AWAKENING THE DEEPS  Deep Regrets is a game that seems to have come out of nowhere. It was created by designer Judson Cowan and published by Tettix Games. The theme of the game is steeped in a creepy eldritch fishing atmosphere, similar to the video game Dredge (which is incredibly addictive, by the way - I highly recommend it). As a fan of all things sinister and supernatural, I just had to cast a line and see what would bite. Thanks to an impressive fundraising campaign, the game has generated a lot of buzz, including a micro version from Button Shy, witty and titled Shallow Regrets - with additional additions! The box design is immediately eye-catching, with a newspaper-box-like wrapper that I’ve never seen before. I even took a second look: at first glance, it could very well be a Christmas present wrapped by my aunt. Add in the fun card illustrations, wry humor, and a fishing-bait-shaped die, and this could be one of the best-crafted board games of the year. But is there a real trophy—or a sunken wreck—hiding beneath the surface of this beautiful design? Grab your tackle box and let’s find out. DEEP BLUE SOMETHING Deep Regrets is played over multiple rounds, each representing one day of a week-long sea expedition. The goal of players is to catch valuable trophies to earn points, while simultaneously controlling their insane state (regrets) and overcoming the oddities and dark secrets lurking beneath the surface. At the beginning of each day, players decide whether to **go to sea or stay in port**. However, the choice made is valid for the entire round (with the exception of the **single-use lifeboat**, which, however, imposes a penalty at the end of the game). **Port Town** is a peaceful and idyllic place to prepare for your next trip to the sea. Fish caught can be sold for **seabucks**, which can be spent in various shops. They sell additional cubes, disposable supplies, or tackle (rods and reels) that provide permanent bonuses or discounts while fishing. Players can also **attach** fish they catch to one of three slots on their board, receiving a **2× or 3×** multiplier on their points. Attached fish are permanently fixed (although, of course, some cards allow you to bypass this rule). **The high seas** are where the main action of the game takes place. Players explore **three levels of shoals**, fishing to their heart's content. Each shoal offers different sizes and types of fish - both good and fishy - with different levels of difficulty and points. To catch a fish, the player spends dice, levels of difficulty, and can use cards or abilities to mitigate the consequences or increase the chances.  Some fish activate effects **when discovered**, others **after being caught**. Fish can also be **"eaten"** (i.e. discarded) to trigger a certain effect. These effects can be **helpful**, **harmful**, or just **chaotic** - for example, a cunning squid, which upon discovery is **literally given to another player as a "gift"**. In addition, the ocean hides **event cards** that can significantly change the course of the game. Players continue to take actions **until they decide to "pass."** At that point, they draw a **dink card** (usually a discount or small bonus) and continue to draw additional "dinks" if they remain in the pass state while others are still playing. There is also a **lifebuoy token** that is passed between players and grants a **discount once per round**. SADNESS AND MOURNING What starts out as a seemingly innocent fishing game is actually riddled with regrets - literally. Pulling monsters from the depths of the sea isn't exactly conducive to mental health and often brings up old traumas. Throughout the game, players **gain and discard regret cards** that move their tokens up or down the **insane scale**. The more stings, the **more dice** a player can hold. However, this has a downside: **disgusting fish** bring **more points**, while **normal fish bring **less**. Even **selling ugly creatures in the port** adds pity (because, apparently, **releasing eldritch horrors to the market is not the best idea**).  Regrets may not seem so terrible — well, **who hasn't done something in life that they regret?** But if you **get too deep into madness**, you'll have to pay the price. At the end of the game, the **player with the highest total (not quantitative!) regret value** must **get rid of their most valuable trophy** attached to the board. This can mean **losing up to 27 points!** And if the **deck of regrets runs out**, players start **stealing regret cards from each other**. The number of regret cards each person has is always revealed, but **their value remains a secret**. FISHING The fishing expedition concludes at the end of the week. Players tally their victory points—for the fish they have attached, the fish they have left in their hands, and the modifiers from their position on the madness track. The player with the most regrets must throw their most valuable fish into the sea - and, believe me, no one will begrudge them that. WITHOUT REGRET It took me a few plays to figure out exactly how I felt about Deep Regrets. The production is top-notch, and the atmosphere and theme are a real draw. But the question is: is the system solid enough underneath all that shell? As with most reviews, it all depends on who you ask. I've played it a few times, and opinions range from enthusiastic to mildly dissatisfied. From a casual player's perspective, the game really shines: the push-your-luck mechanics and balancing of the stings keep things interesting, and the moves are quick and easy. The game is accessible even to beginners, and people who are far from tabletops will probably really enjoy it. I can't think of any other game that feels the same way, so credit to it for being original. Personally, I liked the game, but the novelty quickly wore off after a few dives into the depths. The game lacks what some call “playfulness.” I’ve heard it said more than once: “It’s like it’s playing itself.” You pull a fish card — you do what it says. There are almost no real complex decisions. The risk aspect also feels a bit tame: with generous mitigation options, almost any fish can be caught with the right dice and cards, and even the creepy creatures of the deep rarely pose a real threat.  