top of the card; you pay to the other player, so this is a good way to keep money in the game between players, rather than giving it back to the bank all the time. Then, they will provide you with a good or service they specialize in. This will convert to town resources, money, skills, or other beneficial items.

Is It Fun? Mythwind: Friends & Family Expansion Board Game Review

I will always include this in the game when I play now. I have added everything in. I play mainly solo, so I won’t use the interaction cards as much, but I like them, and they work well. The main addition, though, is the Friendship Board and Tray. It feels like a lot to add, size and components-wise, as it is two whole new things to add to the table. But it really doesn’t change the game much and adds only a small additional amount of choice and time to the game. The changes are a little disappointing, I would say, at first. But like everything in Mythwind, good things come to those who wait. This is a slow build, and as it should be. These friends come as strangers. They build up to companions and then maybe even married partners with children. And then you get all the benefits and changes you wanted to see in this expansion. The challenge to get to marriage with each of the characters you are playing with in the game is a delightful, well-timed, and rewarding one. It may just initially seem like very little has happened. But that’s the point. It takes time to win people over, get to know them, and become their proper friend.

It is worth noting as well that the game has taken a lot of care to be fully inclusive with this expansion. There are multiple pronouns within the new friends. It seems the designers have made a big effort to make everyone feel included and represented within the lore of this game.

Much like the base game, everything in this expansion sets up and puts away very simply. I have heard some complaints about that, which confuse me, as it is all very quick and simple, just like the base game. There are some major printing issues, though, where characters have other characters’ text printed on the back of their cards. You need to work out who is mixed with whom and find the right card to read when you display the front of the other side of another card. It was all a bit confusing at first, but I have figured it out now. But it’s a shame a game of this production quality, that clearly has had so much heart and soul poured into it, has gone to print with so many drastic and frustrating printing errors.

I would suggest the game needs to see future expansions focused more around two things: new characters and new events and adventures. This is the part of the game I sense is the most popular, and what I like most about it: developing and growing new characters, and going on new adventures, with new things happening in the town. I do think the Ranger could be expanded in an exciting way too. The expeditions they go on feel a little mechanical. I would be interested in an expansion just for that character where you get to move onto other new boards, discover new land, expand your town, and maybe even meet and interact with other nearby, and maybe even far away, towns and characters. That would be epically fun in this humble reviewer’s opinion.

But if you are looking for new content for this game, and are a fan of the base game, I think you will find this fits seamlessly into your gameplay and enhances the multiplayer experience. The opportunities to become married with children, to gain additional dice, and additional benefits from your companions is a welcome one. Just do not expect it to have a big instant impact. Nothing else in this game does, so why should this? But I know that, and was still a little disappointed at first, and now I really like it. I just want you to go in with your eyes open unlike me! It is also a little disappointing that the friends do not have much impact on you until you become their companion. It feels like a missed opportunity to see some kind of benefit from the friends as you grow your relationship with them. This is why the score is a little lower, as I just wanted a bit more of an impact.

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12/05/2025
board games for Christmas — The Treehouse

Slowly but surely we’re getting a clearer picture of what’s in store for us over the festive season at the end of this weirdest of years. It’s looking like getting family together around a table will be ‘a thing’ this year in our part of the world, but with pubs shut in a lot of places and household mingling still limited, Christmas merriment might still need a bit of a helping hand.

That’s where (you guessed it) board games come in! Long a traditional component of Christmas for lots of families, board games have come a very long way over the past decade or so, and have never offered so many effective ways to get the fun started. Here’s our Christmas Games Guide 2020 to help you navigate these crowded waters and find the perfect family game for Christmas…

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09/05/2025
Board games and (my) mental health — The Treehouse

At the moment, pretty much everyone in the world has got more than usual to deal with when it comes to mental health. Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve all had some learning to do on what it takes to keep ourselves sane when our usual routines are disrupted and many sources of enjoyment aren’t available to provide a pick-me-up, and that’s just those of us lucky enough to have avoided major trauma or bereavement.

I suspect most regular board gamers would be willing to at least speculate that the hobby was doing their brains some good. It turns out there’s plenty of real life science to back this up, at least in certain areas (abstract strategy games and dementia, for example). I’m not qualified to say anything clever about the research, although a lot of it does ring true for me: this post is a reflection on how board gaming has helped my mental wellbeing over the past twelve months and why I think that is.

