Dexterity

Barbecubes is Major Fun!

- Stephen Conway

Designers: Rob Sparks, Brett J. Gilbert
Development: Joshua Perry, Anthony Howego
Publisher: Alley Cat Games
Artist: Rory Muldoon
2-6 players | 3-15 min. | ages 8+ | MSRP $50 | BGG Entry
Time to teach and learn: 2 minutes

Game Synopsis

The coals are hot and the crowd is hungry. It’s time to get cooking!

Flip a card, then find a way to fit the food shown on the world’s tiniest grill.. using the world’s tiniest tongs. Make sure the food is touching the right number of bars along the grill and make sure not to drop anything into the fire. Burn too many things and you’ll have to turn in your apron and let someone else finish the meal.

Why We Love Barbecubes

Barbecubes is a game of simple joy amplified by its size.

The small tin the game comes in serves as the imaginary kettle for your grill, holding the hot coals. Two wooden grates are arranged over the tin to create the cooking surface. Charming wooden pixelated pieces of food: chicken legs, steaks, burgers, sausages, fish and pork belly all await the fire (the selection is surprisingly very meat-centric – why not an onion? Some asparagus? Maybe even a mushroom or some tofu?). Tiny plastic tongs are the tools of your trade. A deck of small cards depicts a specific food item and exactly how many grill bars it must touch.

If all these components were life size, the game would still be a lovely experience. But Barbecubes makes you adjust to its scale. The choice to make the game mini, maximizes its fun.

The squared off edges of the miniature 8-bit shaped food might seem like a blessing, but once you pick up something seemingly simple, like a burger, you’ll understand. The tongs may grip those corners, but they also make it devilishly hard to readjust things mid-stream without the food flying off out of your control. This means even when grill space is mostly open, it can still be a tricky challenge to get your food placed properly. And once the grill gets packed, that’s when the real fun begins. You may have to nudge a sausage or slide over a plank of salmon to clear space for your steak. And you might even be forced to tip that beef on its side, so it won’t take up as much room over the fire. Knock any food into the tin and you’ve failed this round. Fail twice and you’re out.

Player elimination is often vilified without paying attention to how it is used in a game. Every turn in Barbecubes is fun and full of tension because of the chance for failure and the chance for someone to be knocked out of the game. You can even try to set the next player up for failure by how you choose to place your food on the grill. You can be mean but the cost of that meanness is small. You can fail, but the cost of that failure is short. Even a long game of Barbecubes is less than 10 minutes. You may be crying after burning your bacon in one game and, 5 minutes later, be cheering as you are crowned the king or queen of the grill. As players, I think we hunger for chances at triumph and redemption. Barbecubes delivers us the potential for both multiple times in less time than it takes to grill the perfect steak. Dont let the tiny tin fool you. This game is no side dish. It serves up a heaping helping of Major Fun.

Congratulations to designer Rob Sparks and Brett J. Gilbert

More information on Barbecubes at Alley Cat Games

Whirly Derby is Major Fun!

- Stephen Conway

Designers: Tedman Getschman
Publisher: Big Potato Games
Developers: Ed Naujokas, Drew Richards, James A. Vaughan
2-6 players  |  20 min. |  ages 8+  |  MSRP $24.99 | BGG Entry
Time to teach & learn: 2-3 minutes

Game Synopsis

Eight races down a metal cone stand between you and marble racing immortality. Secretly choose how many of your marbles to risk on each race, then load everyone’s marbles into the launcher and let them fly! They will spin around and around the metal disc until one marble drops through the center hole and wins the race. Finish first, second, or third and you get to claim a trophy and score points. Be careful as you spend your marbles, though, because you lose them as you use them. And even if your marbles are slow, there’s an underdog bonus that will keep you in contention. Whose marbles will score big and rule over the Whirlyverse?

Why We Love Whirly Derby

The subtitle to this game should be: Physics is Major Fun! Who knew gravity and centripetal acceleration could produce so many laughs and so much joy? The simple truth of Whirly Derby is this: everyone picks a number of marbles, then we all cheer them on as they spin toward the center of a gently sloping metal funnel. If this sounds both silly and ridiculous, by god, it is. You have very little control over the outcome of any race but, if you let yourself, you will become totally invested in how each marble traces its course around the track. You’ll indignantly curse the marbles who shoulder yours out of the way and you’ll take a victory lap and look for fist bumps when your marble rockets to the finish first. You’ll claim skill when it suits you and cry foul when physics betrays you. The advanced rules introduce an element of tactics and strategy with scoring cards that require some added thought and the Thunderball, a giant marble that can prevent any player’s marble from winning. The genius of Whirly Derby, though, is its gentle but stubborn invitation to relax and give in to the essential absurdity of the game. Whirly Derby reminds us that a game doesnt require skill or grand strategy or even success to produce lasting moments of pure fun.