By the end of most games, the **shallows were almost empty**, so players had seen **most of the deck**. Some **interaction cards** force **card swapping** or **passing grief**, but overall it's more of a **lonely boat trip**. The game is **random**, but **without the tension** that usually makes randomness exciting. The box also features a **single player or co-op mode**, which feels more like a **cozy “mini-campaign”**. Players try to **fill up a discovery log over the course of a week**, gradually **upgrading their gear**. The real vibe is **“Catch them all, like in Pokémon”**. LET'S DIVE DEEPER **Deep Regrets** is a **fun and enjoyable game**. It may not become a **permanent resident of your shelf**, but it will provide **a light, fun and unique experience**. Thanks to the unique cards, **every game feels fresh**, and **there is enough charm and atmosphere** to make you want to **re-fill your tackle box and head out to sea**. This game **doesn't aim to be deeply strategic** — and that's okay. After all, **fishing is for recreation**, right?  At the time of writing this review, a Kickstarter campaign for an expansion is already on the horizon, promising to add more "playability" - and that's exactly what the base game is a bit lacking. I'm really interested to see how this will broaden and deepen the system. The regrets in Deep Regrets are deep indeed, but the biggest regret is not trying the game at all...

TOP 5 BOARD GAMES FOR HALLOWEEN For many years now, Ukraine has been celebrating a foreign holiday, Halloween, on the night of October 31 to November 1. According to legend, it is on this night that the spirits of the dead emerge from the afterlife and wander the streets of cities and towns. However, a similar holiday existed even in pagan times and was called Velesov Night. In ancient Ukrainian traditions, there were even three periods when the souls of the dead could return to earth. In turn, we have prepared for you 5 games that will make Halloween night more spooky and atmospheric> 1. Cat-scary  The kitties decided to organize a horror film festival! However, before the festival began, they discovered that the film reels and films were mixed up. Help the kitties find the right reels to save the festival! You will find many cute kitties, as well as references to the films "The Shining", "The Silence of the Lambs" and other horror classics! 2. Ancient Horror  It's 1926 and the world is on the verge of extinction... An ancient and powerful creature is ready to wake up and cover the world we know with darkness. Portals are opening all over the world, from which various monsters crawl out, and ancient cults rise from their knees. But there is a group of heroes who are ready to risk everything to prevent the impending horror. Fearless travelers set off on a journey around the world: from the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas to the bustling streets of San Francisco, to collect evidence, solve puzzles, destroy monsters and protect the world from an otherworldly threat. Are you ready to join them and put everything you hold dear on the line to save this world? 3. Don't come here  Oh, friends, we've peeked a little under the hood... and here's our advice: don't go here! Really! Do you need it - those mystical stairs, porcelain dolls and suspicious clown masks, terrible curses, that old house, where a whole bunch of ghosts probably live, and not such mischievous ones as our familiar Ghost of the Brainiac? But you probably won't listen, because there wouldn't be a movie if all the characters had thought in time: exploring this basement can wait until morning! So the kids got lost in the scary house. Will something happen, what will happen?.. We hope it's nothing bad! Hehe :) 4. Passengers  Who has already guessed what will happen next? Oh yes! We will tell you about your work and home - the bizarre world of the afterlife, namely - Purgatory. God knows how many times you have already transported souls on your boat from one shore to another, but you yourself have never set foot there, where everything is shrouded in radiance. They say that only by paying off the sinful debt can you get to the golden shore. But it is so... long! You will definitely choose the faster way, ferrying demons to the paradise lands and changing these stupid rules of the world order! 5. Zombicide  No kidding! Something incredible is happening! All the world wars, along with colossal epidemics, are nervously dancing around the last pack of cigarettes - they can only smoke on both sides. The world has been swallowed up by the rising dead, and today among the survivors will be only those of you who have more athletic skills and a more powerful barrel! Get ready for a new version of the mass Zombicide!..