This is a personal subject so I’ll introduce myself for a change: Hi, I’m Ruth. For the last three-and-a-bit years I’ve been running the Treehouse with my other half Andy. Unless stated otherwise it’s probably me writing the social media and blog posts and behind the camera taking the pictures. Things I’ve learned about my mental health in the last twelve months: being below a certain level of busy is bad for me; even small amounts of random chitchat with other humans is good for me; I’m still capable of experiencing boredom (genuinely a surprise); houseplants are so beneficial for my mood that it’s almost weird. Big things I miss: sitting round a table with family and friends; working with the rest of the Treehouse team. Small things I miss: the sound of the Treehouse full of people having fun; live music (this one might belong in ‘big things’ actually); PINTS.

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08/05/2025
The board game from *The Book*

In The Book, a fictional “Guide to Rebuilding Civilization”, which freely mixes factual and imaginary concepts and objects, one double page is a devoted to a board game.

I have only access to the Italian translation; here the game is described on pages 372-3 and is called La griglia (literally, “The grid”). It is a 2-player game on a 5×8 board with ten tokens for each player, five initially on the board and five to be added in later moves. Enemy pieces are captured by creating a row of own pieces, that allows one to “shoot” at an enemy piece as far as the row is long (if I understand correctly). The goal is to be the first to take five enemy tokens.

Does anyone know more details about this game? Is it an existing game or was it invented for the book? (Of course, it has in any case elements of many historical board games.)

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08/05/2025
If board games be the food of love… — The Treehouse
Connect psychically

Maybe what you’re craving isn’t escapism at all, but a way to engage with each other on a deeper level. These (potentially dangerous!) games encourage you to get right into each other’s heads… who knows what surprises you’ll find there?

A quick aside: both of the following games are really designed for larger groups, and I wouldn’t claim that two is the ideal player count for either. However, during lockdown we’ve all had to make our fun with what’s available, and we’ve had an enjoyable two-player time with both of these. Playing with just two makes them a lot less raucous and a little more intense, but arguably no less satisfying than the larger group version, and you’ll get to have a whole different type of fun with them once party days are here again!
- Medium. The first game in this weird but potentially wonderful category is Medium, in which players become mind readers trying to pluck words straight out of each other’s brains (not as gross as it sounds!). Each of you begins with a hand of word cards, and you take turns starting each round by choosing one to play face-up in the middle of the table. Then, the other player follows with a card from their hand, ideally one that they think creates an obvious connection with the word already chosen. You both count down from three then say the word that you think most directly links the two cards. If you both said the same word, great! You just scored the maximum points for the round. If not, you repeat the process up to twice more using the words you just said instead of the words on the card. This super-simple game has some genuine magic to it, and never more so than when you can look each other in the eye and just KNOW that you’re thinking the same thing!
- Wavelength. Ah, Wavelength. I’ve used a whole lot of words waxing lyrical about this phenomenal game since it became available to buy again recently, but I can always find a few more! Wavelength is remarkable in many ways: you can play it in team or cooperatively, by video link or in person, with a large group or with just two players. It’s simple to learn, has some of the coolest components around, and can get you thinking about things as strange and diverse as “who on the Treehouse team is the most Slytherin?”, “which colour does my sister think is the sexiest?” or “what is small but not tiny?”.
  
  The rules of Wavelength are simple: the player whose turn it is to be clue-giver draws a card which defines a scale, e.g. famous to infamous, pointy animal to round animal, or nice smell to disgusting smell, and tells the other players what it is. Then, they spin the Wavelength Wheel of Wonder* (*not its real name) and take a peak behind the snazzy turquoise screen to find out where on the scale the target has landed, without showing the other players. They then concoct their clue, which can be whatever they like as long as it’s not too complex, to help their team mates (or all other players in the cooperative version) to guess where the target is by adjusting the red needle. Once the decision is made, the screen slides back to show the answer, and points are awarded if the needle is within the target area. It might sound a little abstract without the game in front of you, but as soon as you’ve got to grips with the (literal) mechanics of the wheel, all will become clear!
  