Congratulations to designers Tedman Getschman

More information on Whirly Derby at: Big Potato Games

Tiny Laser Heist

- Stephen Conway

Release: 12/17/24   | Download:  Enhanced  | MP3

Run Time: 256 min   | Subscribe:  Enhanced  | MP3 | RSS

The big new exhibit at the Museum features four famous jewels from around the world. Crowds flock to see them sparkle every day. After tonight, though, there wont be a single gem left in the place.

Teams of expert burglars have come to town with one goal in mind: a robbery for the ages. Which crew leader can bring together the right combination of skilled help to make this one last big score? Can you disarm the locks and carefully move the gems between the alarms while avoiding the unknown obstacles other thieves might put in your way? The clock is ticking… can you pull off an epic tiny laser heist?

Tiny Laser Heist is a semi cooperative dexterity game where players attempt to rob gems from a mini 3d museum using tiny hands to manipulate locks and avoid tripping elastic lasers guarding each room. For each gem you steal you and your team will earn big bucks but beware people who aren’t on your team can play cards to make your job even harder!

Tiny Laser Heist

D: Evan Katz, Josh Roberts
A: Alina Lytnytnova
P: Very Special Games
3-6 pl | 30 min | ages 8+ | MSRP $50 | BGG Entry
Time to teach & learn: 3-4 minutes

Music credits include:

It Takes A Thief  |  Dave Grusin  |  the song

Thief in the Night  |  Percy Sledge  |  the song

DroPolter

- Stephen Conway

Release: 10/31/24   | Download:  Enhanced  | MP3

Run Time: 256 min   | Subscribe:  Enhanced  | MP3 | RSS

In the wee hours of the darkest night it comes. That pesky ghost bumping thumping and booing its way into your room. It isn’t scary, but it sure is annoying. Who can sleep with all that racket? Tonight, though, you are ready! You have all your lucky charms held tight in one fist. If you can drop them in just the right order, you can nab the ghost and send it to bed!

DroPolter: Ghost vs Palm Muscle is a whimsically absurd dexterity game. Drop the right combination of charms and grab the ghost to earn a bell. Collect five bells to win. Be careful, though. The bells you earn, you keep in your hand as you play. If you drop them, you lose those points!

DroPolter

D: Paul Schulz
A: Rie Komatsuzaki, Jun Sasaki
P: Oink Games, Pixie Games
2-5 pl | 10-15 min | ages 6+ | MSRP $23 | BGG Entry
Time to teach & learn: 2 minutes

Full show notes on all the segments are available at The Spiel.

Music credits include:

Holidays of Ghosts – Adobe Music

Buck’s Polka | by Buck Owens | the song

Autobahn Queens – Adobe Music

Wärst du doch in Dusseldorf gebleiben | by Dorthe | the song

Polka Face | Weird Al | the song

Strip Polka | by The Libertine Bells | the song

Got Caught in Amsterdam | Adobe Music

Goodbye Amsterdam | by Tim Easton | the song

Amsterdam | by Guster | the song

Nekojima

- Stephen Conway

Release: 4/30/24   | Download:  Enhanced  | MP3

Run Time: 80 min   | Subscribe:  Enhanced  | MP3 | RSS

There are dog shows and cat shows, but have you ever heard of a fish show? Goldfish fans from across the land compete each year to display the most sensational swimmer. It takes talent and planning to create the most pleasing arrangement of colorful scales. Can you win Best in Show with your finest fish?

Nekojima

Designer:  Karen Nguyen, David Carmona

Artist:  Gilles Warmoes

Publisher:  Unfriendly Games | Hachette | BGG Entry

1-5 players  15 minutes  ages 7+   MSRP $36.99

Time to teach/learn:  3-4 minutes

Full show notes on all the segments are available at The Spiel.