 Games are tools that allow individuals and groups to think outside the box. So it makes perfect sense that Apiary, a board game about space bees, uses cutting-edge approaches to employment mechanics in gameplay. It combines high-tech worker placement with classic resource conversion mechanics — sometimes with obvious advantages, sometimes with disadvantages. SPACE BEES IN ACTION In Apiary, players take on the role of space bees who grow their hive by gathering a variety of resources during their interstellar journey. Resources include water, fiber (which looks like green Chex Mix sticks), pollen (yellow splatters), wax (Rollos), and, of course, honey in pots. Space bees function much like real ones—they fly, land on objects, and collect them for their hive. And while I'm no expert on bees (my only experience is a summer spent with a beekeeper during a bike trip), the image in the game looks convincing. WORK MECHANICS You have four plastic bees, numbered 1 to 4, representing their strength. Placing stronger workers on cells allows you to perform more effective actions. In some cases, strength is added to an existing worker on a cell, opening up even more powerful capabilities. The game has six main types of actions, conventionally divided into two areas: Research - allows you to travel in a large general ship and collect resources, improving their extraction in the future. Expanding the hive is buying hexagonal tiles that bring various bonuses, victory points, abilities, or income. Cards are available separately, which can be used before or after the actions. The "play as much as you want" mechanics are reminiscent of games like Hollertau or Kalimala, which is always a nice thing for fans of Eurogames. A particularly interesting action is Conversion, where, using a strong worker, you create your own resource exchange mechanism that other players can use until the end of the game. At the same time, you receive a bonus every time an opponent uses it. ADVENTURES IN SPACE Apiary's mechanics are somewhat similar to Cryo's: you "release" workers and then bring them back to you to earn income and strengthen them. However, Apiary goes deeper: workers with a strength of 4 can "fall asleep" after performing an action, similar to Teotihuacan's actions. They will need to be brought back from the reserve again. When such a strong bee goes to a large honeycomb in the sky, the owner places a sleep token and receives a bonus from the main field - this is also the game timer. The game ends when all hibernation cells are filled, or the player runs out of tokens. SPECIFICITY OF MECHANICS The game avoids the common problem of worker placement - blocking other players' actions. Instead, if you want to occupy a space, you simply return the previous worker to its owner. He or she can decide whether to strengthen it or use it as a source of income. This approach creates a dynamic, "live" gaming atmosphere, where bees are constantly moving and resources are actively circulating. The playing field develops naturally, and the game never loses pace. RESERVATION The only thing that may cause discomfort for experienced players is a certain randomness, inherent in many other Stonemaier Games games. Due to the random generation of markets and the choice of development path, players may receive uneven rewards, which complicates the competitive element. However, if you don't consider Apiary as a tournament game, but simply as an exciting, thematic, and visually appealing board adventure, it can be quite enjoyable. We just hope that the sequel to the game won't be dedicated to wasps...

