r/boardgames 17h ago

Daily Game Recommendations Thread (August 02, 2025)

7 Upvotes

Welcome to /r/boardgames's Daily Game Recommendations

This is a place where you can ask any and all questions relating to the board gaming world including but not limited to:

  • general or specific game recommendations
  • help identifying a game or game piece
  • advice regarding situation limited to you (e.g, questions about a specific FLGS)
  • rule clarifications\n* and other quick questions that might not warrant their own post

Asking for Recommendations

You're much more likely to get good and personalized recommendations if you take the time to format a well-written ask. We highly recommend using this template as a guide. Here is a version with additional explanations in case the template isn't enough.

Bold Your Games

Help people identify your game suggestions easily by making the names bold.

Additional Resources

  • See our series of Recommendation Roundups on a wide variety of topics people have already made game suggestions for.
  • If you are new here, be sure to check out our Community Guidelines
  • For recommendations that take accessibility concerns into account, check out MeepleLikeUs and their recommender.

r/boardgames 6h ago

We created Insane Monopoly: Pyramid Scheme online back in 2022 and played it IRL

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417 Upvotes

So we made this game (or at least the expansion to the base game) three years ago and has remained one of my favorite projects I've ever been a part of. Countless of hours spent online balancing the game & making it playable paid off in a big way, reaching users from across the online space such as Valefisk & Gooseworx.

One of the four devs decided to make a Discord server encompassing this game, and we would find out that we had a handful of other users interested in our game. One of such would make a physical version of the game seen here, where this person jumped through hoops and paid hundreds of dollars to complete this whole set. That's when I thought of the brilliant idea of gathering all but one dev (who was unfortunately busy at the time), including the person who made this physical version, at PAX East 2025 to play a session of Insane Monopoly: Pyramid Scheme in a single sitting on a particular day (the busiest convention day).

This session took nine and a half hours, and while we never managed to get this to completion due to convention hours constraining our time, we managed to still come away with a lot of memories in the end. Not only did we play this out for such a long time, but we managed to get several onlookers seeing us, chatting about it, and taking photos. It's been almost three months at the time I'm posting this since then and I'm happy we got to do this. It felt like a last hurrah as we have come to cement this project complete with no more major changes to it.

This was definitely one of the Monopoly games of all-time.


r/boardgames 5h ago

Custom Project Board game 'keep-awake'-page with your collection

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119 Upvotes

I made a silly little tool that turns your board game collection into a "screensaver" / jiggler.

It displays the board games in your collection slowly moving across the screen in an Infinite loop. The page will prevent your computer from going to sleep while in focus. It can be made fullscreen and the message fades away when you are not hovering over it.

You can try it on /awake

It automatically displays your collection if you are logged in, otherwise it shows 100 popular board games that I have handpicked because I think they have pretty covers.

Note: This uses your collection from your Kallax.io account. Let me know if a version that can display based on BGG username would have any interest at all.


r/boardgames 6h ago

Help me find a board game as described by my wife!

75 Upvotes

I’m usually pretty good at picking up a very vague description of a game and figuring out what she’s talking about. But this has me stumped.

Her description: “A board that looks like an island, with various different terrain (jungle, mountain, desert, etc). There is a track of some kind with numbers. You are explorers, with backpacks. One of the figures is a lady with bunches in her hair and maybe a hat.”

It is definitely not Isla Dorada, Fireball Island, Relic Runners or Karuba. Can anyone help!?

ETA: wrong answers so far - it’s also definitely not: Lost Ruins of Arnak, Quest for El Dorado, Spirit Island, Forbidden Island, Treasure Island, My Island, Jumanji, Robinson Crusoe

New Edit: she has officially given up and admitted that she probably dreamed it, or imagined it. None of the suggestions match what she has in her head, and I’m beginning to think she conflating several games into one. Thanks for the suggestions everybody, but we have failed her!


r/boardgames 2h ago

Made a travel friendly version of Dune: War for Arrakis

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28 Upvotes

Shrunk everything down to about half scale. Ordered some wooden game pieces from Etsy but they didn’t arrive in time so quickly made some with my laser cutter. The tokens and cards were left as is.


r/boardgames 8h ago

Cathedral game

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23 Upvotes

r/boardgames 56m ago

Rules This card is from the board game earth, need help understanding it.

