Steph's New to Me List for April 2023!

Welcome to Steph's "New to Me" List 2023!

This year I have made the goal of learning 500 (600?) games!

Steph's Awesome Spectrum Rating System!

Steph's Sad Cloud Rating 1-2.5/10
Steph's Bland Rainbow Rating 3-4.5/10
Steph's Primary Rainbow Rating 5-7/10 (Solid Play)
Steph's Super Rainbow Rating 7.5-8.5 (Keepers)
Steph's Double Rainbow Rating 9-10/10 (Top Favorites)

April List
from Worst to Best

Top Secret Prototype:

No Info

-/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

no pic :(

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Prototype - Badlands:

Early early stages of a prototype. Cooperative and puzzly. It was fun so I look forward to seeing where it ends up.

-/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

no pic :(

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Prototype - Better Letters:

A new word game where you have to think of one word using various conditions. It is definitely fun for players who enjoy word games.

-/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

no pic :(

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The Glade:

Prototype going to KS this summer. Scrabble meets Qwirkle. Puzzly and cute. Won't be for everyone, but there is definitely an audience for this game.

-/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

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Taiwan Night Market:

Currently on KS for a few more days. There is still time for development since I played an early prototype. I think there is a nice auction mechanic and a bit of a programming element with how customers will move through the market. Not for the faint of heart since it can be vicious.

-/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

Side Effects:

Random card draws to try and cure your diseases. It is draw and play about the most boring design ever and the game just isn't fun. The artwork is the only decent thing in the game, if you find it interesting.

3/10 After 1 play (Owned)

Karambolage:

Basic dexterity game. There are so many better dex games this one pales in comparison.

4/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

Don't Be a Dik Dik:

Simple card game sort in the realm of Go Fish but with inappropriate names of animals. It was silly and is not a game I would want to revisit.

4/10 After 1 play (Owned)

Steam Up: A Feast of Dim Sum:

Amazingly beautiful production, but the game is just not interesting. Everything in the game has been done before and this was just a snooze fest of a resource management game.

4/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

Aegean Sea:

I can't say I love Carl Chudyk games in general, but he has some interesting ideas and I do love Innovation so I like to try his games. Aegean Sea is a game where you know the rules but have no idea how to play. it is bizarre and weird. Probably better with a lot of repeated plays, but I just don't see playing it all that much.

4.5/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

Tortuga:

Simple card drafting and set collection game with slight take-that. It was harmless but nothing new or exciting

5/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

Berried Treasure:

A bit too much take-that for my taste, but I like the drafting element of the game.

5/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

Star Fighters: Rapid Fire:

Reminded me of Star Fox 64 a video game I played back in the day. This is a game you can play solo or in a duel or in teams. It is real-time dice rolling to move and attack your opponent. I am not big on attacking, but it will work for those who do!

5/10 After 1 play (Owned)

Sol: Last Days of a Star:

Some really interesting ideas happening in this game, but it also feels incomplete. I didn't really accomplish what I needed or wanted to. You don't have enough time to get back to your starting position on the board. Glad I tried it, but I will forget it in the future.

5/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

Montego Bay:

Old School design/game with some programming and area control. it works, but it just isn't my type of game.

5/10 After 1 play (Owned)

Ghosted:

A deduction game where you are trying to figure out the cards you have facing the other players. The shields aren't great/effective. The game is fine and works, there are just better games that do this.

5/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

Agatha Christie: Death on the Cards:

I am not big on 1 vs many games and hiding my identity. After playing the bad guy in my one play, I find it really impossible to win this game. Some interesting cards and effects, but likely a game I will forget about in a year. Wasn't terrible though.

5.5/10 After 1 play (Owned)

A Walk in the Park:

Very simple roll n write. Seemed like a tacked-on game for a KS which it was. I don't see it having replay value, but I would play again.

5.5/10 After 1 play (Owned)

Unicorn Fever:

A chaotic betting game. You really don't know what unicorns will cross the finish. There are cards that can help give bonuses or give penalties but I still don't think there is a lot of control. Hard to choose to play this when Ready Set Bet is just far superior.

5.5/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

Through the Woods:

A super cute critter game. Some basic set collection, but it was interesting enough for an environmental game.

5.5/10 After 1 play (Owned)

Bulldonkey:

Silly bluffing game. Fun for a few games and for very casual gamers.

5.5/10 After 1 play (Owned)

insect inc.:

A simple pattern-matching game that is sort of like the Rorschach test. It is just a race to get to 7 matches first or so. The cards get flipped over to a hard-to-see side once it has been used once.