 My wife and I are always on the lookout for new one-off games in the crime, escape room, or detective genre; I've reviewed more than I can count. But after getting my hands on the first game in the Masters of Crime series—Masters of Crime: Vendetta—I was incredibly impressed with the system, the storytelling, the use of various websites to advance the plot, and the grading elements. Vendetta was great, so when I got the chance to pick up a few more games in the series, I immediately volunteered to get all four, which I hadn't tried yet. Today I'm going to be talking about Masters of Crime: Rapture. Oddly enough, it seems to be even better than Vendetta. Read on to find out my spoiler-free thoughts on why!   IT'S HARD TO BE A STAR Masters of Crime: Rapture is a one-time crime investigation game, meaning that once you've completed it, you can't replay it. However, the game is completely "restartable," so I'm already looking forward to giving it to my friends so they can experience it too. Although the box says it can be played with up to six people, in my experience it's more of a one- or two-player game. I also want to pay attention to the game's length - the box says 2-4 hours, and the instructions advise taking a break at the two-hour mark. We finished Rapture in two and a half hours, so a break may not be necessary. We took our time - we read all the cards out loud and carefully sorted the evidence, so your time may vary. In any case, the Masters of Crime games last longer than some other detective board games, but the amount of material in the box is truly impressive. In Rapture, players take on the role of a shady cartel boss who enjoys a life of luxury on the fictional island of Isla de Cubados, making a fortune from the lucrative drug trade. (These games are very reminiscent of the feeling of being the hero of Grand Theft Auto, which I personally like.) While relaxing at a beach bar on the island, you overhear a local cop talking about the disappearance of one of the world's most famous pop stars - a singer who has just arrived on the island to shoot a music video. And yes, this star, Diana, is originally from the same island. (By the way, the cop is on your payroll, so that's also to your advantage.)  Suddenly you realize you have a problem - your "white business" is making great profits, but the disappearance of a pop star could attract the attention of the police - both local and international. Despite being a criminal yourself, it becomes vital to figure out what happened to Diana before the real investigators arrive. I really liked this plot idea. Over the course of a few hours and with around 70 cards of evidence, photos, visual clues, and a series of suspects—each with their own dark motives—Rapture does a great job of confusing players, gradually drawing them into the investigation. There are half a dozen fake websites to scan, a dozen envelopes with additional evidence, and a logic puzzle to solve to gain access to new cards. “This is probably the neatest and most cleanly constructed detective game we’ve ever played,” my wife said as we neared the end of the investigation. And I had to agree. Experience helps, of course, but here everything seemed logical and understandable—we were just working through all the cards carefully. We even got a high five when we used deduction to guess part of the final solution. Despite the large number of false clues, we managed to piece together a complete picture by carefully following the “crumbs” of evidence scattered throughout the island. KOSMOS PUBLISHER NICHE By the time we got to the final clues, we had solved the crime correctly and achieved the second highest score in the game. Like Vendetta, Rapture gives players the chance to find out what happened to all the characters in the story, and it also goes a step further by letting you decide the fate of some particularly vile characters. (Even though you're a drug lord yourself, let's face it, they were a bit worse.) The level of detail in Rapture is simply amazing. And it's no wonder, since the publisher is KOSMOS, the company behind the Exit: The Game series, including the Exit: The Game Advent Calendars that our family plays through every year during the holidays. KOSMOS knows how to make games in this genre, and every installment of Masters of Crime is a real win. Knowing that we have three more games left - Shadows, Incognito, and the latest Mosquito - is a real treat; my wife can't wait to start the next one ahead of schedule. I, on the other hand, enjoy the anticipation. Like a good TV drama, Rapture offers a truly high-quality narrative - mature, deep, and tense, just the way I like it. It's a fairly expensive game for a single-player format (around $25), but it's totally worth the price. Be sure to check out Masters of Crime: Rapture if you like playdates!..

 I'm sure they've been around since before I noticed them, but 2025 is definitely the first year I've heard of semi-cooperative worker placement games. I've played two so far, and I'm sure we'll be able to squeeze in another one before the end of the year. The results are mixed so far. Kinfire Council is a much more interesting idea than the game itself, and the same seems to be true of Winter Rabbit. Designer William Thompson’s game first caught my eye when it was shortlisted for the 2021 Zenobia Award, which aims to raise the profile of underrepresented game designers. Zenobia is worth following not only for its noble cause, but also because the shortlisted games offer us new settings and themes—real themes, not decorative ones—that don’t usually make it to market. In the case of Winter Rabbit, we find ourselves in a world of Cherokee folklore, where Otter, Deer, Turtle, Bear, Wolf, and Possum prepare for winter.  The mechanics of placing workers here are not quite like anything I've seen before. The basis of the game is a simple resource conversion: you accumulate various resources, and then spend them on improvements and gaining victory points. The novelty lies in the method itself. Players draw workers from a common bag. You can draw your own worker, but more often it will be someone else's - or that annoying Rabbit. More about him later. After drawing a worker, place it face down on any free space on the board. Each of the six sectors of the playing field corresponds to one of the resources. When all the empty spaces in any sector are filled, this resource is produced. The discs are turned over, and if there is no Rabbit there, everyone receives one copy of this resource. The player (or players) whose discs are present receives an additional one resource for each disc. If the Rabbit disc is revealed, he rakes up all the resources for himself and drags them to his hole. Oh, this cunning rabbit!  The cooperative element of the game comes from the Tasks that players play from their hand at the start of each round. Each Task requires a certain amount of resources to complete and earns points for the player who completes it, but you can't complete your own Tasks. Someone else has to do the work for you. They get points, and you get a small bonus. Additionally, each completed Task helps the team prepare for winter. By the end of the fourth round, the team must complete seven Tasks in each of the three categories to survive the winter. If they do, the player with the most points wins. If they don't, you all lose together.  There are promising elements to the game. I really like the idea of pulling and placing workers from any player. I think it could make a great game, but Winter Rabbit isn't. As with Kinfire Council, the political interaction that the rule encourages never really comes into play. It's enjoyable, but rarely exciting. The production and artwork are excellent. I really like the art, especially the creature art, but it's rarely a good sign when the artwork itself is my favorite element of the game. Despite its promising setting and unusual dynamics, Winter Rabbit just can't seem to pull itself together. ..