Music credits include:

Sixteen Cats | Joey Michaels | the song

The Seeking Cat | Moss Harmon | the song

Ride Ranke | by FinnKalvik | the song

Stray Cat Strut | El Jimador | the song

Cat Naps | Raymond Grouse | the song

Hand-to-Hand Wombat

- Stephen Conway

Hand-to-Hand Wombat

Designers: Cory O’Brien
Artist: Matthew Inman
Publisher: Exploding Kittens
3-7 players 15 min ages 7+ MSRP $26
Time to Teach/Learn: 3 minutes
Written by: Stephen Conway

No one knows why wombats enjoy architecture. A desire to build towers is buried deep in their bones. But there are exceptions, wicked wombats, born to make trouble. Hand to Hand Wombat pits a team of builders against fuzzy little secret sowers of chaos. The builders must stack pieces to create three towers, while the bad wombat works to sabotage them without getting caught. This might seem easy or impossible depending on what team you’re on, until you discover the twist. Everyone plays with their eyes closed!

The entire game takes place within the confines of the box lid.

In it, you’ll place all the pieces needed to complete three towers. Each tower has a spindle and six nubbly square pieces. The pieces have holes in the center, allowing them to slide onto the spindles. The piece with 6 nubs along its edges is the base of the tower. The five nub piece stacks nicely above it and so on.

To play, deal out wombat cards to see who is on the builder team and who is the wicked wombat. Do not share your identity with anyone else! Place all the tower pieces and the spindles in the box lid and you’re ready to go.

The goal in Hand to Hand Wombat is to complete towers if you are a builder, or to keep towers from being built if you are wicked.

Each game round is 90 seconds, plus a vote. When the timer starts, everyone closes their eyes (no peeking!). Builder Wombats try to assemble the three towers, using one hand only, placing the widest piece of each tower at the base (the six nub piece), then the five and so on. You can communicate with everyone at the table. You can pass pieces to each other. You can even place your hand over a spindle to prevent others from messing with it. You can never take pieces out of the box to sort or save them.

While the Builders are building, the Wicked Wombat is trying to screw things up. You must be subtle, though! If you’re too obvious, you’ll get caught. You might give someone the wrong piece, or place a piece on a spindle out of order. You might even rotate the box lid! Even TALKING REALLY LOUDLY could be enough to throw things off.

At the end of the round, all players vote on who they think the wicked wombat is. If one player has more than half the votes, that player is out! That player does not reveal their identity and the game continues. Reset the timer and the goal is the same. Build towers or cause trouble.

Each round, one team scores. The builders must get at least two towers built to score one point. If they build all three, they score two points. If only one tower is built, the wicked wombat scores one point. If no towers are complete, the sneaky side gets two points. First team to score three points wins the game.

A subtle but important note: the wicked wombat can win even if they have been voted out, since the builders won’t know they have discovered the traitor! The Builders have to complete 2 towers each round or the wicked wombat still scores points. The Wicked Wombat will cackle with glee if they win because the builders didn’t trust each other.

It is hard to think of another game that combines such disparate elements: cooperative stacking paired with a traitor. By all rights this game could be a hot mess. And yet, this marriage works! Playing blind with just the right amount of time pressure balances everything. Even without a player trying to wreck things, getting a group of people to work together without sight to build three simple towers takes an incredible amount of teamwork and communication. The traitor certainly needs to play a role in creating chaos, but the clock and the cloak of darkness allow each side to figure out a way to play that works best for them.

Hand to Hand Wombat is a hilarious invitation to play. Teamwork based on touch and talking and trust is a challenge you’ll almost certainly stumble through the first few rounds. And therein lies one kind of fun. You can’t take yourself too seriously in order to find a way to accomplish this ridiculous task. If you’re wicked, trying to listen and literally feel your way through the game to find ways to subtlety wreck everyone else’s plans is a deliciously fiendish kind of fun. But wait, there’s more. Hand to Hand Wombat yearns for an audience. It is play as a form of performance. It’s hard to argue that any onlookers might have even more fun watching than the goofballs playing the game!

June 2023

Written by: Stephen Conway

Root Beer Float Challenge

- Stephen Conway

Root Beer Float Challenge

Designer: Brady Peterson, Tim Swindle
Publisher: Gray Matters Games | BGG Entry
2-8 players 30 min ages 8+ MSRP $25
Time to Teach/Learn: 2 minutes
Written by: Stephen Conway

You have come together to crown a new champion by assembling that most tasty treat – the root beer float! The ice cream, the soda, the straws and cherries are laid out and ready. Using these charming props, you will compete to complete a series of hilarious challenges – sometimes on your own, sometimes with a team, and sometimes head-to-head. Be the first to collect the right combination of ingredients and you’ll claim the crown!