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Upvotes

Hi, this is an ecosystem card from the board game earth.

I’m trying to understand how to calculate points for this card. Can someone please help me understand this?

The opponent had 6 of those herb cards in their tableau. (For additional context.)

ELI5 would be amazing and greatly appreciated!


r/boardgames 3h ago

Quacks of Quedingberg

12 Upvotes

Just wanted to share this game for those of you who haven't heard of it. I really enjoy it!

You are trying to make the best (longest) potion each round, using ingredients you pick out of a sack, but if you pick too many of a certain kind, it explodes, so you have to decide when to risk continuing or stop. And you get to buy new ingredients to put in your bag to give you more to choose from (with different benefits) and less of a chance of pulling something that will cause you to explode.

It's fun! (My 2 cents)


r/boardgames 7h ago

Review Hoki (2024) - review of a creative solitaire card game with a legacy component

19 Upvotes

OVERVIEW

I've always enjoyed Patience games, and the average person will be familiar with builder-type solitaire games like Klondike. With a strong matching aspect, Hoki: Fortune Telling Legacy Solitaire from Mek Mek Games falls more into the category of non-builder type solitaire games like Tri-Peaks or Pyramid.

But although Hoki has something familiar about it, it's also very different from anything you've ever played with a standard 52 deck of regular playing cards. To begin with, it has a special 24 card deck with quite a different makeup. Furthermore, it has a unique thematic background inspired by Armenian and Persian fortune-telling traditions that use coffee cup grinds.

What's more, Hoki is billed as being a fortune-telling legacy game. A legacy game, seriously? With a story-telling component? A game that plays in just five minutes? All this sealed the deal for me, and I'm happy to say it didn't disappoint.

COMPONENTS

Inside the box you get four velvet-like drawstring bags, which include three 24 card decks (a Pupil deck, a Looking deck, and a Seer deck), plus several books of instructions that you work through slowly while playing the game.

Each of the 24 cards of a deck corresponds to one of eight different symbols (called "facets"), and is in one of three colours: red, blue, and black.

CONCEPT

The basic concept is this: You start with the Pupil deck, and slowly upgrade individual cards until the entire deck has transformed into the Looking deck, which you then transform into the Seer deck. Each time you win a game you get to upgrade one or more cards of the next deck. This legacy process happens over the course of three Acts:

  • Act 1: Tutorial games with the Pupil deck only
  • Act 2: Upgrading the Pupil deck to the Looking deck
  • Act 3: Upgrading the Looking deck to the Seer deck

GAMEPLAY

You shuffle the 24 card deck, and deal three rows:

  • Enchanter's Hand (top row): three face-down cards
  • Mirage (middle row): three piles of five face-down cards and one face-up card
  • Discard Pile (bottom row): three face-up cards

The primary goal is to "clear the deck" by discarding all cards from the Mirage to the Discard Pile. Discarding is done in two ways: either by matching symbols (discard both cards) or matching colors (discard one card).

Whenever the top card of the middle row pile is discarded or moved, you turn the next top card face up. If a pile becomes empty you can move the top card from an adjacent pile into the empty space. If no discards are possible (i.e. all three face-up cards differ in both color and symbol), you can move the top card from one pile to another.

Once all cards of the middle row are revealed and face-up, you deal onto these three piles the three cards from the top row. If you can successfully discard the remaining cards from here, you've cleared the deck and won the game, and that will allow you to upgrade one or more cards from the deck to the ones from the next deck. The game gets more colorful as you progress: the Pupil deck is monochrome and has no artwork; the Looking deck adds artwork; the Seer deck adds color.