EIGHT YEARS WITH YOU! Lelekan is celebrating its 8th birthday! This is a special date, because in eight years the team has come a long way, filled with new ideas, important projects and bright victories. Lelekan is not only a brand, but also a space of inspiration, creativity and joint achievements that unite friends, partners and everyone who shares our values. 8 years is proof that dreams become reality when there is faith, inspiration and support. We are sincerely grateful to everyone who has been there during these years, who trusts, inspires and helps us grow. Ahead are even more discoveries, new peaks and warm moments that we will definitely share together. GIFTS FOR FAVORITE CUSTOMERS In honor of this holiday, we are announcing a week of free games and discounts on our games for everyone! And also a raffle! Among everyone who comes to our game library this week and among our Instagram followers. All conditions can be found on our Instagram page. https://www.instagram.com/lelekan.com.ua/Giveaway post https://www.instagram.com/p/DO1AFI0CIva/..

 I'm a fan of small box games. In Alpina by HELVETIQ, players collaboratively build a board game set in the Swiss Alps and earn points as they go. Let me tell you about Alpina! ALPINA GAME REVIEW Alpina is a game for 2-4 players. Over several rounds, players place a landscape map in a 5 x 5 grid. The only rule is that you must place your map directly next to an existing map. Players can then choose to place one of their wooden tourist tokens on their map or a map directly next to their map. Repeat until the 5 x 5 grid is filled, then tally the score.  “Wow,” you might say, “that’s easy.” And you would be right if that were all there was to the game. Because I haven’t explained why you choose one of your cards over another, and why you decide to place it in a certain place. SCORING When you look at each card, the first thing you'll notice is that it looks like a Polaroid, with a bird, frog, or goat at the top. Each "photo" also shows an icon in the lower left corner that indicates the type of landscape (mountain, lake, or forest). Finally, you'll notice that there are a series of icons at the bottom of the card, each representing a scoring opportunity. Some of these are simple: 1 point for each tourist token of any color on a forest card, 2 points for each lake card directly adjacent to the scoring card. Others are more complex and require more planning: 2 points for each type of landscape to the left of the card (on the same row), or 1 point for each bird orthogonally connected to that card.  And remember… you don’t have to put the tourist on the ground right away once you’ve placed your card. You can bait a specific area, hoping the other player will peck. And then, once they’ve placed their tourist, you can close the trap and place the next card with the tourist to get the scoring condition. Alpina is smart about this. CONCLUSIONS There's not much to Alpina: 56 landscape cards, 32 player tokens (a scoring token and tourists), and a board that also serves as a scoreboard along the outer edge. And the moves are quick: placing one card and potentially placing a tourist. But the game is tricky and requires players to pay close attention to the development of the playing field. The game starts with one card already laid out on the table, which may or may not be in the middle, depending on the placement of the cards. This means that in a two-player game, each player will lay out 12 cards with 8 traveler pawns. But in a four-player game, only 6 cards with 4 traveler pawns are laid out. The board closes quickly, and if you don't keep an eye on the game, you may miss the opportunity to not only lay out the right card, but also to place a traveler on the table to secure points for the end of the game. Alpina is also fast, with games lasting an average of around 15-20 minutes. So it's the perfect way to whet your appetite for longer, more strategic games, or to end a gaming evening and unwind after a game of White Castle or Clans of Caledonia. So, if you're looking for a game in a small box that offers strategy and visual style, then Alpina would like to talk to you...