Instead of a box, the game itself comes in a giant root beer can! The can is more than just a gimmick. It is actually an integral part of the game.

Inside the can are four sturdy straws, two cherries, and a large scoop of ice cream (a white plastic ball). These are the ingredients you’ll use to complete challenges.

There are three decks of challenge cards (solo, co-op, and head-to-head) and a 6-sided die. The backs of the cards are color coded and have one to three ingredients displayed. The die has sides that match the colors of the decks.

Last but not least is a deck of individual ingredient cards. These are the trophies you’ll collect for completing challenges.

The goal of the game is to collect the right set of ingredient cards to make a root beer float. You’ll need a can of root beer, some ice cream, a cherry, and a straw.

On your turn, you roll the die and draw a challenge card from the deck that matches the color you rolled.

If it’s a solo challenge, you’re on your own. If it’s head-to-head, pick a player to compete with. If it’s co-op, pick a partner to help.

The challenge cards are wacky and ridiculous. Each one will lay out what props you need to use and the goal you need to accomplish. Here’s a few examples:

Solo Challenge – Bounce the ice cream ball into the can from one straw length away.

Co-Op Challenge – One player balances two straws on the back of their hand. They must transfer the two straws to the back of their teammate’s hand. The straws cannot fall.

Head-to-Head Challenge – Players balance a cherry on their heads then walk ten paces forward and ten paces backward. The player who returns first (or goes the farthest) wins.

Give the challenge your best shot! Not every one will go your way and that’s ok! The game goes fast; you’ll get ‘em next time. And if you land upon a challenge that is beyond your capabilities, no problem, just pick a new one.

If you complete the challenge, you collect an ingredient card of your choice from the ones shown on the back of the card. In a co-op challenge your teammate gets one, too. In a head-to-head challenge, your opponent will collect one if you lose!

The first to collect the right ingredients for the root beer float wins the game.

Root Beer Challenge celebrates the joy of active, silly fun. It brings the spirit of the playground indoors. Each challenge is an event in and of itself – a mini-game that includes opportunities for little triumphs and laugh-out-loud disasters. The scale and the stakes are balanced such that the fun comes from the playing, from testing yourself against each silly challenge, whether you succeed or fail. In fact, the failures are often more fun, more hilarious, and more memorable!

Many years ago, the beloved founder of the Major Fun Award, Bernie DeKoven, wrote a book called Junkyard Sports. In it, he lays the foundation for over 75 different games using low or no cost found objects. Think of the made up games played at recess; games you assembled with rules to accommodate the equipment, time, and players you had on hand.

Root Beer Float Challenge carries a torch that was lit by Junkyard Sports. The game reminds us that this flavor of active silly fun is always available and can be created on the fly. It is not something we need to abandon or deny ourselves as “mature” adults. The door to play is never closed. Sometimes all we need is a small push to peek through and rediscover Major Fun.

December 2022

Disney Mad Tea Party

- Stephen Conway

Release: 10/10/2022    | Download:  Enhanced  | MP3

Run Time: 38 min   | Subscribe:  Enhanced  | MP3 | RSS

Welcome to the Mad Hatter’s tea party! It’s always six o clock and that means it’s always tea time. Here’s another plate of biscuits. Take two. There’s no time to wash, so the cups and saucers pile higher and higher. Just make sure you’re not the one to crash the party, smashing stacks of cups, making them tumble and topple from the table. That would be ever so rude.

Disney Mad Tea Party is a nerve wracking cup stacking game atop a very precarious table. Be the first to play all your cards or stack every last cup to win. Tension tuned by skill, strategy and a touch of luck drives each decision you make.

Listen in to explore the game and discover why we think it’s Major Fun.

Disney Mad Tea Party

Designer: Funko Games

Publisher:  Funko Games

2-10 players  15 minutes  ages 5+   MSRP $20

Time to teach/learn:  2 minutes

Music credits include:

A Very Merry Unbirthday  |  by Ed Wynn & Jerry Colonna  |  the song

Mad Hatter  |  by Melanie Martinez  |  the song

Kabuto Sumo

- Stephen Conway

Kabuto Sumo

Boardgametables |  BGG

Designers: Tony Miller
Artist: Kwanchai Moriya
Publisher: Boardgametables
2-4 players 15 min ages 6+ MSRP $44
Time to Teach/Learn: 3 minutes
Written by: Stephen Conway

If you listen closely you can hear it… KLONK! The mighty Kabutomushi, the magnificent Rhinoceros beetles are knocking heads, sumo wrestling. Their epic duels in the World Insect Wrestling Championship are the stuff of legend! Now, you and a swarm of challengers are here to contend for titles and your place in history. Position is everything. It will take balance, steady hands (and maybe a little luck) to push and pivot your opponents from the ring!