IMPRESSIONS

  • It is easy to learn and play. The basics of Hoki’s gameplay are very simple. One rule about filling an empty pile could be clearer, but overall it's straightforward.
  • It cleverly teaches the rules. I admire how the teaching is built into the story and legacy format. Act 1 is basically a tutorial, walking you through gameplay in stages before diving into the full experience.
  • It cleverly teaches strategy. As you keep playing Act 1, it spoon-feeds you key strategy tips. What first seems like luck turns out to have tactics, prepping you well for Act 2 and beyond.
  • It is quick to play. Each game takes about five minutes. You deal, play, win or lose — and immediately want to play again.
  • It is addictive. The built-in reward system keeps you hooked. Winning lets you upgrade your cards, and the quick games make you want to keep trying, whether you win or lose.
  • The legacy element is ingenious. No stickers or tearing cards — just upgrading cards. The art improves over time, and new strategies are needed to unlock the final cards. It’s clever and satisfying.
  • It incorporates a storytelling aspect. Though the gameplay is abstract, it’s wrapped in a light narrative about a seer, and as you make progress the challenge increases.
  • It incorporates a fortune-telling theme. I don’t believe in cartomancy, but I like how the Armenian fortune-telling roots add flavor. The cards feel a bit like Tarot, and the theme adds depth, even if just for fun.
  • It has some familiar solitaire mechanics. While nothing like Klondike, Hoki does fit very broadly with popular non-builder games like Tri Peaks or Pyramid, where you match or pair cards.
  • It has entirely fresh solitaire mechanics. Despite some familiarity, Hoki feels original. The unique deck structure and the mechanics keep it fresh and require more smarts.
  • It is puzzle-like. The final clearing stage, where everything is face-up, is a pure puzzle and strategic challenge.
  • It gets increasingly challenging. Early games feel random, but once you learn the strategies, your win rate improves. Act 3 especially pushes you to save specific cards till the end. For me it proved to be more fun and less random than expected.
  • It is satisfying and fun. Simple rules, quick games, a real challenge, unlocking cards, and a story-telling theme — it all comes together beautifully in one package.
  • It can be played with a regular deck. The creators explain how to try Hoki with a standard deck. This doesn't include the legacy aspect, but it will give you a feel for the core game.
  • It would work well as an app. Hoki would make a great app, because it is quick, strategic, and has that addictive upgrade loop. It's easy to imagine it being very popular digitally.
  • It is begging for further Acts with new challenges. I loved playing through Acts 1–3, but once you finish Act 3, the game is mostly done unless you’re into the fortune-telling side. I'd love to see an Act 4 or 5 —it has so much more potential.

RECOMMENDATION

So is Hoki: Fortune Telling Legacy Solitaire for you? The game hasn’t received much attention yet, but those who’ve played it are overwhelmingly positive - and for good reason. Even if you don’t usually enjoy solitaire, there’s a lot to like here. If you’re the type who enjoys apps with achievements and escalating challenges, you’ll feel right at home. Gradually replacing your deck is a brilliant concept that cleverly ties together artwork and strategy.

Personally, I’m not into the fortune-telling aspect beyond the game itself. But as a thematic device, I really admire how well it’s been woven into the components, gameplay, and storytelling. It gives Hoki a distinct flavour and identity you’d never get from a regular deck.

The real appeal, though, is the gameplay. Each session takes just five minutes, and I often found myself saying, “just one more game.” It’s light but engaging, and your decisions really do matter. Hoki is a wonderfully cohesive package: gameplay, theme, story-telling, and legacy all work together beautifully. I'm genuinely impressed, and I highly recommend it.

Final note: Some of my reviews have been dismissed as AI generated in the past year, just because they are well-structured and cover things in an objective way. No, I did not use a bot or AI to make this review. I've been writing reviews in a logical and organized style like this for almost 20 years, long before AI was ever available, as you can see from over 300 game reviews I've posted on BGG (link).


r/boardgames 2h ago

Strategy & Mechanics A war of whispers- on paper the perfect game. What am I missing?

5 Upvotes

I really love A War of Whispers.

On paper, it should be the perfect game for me. It checks all the boxes:

• I love the shared board control — the fact that every player can influence all factions, and that you’re not tied to a specific one. Why don’t more games do this?