 Even old Scrooge – or Scrooge – would be hard-pressed to find fault with the latest project from Humble Bard Games. Charles Dickens’ popular story “A Christmas Carol,” about a stingy old moneylender in industrial-era London, has inspired at least half a dozen board games. Among them are Disney’s “A Christmas Carol” (which featured Mickey Mouse as Scrooge testing the audience’s trust quite a bit) and “The Haunting of Christmas.” ABOUT THE GAME Designer John S. Bailey is a teacher in the field of everyday life and has a special connection to "A Christmas Carol." In his words: "The themes and morals of this story are rich and deep. Everyone will likely take something from it that challenges them. For me, I can relate to Scrooge as a person in many ways… my connection to Scrooge has nothing to do with money. His character, the way he sees the world, the kinds of disappointments he's experienced, and how quickly he forgets the wonderful things from his past that could have changed his life for the better if he'd let them." The game fully reflects these sentiments. DESCRIPTION Spirits of Christmas is a medium-easy cooperative/solo strategy game where players use a turn table and card-based actions to guide Ebenezer Scrooge on his journey from miser to saint in Victorian London. Fans of solo and multiplayer card games from developers like Button Shy and Solo Game of the Month's Gabe Barrett will recognize a lot of familiarity in Spirits. But what sets it apart is: six levels of difficulty that gradually make the game more difficult; seven "communication modes" for multiplayer; three plot options. This gives you ten different ways to play, both solo and co-op. It takes about five minutes to unpack and familiarize yourself with the rules before your first game. The variety of strategies means that replayability is very high. COMPONENTS The game components are high-quality and extremely themed. The spirits that visit Scrooge on Christmas Eve are instantly recognizable – no matter which film adaptation you prefer, from Albert Finney (the designer’s favorite) to The Muppets (my personal favorite).  Wooden tokens, linen card covers, black-core cards, and thick cardboard coins add depth to the atmosphere. And this is important: while many see Scrooge as nothing more than a symbol of brutal capitalism, Dickens wasn't writing about economic systems - he wanted to show the Scrooge in each of us. The game's beautiful illustrations were created by the designer's daughter, capturing not only the family's joy at the source material, but also Scrooge's gradual transformation. GAME PROCESS Players start with “spirit cards” that pay for actions and complete scenes in each “chapter” of the story. The size of the hand depends on the number of players: in a solo game – 5 cards, and with 5–6 players – only 2.  "Scene cards" can be laid out randomly (the basic option) or in order - in the complex "Story Option". Each section corresponds to one of the three spirits of Christmas – past, present and future. A unique spirit token is placed on the roundel. Players move it by spending coins, which quickly run out, so choice and risk are critical here. Coins also affect the scoring. It's a clever mechanic: no one wants to be a miser like Scrooge, but the game makes you feel at least a little bit like him. Actions on the rondel allow you to: move Scrooge to another scene, to exchange or play cards, get 3 cards. Completing a scene requires the right combination of spirit traits (joy, compassion, mercy). The balance of these traits changes with each chapter, making the game dynamic and unpredictable. ADDITIONAL MECHANICS To complete a chapter, you need to complete all or just the "shaded" scenes (marked with a bow). The only problem is that they are difficult to distinguish in low light. "Torch of Prosperity" gives bonuses if activated on the rondel in time. “Gift cards” provide starting advantages, adding variability. END The section ends when: players are running out of money, all the "shadow" scenes have been played out, All scenes of the chapter have been completed. After three chapters (or sooner if resources are exhausted), the game ends. If players complete all three chapters without going bankrupt, they win. The level of victory is determined by the points table. On the lowest difficulty, victory seems easy, but as the difficulty increases, the game becomes a serious challenge. RESULT  Spirits of Christmas is a solid board game from the developer of Holdout, Song of the Seas, and Roll-With-It. It will appeal to both card game fans and those who appreciate a strong theme.  The atmosphere of industrial London, combined with the emotional light of Christmas, makes the game a great option for a cozy evening party by the fireplace on the eve of the holidays. Thanks to its compactness, simple rules and deep strategies, it can take you from “Deception!” to “Joy of the World” in a matter of minutes. And yes, Little Tim (spoiler alert) – survived.  Spirits of Christmas is a crowdfunded game now available from Humble Bard Games. It’s not yet rated on Board Game Geek, but it’s sure to become a favorite that will stay on your table well after the holidays...