6/10 After 1 play (Owned)

Youtube Video

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Wrong Party:

Such cute artwork! I like drafting games so this was better for me. I like the different cards and some abilities. It was solid.

6/10 After 1 play (Owned)

Quixo:

Simple abstract game to try and get 5 in a row. Another fun coffee table game from Gigamic.

6/10 After 1 play (Owned)

Little Tavern:

Quick card game to try and get the best visitors to your bar. You can flip a customer card ad choose which bar they sit in. Fun art and fun filler, it's nice.

6/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

King's Pouch:

Bag-building and engine-building game. It was pretty good. I don't love the small map with area control but I did like the cards you can buy to create a better engine. It was interesting.

6/10 After 1 play (Owned)

The Number:

Very simple guess the number type of game where you want to have a unique high number each round to gain points. Very simple and not something I would want to play a lot, but happy to play on occasion.

6/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

Sidereal Confluence:

Negotiation game that I have been curious about for a while. I am not great at negotiation, but it seemed interesting. It was basically what I was expecting, so it falls middle of the road since I am not very big on negotiating. Worth trying though.

6/10 After 1 play (Owned)

Kannste Knicken:

New roll n write game where you have to fold the corners when you unlock them. It is a race to make all the stars connected. I don't love the race element but the game play was fun enough.

6/10 After 1 play (Owned)

Pilgrims:

A hand management card game where you have to basically bid using one suit of cards to try and gain the most influence. Gaining the cards for points, but knowing when to bow out to gain other sorts of rewards instead. I liked this, but probably not a game I will return to all that often.

6/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

Stationfall:

I feel like if you enjoy Nemesis you might be drawn to this one too. They are different mechanically, but I kind of lump them together. That being said, this game is fully chaotic and everyone is free for all. It is not really a cooperative game since all of the objectives are very different. Since you don't have to reveal your roles anything is possible which makes it hard to figure out. In general, I will choose Nemesis to play, every time. I will play this again, because people who do love it, love it, and I am willing to give it a few more plays. It is definitely an experience game that will appeal to a certain group of gamers.

6/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

Lisbon Tram 28:

Not really into pick-up-and-deliver games but I enjoyed this one with the hand management and the cool upgrades. It moved quickly and was super solid.

6.5/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

nana:

SQUEE SO CUTE! Sort of a deduction and memory game, but you need a little luck too. The game is tiny, so it is easy to forget about it. I thought it was fun, but it is really a 5-minute filler game, so it could be forgettable in the long run.

6.5/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

The Green Fivura:

Crazy trick-taking game where every card has a green 5 on the back. basically, during the game you can play cards facedown in the trick so you play a green 5. Maybe you try to short-suit yourself or you don't want to win a trick. You don't want to go over 25 points with the tricks you take so you have to be super careful. It is a tricky game. I liked it but not as much as the others.

6.5/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

Coffee Rush:

Amazing production and a nice puzzle element to find the perfect combination of resources. The one thing that needs work is balancing the order cards, otherwise, I think this game is really good.

6.5/10 After 2 plays (Owned)

Delicious:

New flip and write a game where you have to select an option on your sheet to use one or two cards in play. It is simple to get into and very pretty. It is a nice game and one I would be happy to play again.

6.5/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

Mars Open: Tabletop Golf:

Craziest dexterity game where you flick like a paper football type of game. You have to set up holes with obstacles and everything. It is tough and very different from other dex games. Worth playing for sure.

6.5/10 After 1 play (Owned)

Fujiyama:

Interesting tile drafting game where you have to decide which tiles to pass to your neighbors. Trying to get them to choose your tile over the others, but also trying to get them to send tiles back to you later. I liked it! I want to play again to see if I like it more on a second play.

7/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

Octiles:

A Chinese Checkers-type of game but with crazy tiles that move you in weird directions. I found it really interesting and am glad we had 4 players to play it. Kinda seems to have a kingmaking ending, but with any abstract game, more plays might change that. It was fun though.

7/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

Pigs on Trampolines:

Bounce pigs on trampolines... what more can you ask for? It was a riot and so much fun.

7/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

Really Loud Librarians:

Break into teams and start using letters to craft words for a certain category to move around the track. I am terrible at this game, but we had a fun time playing it.

7/10 After 1 play (Owned)

Tick-Tock Orders:

I like cooperative games and this was real time. I definitely liked it the most of the gamers at the table so I am not sure it would hold over time, but I would like to try again maybe as a 2-player game to see if I might like it more. It was chaos but I like cooperative chaos.