Kabuto Sumo is a beautiful game. First, artist Kwanchai Moriya creates an enticing colorful world full of flamboyant insect heroes worthy of any professional wrestling circuit.

The play surface, the wrestling ring, is a raised cardboard platform in the shape of a tree stump. A separate cardboard pushing platform butts up against the stump, allowing each player to introduce new pieces to the ring.

Chunky smooth wooden discs in three sizes and three colors will populate the board. Each player will begin with a few discs in their personal supply.

Each player has a wooden insect wrestler token and a special move token in a shape that reflects the insect’s species. Each wrestler also comes with a reference card outlining their abilities. For younger or new players, Junior league cards outline rules for a simpler and slightly faster game.

To play, discs and wrestlers will be arranged in a pattern on the stump according to the number of players. Choose your wrestler, gather your discs, and get ready to rumble!

The goal is simple: push your opponent’s wrestlers from the ring OR run your opponents out of pieces to play.

Kabuto Sumo draws great inspiration from old school coin push arcade games.

On your turn, you will select one of the discs in your personal supply and place it on the pushing platform. You may place the platform anywhere around the wrestling ring. Then, using one hand, push the disc from the back of the piece until it is completely in the ring. You can push your disc at any angle as long as you push in a straight line. If discs fall out of the ring as you push, you collect them into your personal supply. Then your opponents take their turns, selecting and pushing discs until someone’s wrestler falls or runs out of pieces to play.

NOTE: While your goal is to push the opponent from the ring, you constantly need to replenish your supply of discs by knocking some from the ring. Lose sight of this and you could find yourself scrambling just to stay in the game!

Kabuto Sumo is a great example of inclusion in game design. Signature moves add depth and strategy. The Junior League makes the game approachable to anyone.

Each wrestler has a set of superpowers. Some are triggered when their signature piece is pushed. The Stag Beetle’s mandibles can capture opponent’s discs. Others are triggered when certain conditions are met. If the Blister Beetle’s wrestler is touching another wrestler at the end of your turn, that opponent must give you a piece. Ouch!

But these powers come with a catch. They must be earned during the game! You’ll be forced to discard discs, stack some on the board, or even give discs to your opponents in order to use your powers. Suddenly the game operates on an entirely different level. Planning how and when to trigger your powers will likely be the key to victory!

At the other end of the spectrum, the Junior League option provides a quick and easy way for anyone to join the fun. Each wrestler starts with their signature piece and other discs. No special powers, just push and push and let the wrestlers fall where they may. The concept is so simple. There should be no barriers to entry in a game like this. No matter your interest or experience level, there’s a version of Kabuto Sumo to fit the way you want to play.

Kabuto Sumo teaches its players to savor and play with balance. Mind and body are all called to action. Planning and pushing pieces to making them fall is a primal kind of Major Fun, even when your plan goes sideways.

August 2022

Written by: Stephen Conway

Hibachi

- Stephen Conway

Release: 12/15/2021    | Download:  Enhanced  | MP3

Run Time: 42 min   | Subscribe:  Enhanced  | MP3 | RSS

It’s a hectic night at the Hibachi restaurant. So many hungry people to feed. And so many different dishes! The spatulas are ting -ting-tinging against the hot cooktop and the onion volcanoes are erupting, as shrimp and steak, broccoli and mushrooms and rice fly from plate to bowl. No one leaves here hungry!

Hibachi is a charming dexterity driven set collecting game. Players throw their chef’s coins (hefty poker chips) to gather ingredients and special actions to fill recipes.

Give a listen to learn how Hibachi puts a fresh face on elements of chance and skill. And be ready for a heaping helping of Major Fun!

Hibachi     Grail Games  |  BGG 

D: Marco Teubner (Safranito, Flying Kiwis,
A: Kerri Aitken
P: Grail Games
2-4 players ages 10+ MSRP $40
Time to Teach/Learn: 3-4 minutes

Music credits include:

I Don’t Want to Throw Rice  by Dolly Parton  |  the song

Throw It Away  by Abbey Lincoln  |  the song

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