SIGNAL GAME REVIEW  Signal is a quiet, cooperative brainteaser, a meditation on communication that is nowhere near as valuable as the phrase “meditation on communication” might suggest. Players work together to communicate with an alien, represented by a vivid black-and-white illustration on a card and embodied by a lone, silent player. The Terrans send signals: black-and-white rods, cubes, circles, and triangles arranged on a cloth board. Much of the game time is spent arranging these signals. When the signal is ready, the alien responds by changing it. Maybe he/she/they move some pieces or remove some. They might create a stack or swap pieces. It could be, and often is, some combination of things. The hope is that the alien will send back exactly the signal that is shown on the front of his card. Nothing more, nothing less. Whatever the alien does, he follows the rules written on the back of his card. For example, “Place a black rod on a black disk” or “Remove two rods and place another piece between them.” If the first round of communication is successful within ten attempts, everyone moves on to the second round. The goal remains the same, but an additional set of rules is added, which are followed after the first set of rules. A third round awaits you on the other side of the second, if you solve it.  Trying to crack an alien's code is incredibly fun, especially when your efforts are barely reaching the goal. The rules themselves are never fancy. Instead, they're designed to interact in clever ways. The second-round rule forces you to take a step back and think differently about the first-round rule. I don't really like playing games that involve blind, failed guesses, and I enjoyed my first time giving up the role of an alien in Signal. I miss a future where I won't be able to do that anymore, since you can't play against the same alien more than once, and you can never do that with the alien you've embodied. There's always the fear in games like this that being the oddball is going to be thankless. You sit there in silence while everyone else talks, then perform a transformation algorithm while they watch. It sounds uninteresting. Fortunately, while the role of the oddball won't appeal to everyone, Signal avoids that problem. The instructions leave room for creativity, for stubbornly insisting that you can do it. There's also room for thinking hard. If your teammates are stuck on a certain step in the instructions, if they keep making the same mistake, you can try to do it in a way that might make a difference. There is something anthropological about being an outsider. I observe people with joy and fascination. Because the game allows for real exploration, you learn something about people as individuals and people in general through the way they play. Some people do it without hesitation. One friend made his first guess by gathering a few figures, shaking them in his hand, and then laying them out on a cloth, ready to read the dice. Another friend was absolutely certain every time that this rule had something to do with symmetry. Groups and individuals became fixated on ephemeral things, interpreting noise as a signal. Sometimes following the noise really works. “It only removes the parts it sees from above,” when the real reason is both unrelated and mutually exclusive. This relative lack of precision—I promise, aliens are pretty picky—may irritate puzzle fans, but it speaks to the larger point of this wonderful exercise. The goal of Signal isn’t to spell out the rules or fully understand why what you’re doing works. The goal is to communicate successfully. Communication is imperfect. You can’t always say exactly what you want or mean. That doesn’t mean you can’t get along...