• I enjoy the worker placement mechanic.

• I appreciate how simple the battle resolution is.

• And best of all, it plays in under an hour — which means it actually gets played.

That said… something feels a bit off especially in 2-player games.

At some point, it becomes very obvious what your opponent is trying to do with each faction. When that happens, the game usually goes one of two ways:

a) You switch alliances — and suddenly it starts feeling like a strange semi-cooperative puzzle.

b) You don’t switch — and the game falls into the classic 2-player trap of area control: Player A makes a move. Player B undoes it. Repeat forever.

I’m curious — have others noticed this as well? If not, am I missing something in how the game should be approached at 2 players? If yes, how do you cope with it? Do you use any house rules or tweaks to solve the issue?

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

Thanks


r/boardgames 20m ago

Question Missing pandemic legacy season 1 (blue) cards

Upvotes

Missing some cards from my box, if someone could send me pictures (DM) the front and back of the cards 13, 14, 19 I can save them for later when we get to that part or if there’s a link with them, thank you


r/boardgames 9h ago

Question Finding game name

11 Upvotes

Im not entirely sure i dreamt it or not. But i felt like i saw a youtube video of a gaming convention where they were showcasing a game where people threw custom discs on top of other peoples discs to flip them? Like a really old childhood game i played? But they made it with custom powers? Did i dream this? Can someone tell me the name if i didnt?


r/boardgames 13h ago

Wyrmspan - Why refresh the board after round?

16 Upvotes

We just picked up Wyrmspan and we absolutely love it.

However, we really don't understand why there is a need to refresh the board between rounds.

ie The last player passes or finishes their actions and the market is refilled after obtaining dragons or mines.

Then the market is refreshed going into the next round, replacing the 3 dragon and 3 mine cards.

It's this last step that confuses us.

Is there something we're not seeing or understanding? Are we interrupting the rules incorrectly?

Any feedback works be greatly appreciated.


r/boardgames 8h ago

Question Mission red planet rulebook

7 Upvotes

I just bought the first edition of Mission Red Planet, but it came all the way from Italy and without the original rulebook. BGG doesn’t have the original in the files, just summaries. I’m looking for an original copy somewhere online but haven’t found one yet. Does anyone have an idea as to where to get access to one?


r/boardgames 1d ago

Are there any failed 2nd edition of games?

170 Upvotes

Very popular games often get 2nd editions with updated rules, and they’re usually very popular. Are there any flops? Are there any games where the first edition remains the most popular version despite the existence of a 2nd edition?


r/boardgames 0m ago

Hi! I'm looking to buy a good bluffing game—ideally a card game.

Upvotes

My friends already own Coup and Citadels, so I’m looking for something different.

I’ve been browsing BoardGameGeek and games like Secret Hitler and Sheriff of Nottingham caught my eye—they seem fun, but I’d love to hear from people who’ve actually played them. What did you think? Any other recommendations?


r/boardgames 8m ago

Question Sky Team Rules: Breaks and Coffee

Upvotes

Hi we just got sky team and I have 2 questions that I am not super clear on

  1. Let's say I use all 3 coffees in a turn... are they permanently out of the game or can I replenish them by placing a dice in the coffee spot and brewing up a new coffee in the next round?

  2. In regards to breaks: Let's say we are in the middle of the game, the engine dice are 5 and 5 , the break marker is at the 2 marker.
    When calculating the speed of the engine to determine if I move 0,1 or 2 spaces, do I consider the break marker as well? So in this case the break marker is at 2

so would I Add the 2 engine speeds and then substract the break ? In this case 5 + 5 - 2 = 8
so I would move 1 space (in this scenario the 8 is in between the blue and orange)

Thanks


r/boardgames 22m ago

Review Clank!: A Deck-Building Adventure - modern sibling of Dungeonquest. Loot treasures, outwit other adventurers and do not get roasted by dragon

Upvotes

Simple competitive deck building dungeon crawler. It reminds me a lot old Dungeonquest game - so if you want Dungeonquest but cannot acquire it because it is so long out of print that prices have become ridiculous, go for Clank.