7/10 After 1 play (Owned)

Balloon Pop:

The bidding for draft order is interesting since you are selecting your positioning too. It is a light and fun puzzle to line up the balloons in order to pop them. Really glad I got to play this!

7/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game:

It's been a long time coming to get this game to the table. I wanted it to be the best experience possible I watched the entire series first, and yes, that helped. I love so many of the characters and the theme shines through. In general, this isn't really the kind of game for me, I don't like hidden roles and backstabbing in games it is very emotional for me, maybe I get into it too much. It doesn't feel good. But I did enjoy the game we had and with the right group, I would play again. It has epic moments and it is fun. I would still choose to play Warehouse 13 though.

7/10 After 1 play (Owned)

Sauscharf:

New card game along the lines of Linko but with multiple phases of playing cards and trying to collect sets to make the hot sauces. It was interesting and I would play again, but it is far inferior to Linko which is just more fun.

7/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

Zero to 100:

A portable party game where you are trying to get rid of your question cards by coming closest to the number in the center of the table. The questions have a number answer on the back that you don't get to look at until you use it as your answer. It is a simple and clever little game. We had a fun time playing it!

7/10 After 2 plays (Owned)

In the Footsteps of Darwin:

Such a lovely game with wonderful artwork and elegant gameplay. Very easy to understand and play. Great for new or casual gamers. The set collection is fun and the game is just a relaxing nice game.

7/10 After 1 play (Owned)

Voidfall:

So much going on in this game to be very overwhelming in the first play. Looking past all that, I think there are a lot of nice ideas and mechanics in the game. I prefer the game with little player interaction, and depending on the set up you will find that, but you can still use the map to take over another player if you wanted to. It is a tricky balancing act to make it all happen. I liked this, but I am not sure it is a game I will get played all that much.

7/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

Turing Machine:

A really nice deduction game with a ton of puzzles to work through. Can you figure out the combo in less time than other players? It works well and I can't wait to play it more!

7/10 After 1 play (Owned)

Hooky:

A sure deduction game where you are trying to figure out the 3 cards not in play. Other players have cards and you want to figure out those as well. You deduce information by asking a five-letter word and they will have to respond with how many letters they have. It is smooth and works well. I have really enjoyed my few plays so far!

7/10 After 3 plays (Owned)

Dungeons & Dragons: Dungeon Scrawlers - Heroes of Waterdeep:

I have really been enjoying this Dungeon Scrawlers game! This is the second in the series and the real-time scurry through the maze is so much fun. I would gladly play this with any willing player. Simple joys.

7.5/10 After 2 plays (Owned)

Sides:

New party game in the realm of Just One. A few players have to try and guess the clue and a few people will try to give clues but can't communicate. They can say things like it's a 6-letter word starting with H. Ideally, one clue will be enough to get the guesses to be successful, but sometimes it takes longer and you just want to do it in as few clues as possible. Works for big groups of people coming in and out. I had a great time playing it and will have to find a copy.

7.5/10 After 3 plays (Owned)

Draft & Write Records:

I love drafting cards and I love trying to find the best bonuses. This game has a lot of both of those things. There are also common goals. All things I love in Roll n Write games and this is pretty fun. I look forward to getting a copy!

7.5/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

Dorfromantik: The Board Game:

Super chill campaign game that is all tile-placement. Trying to form groups of specific terrain types of certain sizes. As you play through the games you will unlock more content and goals. This is a game I definitely want to experience all the way through. I had a great time playing the first 2 games, and this game could easily raise in rank when I get to play it more!

7.5/10 After 2 play (Not Owned)

Let's Go! To Japan:

Love this multi-use cards and drafting system. It feels fresh. the puzzle on how to sort your trip is fun too. Really nice game!

7.5/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

Citytrip Brugge:

It is a struggle to get all the things you want to be completed because the game will end before you want to finish! Really great flip-and-write game with a nice big city to explore. I had a great time playing this one.

7.5/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

Caldera Park:

The follow-up to Savannah Park. There are more ideas going on in this, so it will work for a gamers group. Savannah park suits a wide range of players since the rules are super easy. Caldera adds in a bunch of new mechanics to make it more calculated. I really enjoyed playing this and I think there is room on the shelf for both games.

7.5/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

Clever 4Ever:

If you aren't Clever-ed out yet, then you have to try this one. My rankings are #2, #4, #1, #3 so I really did enjoy this new map! The more boards to play the merrier!