  A small safety note to finish: with just two players, we’ve found that this game can go one of two ways: either you’re so wondrously in sync that you become increasingly thrilled at your collective cleverness, or… you’re so at odds that you begin to wonder how you’re even friends. In the event that you find yourself in the latter scenario, don’t panic – treat it as a conversation starter and explore how you got there, and you’re bound to find out something about each other that you didn’t know before!
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08/05/2025
Shallow Regrets Preview – One Board Family

The dark and creepy fishing game Deep Regrets is one of our favorite releases this year. But sometimes, you’re looking for a shorter fishing excursion. That’s were Shallow Regrets, a new wallet game from Button Shy Games, comes in handy. This eighteen card experience was created and illustrated by designer Judson Cowan and offers a bitesize experience of its more robust sibling, Deep Regrets.

Catch of the Day

Shallow Regrets plays two to three players and takes only fifteen minutes to play. In this fishing filler game, players can cast into six “shoals” in the center of the table. Each shoal is a pile of three cards that contain fair or foul creatures or objects from the ocean.

Cards have a coin value (victory points), catch difficulty, and unique ability that can be activated when you have the card in your possession. Some cards contain fish hooks on the left side below the coin value. These hook icons will give you the strength to catch larger creatures as you fish the briny deep.

Players are given information on the size of the fish based on the size of the shadow that’s shown when it’s on the top of the shoal. There’s also a hint at the bottom of the card back that gives you the range of strength you need to reel in that catch.

Throwing Back Your Catch

On your turn, draw two cards from the top of the shoal(s) in the center of the table. You can catch one of the two cards you picked up and must toss the other back. The rejected card is placed back on top of a shoal or in an open space if all the cards of a shoal have been fished. Players can strategically toss back a card to cover a card that another player was potentially planning to catch.

Shallow Regrets is all about gaining strength as you gradually work your way up to catching bigger and more valuable creatures. While the coin value is victory points, sometimes the special ability on the card can be extremely advantageous. You can use a cards special ability by exhausting it (turning it sideways) at the start of a turn. You’ll be able to look at more cards on your turn, swap a creature for another players, pass a card to your neighbor, or even flip over the top card of each shoal.

These abilities are really helpful in getting just the right cards in front of you. As a seasoned fisher, you want to dabble in catching foul fish, but you definitely don’t want all the foul fish! The foul fish in the game can give you the hooks you need to reel in a big catch. But, most of these come with negative coin values that will bring down your score.

Fair fish have some of the highest coin values but may not give you any hook icons to increase your strength. The game has a nice balance and forces players to keep a variety of fair and foul creatures. The game ends when all the cards have been taken from the shoals or when players don’t have enough strength to catch the cards that are left.

A Stench Most Foul

The player who reeled in the most foul fish will have two points deducted from their score at the end of the game. Players count the points on their cards, even their exhausted cards, to get a final score.

Shallow Regrets is a really enjoyable, ultra condensed fishing experience that we really enjoy. The player count is small, supporting only three players. This has been the game Erin and I choose to bring on date nights because it’s such a tight and casual experience. When players lean into using the card abilities, the game is a little mean and that’s a big part of why we like the Shallow Regrets so much.

Judson Cowen did an excellent job with illustrations. The creatures feel like a more cartoony version of their Deep Regrets counterparts. As many times as we’ve played Shallow Regrets, we still get excited when one of us finds and is able to reel in the five point Kraken card. This is an easy filler card game to suggest to anyone who has fifteen minutes and a couple friends to play with.

Shallow Regrets is on Kickstarter through May 17, 2025. 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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07/05/2025
American checkers largest possible number of legal move choices from any board position

I want to know what is the maximum number of legal move choices from any board position, in the game of checkers, assuming official rules.

I’m creating a program that plays checkers, and for performance reasons, I need to know in advance the largest number of legal moves. I expect it to be quite low, like under 50, but just making a guess is not an option for me.

I searched for this, but couldn’t find an answer. Maybe I missed something.

Edit:

Thinking for a moment, I think (one of) the largest theoretical number(s) of legal moves might be where all 12 pieces are kings, like in the position W:WK5,K6,K7,K8,K13,K14,K15,K16,K21,K22,K23,K24:BK30, which has 42 legal moves. That position is not valid and is not possible to occur. I’m more interested though in the largest possible moves from a valid checkers position. An upper bound might be fine.

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07/05/2025