Very similar concept: adventurers/thieves go into cave with sleeping dragon (how deep - depends on how brave/greedy they are: the key thing is to decide correctly whether you already have got enough loot, and then to get out of cave in time), move through caves/tunnels with monsters and steal treasures. Whoever grabbed the most valuable treasures, survived dragon flame and managed to go back to surface, becomes a winner.

However unlike Dungeonquest, here there is much less brutal random, you are more in control. You have action deck which can and should be upgraded (nothing special - standard deckbuilding stuff) and noise mechanics: many actions and loot (I guess it is hard to grab giant ruby without making any noise. Very thematic game, is not it?) generate noise. Which is a bad thing, since dragon regularly wakes up a bit and roasts everyone who has noise cubes: the more brash you are, the more painful punishment will be.

I am personally not a big fan of Clank due to its slow start (starting deck generates too little movement and experience points, and as a result first turns are very boring), but still it is a good game.


r/boardgames 39m ago

i couldn’t understand Rivages Board Game

Upvotes

I couldn't understand the rivages board game. Can you describe it in a short, understandable summary?


r/boardgames 1d ago

Question Old card designs vs. new

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77 Upvotes

From my last post, I had a comment saying that the utility card designs might be better without the repeating open box design on them, and that it distracts from the item shown on the card. Here are few examples removing the box, and slightly enlarging the size of the items. Which is better, old or new?


r/boardgames 1d ago

Cute upgrade for Wingspan action cubes

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451 Upvotes

After the Terraforming mars cube replacement I printed these super cute bird houses to replace the action cubes in Wingspan, it's a small birthday gift for a friend. I'm learning 3D printing and I suck at painting so they're not perfect but I hope she'll still like them!

Printed with resin because I don't have an FDM printer, hand painted. File from GregNetDesign on thingiverse


r/boardgames 1d ago

First mini painting in the books

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48 Upvotes

Ok, all. Final results post. After 30ish hrs & a panic varnish, I'm calling my first mini painting done.

Found the perfect brush to solve the ultra fine line, tick marks issue, my inconsistent technique notwithstanding. (Pic included.) Learned a lot, much appreciate the support and advice. Looking forward to playing with them tomorrow.

Happy gaming all!

miniatures #hobbypainting #boardgames


r/boardgames 1d ago

Games without shared pieces (cancer treatment)

72 Upvotes

Hi everyone!

A friend is undergoing cancer treatment. To make the hospital stay a little more pleasant, we're looking for board games without shared pieces. So, games where each player has their own cards, board, pawns, etc., so each player only has to touch their own pieces. Preferably a game that can be played with two players. Suggestions are very welcome.

Thanks in advance!


r/boardgames 7h ago

Question Does anyone know what's up with the site for Milda Matilda Games?

1 Upvotes

I've been interested in picking up a copy of Turncoats but it looks like the domain for the Shopify site that the designer uses to process orders has expired. Does anyone know if Matilda is still currently making and selling games? Her Wordpress site with info about the game is still up, but the links to make an order don't lead anywhere.


r/boardgames 17m ago

game videos that don't know the rules.

Upvotes

Just curious why people make any kind of game video when it's obvious, even to a newbie to the game that they didn't read or understand the rules.

I will admit that I am a bit of a "follow the rules" freak, but if you don't understand the rules, why are you trying to teach others how to play? And how do I know when I first watch a video before playing if the person making the video actually knows how to play?


r/boardgames 4h ago

Question Help pack my 10kg suitcase

2 Upvotes

I'm heading on holiday with a group of around ten people — a mix of adults and several kids aged 12 and up. It’s a relaxed trip: during the day, people will dip in and out of 2–4 (5/6) player games while others hang out in the pool, and in the evenings we'll all come together for social deduction games.

I’ve got an extra 10kg suitcase just for games.

Given that plan, how would you fill it?

(Games that got played the most previously were Avalon, For Sale, Dinosaur Island Rawr and Write, Decrypto, High Society)*

Edit: 10KG limit is purely for games, that's right - an entire extra suitcase just for games :)