7.5/10 After 1 play (Owned)

House of Fado:

This new Lacerda title (in prototype) and is more my jam than most of his others. A tight game with many strategies and ways to score points. So much to think about and just works for my brain. This is the Bite-sized Gallerist, but really it just takes some mechanics the Gallerist has and incorporates them here, and very well! Very excited about this release.

7.5/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

Encyclopedia:

Really nice use of dice worker placement. This is a game about optimizing your actions and knowing when to make the magic happen. I love a good planning game like this.

7.5/10 After 1 play (Owned)

Magic Trick:

One of the best card games I have played in recent years. I really like the use of hidden cards and different suits. There is a bit of deduction you have to do if you want to play your tricks right. Everything from the name to the mechanics is clever. I hope more people get to try it.

7.5/10 After 1 play (Not Owned)

Next Station: Tokyo:

Found on BGA - A new game much like Next Station: London (NSL), but Tokyo (NST) has a new board and many new features. My mind was blown when I first played this! I thought "Sure, how much different can it be?" Well, it is very different and I still have no idea how to play it well. NSL was one of my favorite games last year, and I wouldn't be surprised if NST will be one of my favorites from 2023.

8.5/10 After 3 plays (Not Owned)

Sobek: 2 Players – Treasures of the Pharaoh:

Small expansion, but adds a bunch of new tiles to mix in and they come at a high cost. They are super interesting if you can get them though! Awesome game with or without the expansion, but if you already like the base game it doesn't hurt to get the expansions.

7.5/10 After 1 play (Owned)

Cartographers: Map Pack 2 – Affril: Plane of Knowledge:

Going through these maps and this was really interesting with a bunch of different islands. At the same time, I probably find it the weakest of the different boards I have tried so far. I think the others add in a little bit more content and things to think about to keep them more interesting. Even still, I am happy to try this and will definitely want to play again!

7.5/10 After 1 play (Owned)

Roll Camera!: The B-Movie Expansion:

Such a cool expansion! I love the added genre tokens and the middle of the script. Tons of new roles to check out too. If you are into cooperative dice games, then you shouldn't miss out on trying gRoll Camera! It's great.

8/10 After 2 plays (Owned)

Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition – Foundations:

Adds in a few new boards for 5-6 players. It also includes Infrastructure which is a 4th accomplishment you have to complete before the game ends. It is pretty cool and will work great with bigger groups.

8/10 After 2 plays (Owned)

Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition – Discovery:

This expansion adds in ways to upgrade your cards to gain better rewards when you use them. There are also milestones and awards to shoot for during the game. Lots of great content that any Ares Expedition fan would want to have, for sure!

8/10 After 2 plays (Owned)

Galaxy Trucker: Keep on Trucking:

MOAR Galaxy Trucker is a great thing. The new player boards are amazing and so challenging. So many new tiles to include and the new alien race. If you have sharks at the table you can make them use the rough roads content to make it harder. An expansion you don't want to miss out on. I love it!

8/10 After 2 plays (Owned)

Tapestry: Fantasies & Futures:

The final installment for tapestry? It is small but mighty. A new rulebook with all of the rules for all of the expansions! Tons of new content to mix in and not many added rules. It is for the true Tapestry fans out there. It is glorious.

8/10 After 2 plays (Owned)

Meadow: Downstream:

I love Meadow! I was dying to try Downstream! If you thought the game was a table hog before, well not it is double the size with a HUGE additional stream board. The board has two modes: Rapids and Lazy River. I have only played the Lazy River so far, but want to try the Rapids! So many new cards since there is a whole new deck of water cards. Each player will also get a new pawn to use on the river board so the game does end up being slightly longer than before. It doesn't bother me when I get to look at this beautiful game the whole. Simply stunning!

8/10 After 1 play (Owned)

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If you made it this far, you can check out what Michael and I have to say about our Top 10 Games we learned in April in more detail!

Youtube Video

The Tally

January: 54
February: 80
March:40
April:62

Total new-to-me games for the year: 236! 396 Unique Games & 709 total plays for the year.

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Follow along this geeklist to see what tv shows and moves I have been watching:
Steph's Movie & TV Series List 2023!

Now Available! Steph's Awesome Gaming Calendar 2023!
https://stephsshop.ecwid.com

Thanks to Dfube, I now have a chance to sell some cool All the Meeples of the Rainbow shirts!
If you enjoy the blog and want to support me and my good friend Dfube you can check them out here: https://itsyourroll.games/collections/all-the-meeples-of-the...

Happy Gaming!!!

-Steph

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Disclaimer: I am a contract Employee of BGG. I often review games that are provided by the publisher. I am not compensated for my blog content.
Thank you.

Steph's New to Me List for April 2023!

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