CIRCLE THE WAGONS GAME REVIEW Circle the Wagons is a quick and easy, down-and-dirty Boomtown card game for two players. Collect cards from the central display to make your city unique. Earn points for the largest groups of territories in your city, take a chance on three bonus cards, and hope you don't lose. Get the most points and win Circle the Wagons!  Circle the Wagons is a light-hearted two-player wallet card game from Button Shy Games. Known for its line of 18-card limited wallet card games, Buttonshy has released games like Turbo Drift, Pentaquark, Ahead in the Clouds, and Cunning Folk. PREPARING FOR THE GAME Setting up Circle the Wagons is simple. Shuffle all 18 cards together, territorial side up. Separate the top three cards and place them in the middle of the table with the bonus text facing up. These are the bonus cards used in this game. The other 15 cards are placed territorial side up in a circle around the bonus cards, as you can see in the following image.  Choose the first player and you're ready to start the game. But first, a little trick: the first player gets the first choice of cards, but the second player can tell the first player where to start. This can have a significant impact on the game, as you'll see in a moment. GAME PROCESS  In Circle the Wagons, two players take turns selecting territory cards from the central display in a clockwise direction. After the first player selects and allows the second player to indicate the starting card, the game begins. CARD SELECTION The active player has two options: 1. Choose the first card in order and place it in its Boom City. 2. Skip any number of cards to select another card and place it in their Boom City. Any skipped cards will be passed to the other player to place in their Boom City. In the following example, the first player chooses card #1 and puts it in their Boomtown. The second player will choose card #3, which means that player 1 will receive card #2 and must add it to their Boomtown. MAP PLACEMENT There are only a few rules when placing a map in your Boomtown. 1. Cards can only be placed right side up or upside down. Cards can never be placed sideways. 2. The newly placed map must touch or overlap the existing map of the area. 3. New cards can overlap old cards in any way, including completely covering another card. New cards can never be slid under a previous card.  Play continues clockwise, with each player choosing a card and placing it in their Boomtown. When the last card is placed, the game ends and scoring begins. SCORING At the end of the game, your city might look something like this.  At the end of the game, players will score 1 point for each territory in their largest area of ​​each of the six terrain types: desert, forest, mountains, plains, snow, and water. If two territories are the same size, players choose which one to score. In the example above, the player will receive the following points: 5 points for the mountain region in the upper left corner 3 points for the desert region in the upper left corner 6 points for the snow region in the center, ignoring the two smaller snow regions on the bottom right 3 points for the water region on the right, ignoring the water region above 1 point for a forest region, both of which are one cell 1 point for a flat region, both of which are one cell BONUS CARDS Let's take a quick look at some of the bonus cards for Circle the Wagons. Most maps, such as Cold Water, encourage players to plan ahead, choose the most advantageous cards, and place them in their Boomtown.  Other cards, such as "Bootleggers," can cause a player to lose points if the card is placed incorrectly.  Some cards even pit players against each other, such as "Small Town Ruffian" and may even encourage a player to have the smallest Boomtown: WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THE GAME Wallet games can be a hit or miss for me. I like the idea of ​​portability and pared-down gameplay, but they've been a bit of a letdown in the past. Circle the Wagons is one of the first wallet games I've played that felt like a full-fledged board game. Sure, it's lacking in components, but it makes up for it with its quality. The use of double-sided cards is a great idea here. Button Shy have done this in the past with Ahead in the Clouds and Turbo Drift, and they continue to use it to great effect in Circle the Wagons. Designers Danny Devine, Stephen Aramini, and Paul Kluka have tightly integrated the scoring mechanics and gameplay without making the game too long or too difficult.  Since players only use 3 of the 18 bonus cards, each game will be different. According to the BoardGameGeek page for Circle the Wagons, there are “nearly five thousand unique ways to score points.” I’ve played nearly a dozen games, and each one has been different. In some games, you simply collect the maximum number of badges, and you also place them for the largest regions. In other games, you try to avoid collecting resources. And in other games, you literally try to make your city as small as possible. In many cases, the bonus cards contradict each other: you get points for bottles on one card, while another card penalizes you if you have the most bottles. Beth Sobel's art is understated and subtle, yet gorgeous. The detailed illustrations of the icons blend and contrast beautifully with the rough and unevenly painted backgrounds, creating a set of artwork I would happily hang on my wall (goal tip Jason). WHAT DID YOU NOT LIKE? The only real downside to this game is the environment. While stacking cards into piles makes for some really interesting choices, the physical task of doing so is a bit frustrating. The extremely subtle curvature of the cards means they'll always be shifting around. This can make it difficult to keep your city in order. It's possible that a production copy of the game will be better, so take this with a grain of salt. It would also be great to have a few more cards or a small token to mark the starting card… but then it wouldn’t be a wallet game, would it? FINAL CONCLUSIONS Combining Patchwork, Isle of Skye and Kingdom Builder, Circle the Wagons is the quintessential big game in a small format. Rugged, beautiful, streamlined and genuinely fun. I predict Circle the Wagons will be Button Shy's flagship game, and rightfully so. Back Circle the Wagons on Kickstarter while you can, you won't regret it! What do you think of Circle the Wagons? Share your thoughts on what you like and/or dislike about the game in the comments below!..